Pool Tables, Billiards, Coin-Operated Suppliers and Equipment For Sale 

Did You Know?

Pool or billiard tables have a long and rich history. The balls were shoved, rather than struck, with wooden sticks called “maces”. The term “billiard” is derived from French, either from the word “billart”, one of the wooden sticks, or “bille”, a ball. Billiards has and was played by kings, commoners, mental patients, men and women, and hustlers. Pool began as a game played on a grass lawn, similar to croquet. This lawn game was played during the 15^th century in North Europe and France as well. The game was then moved indoors and played on the floor. This lasted only a short period due to how hard it was on the backs of players who were constantly bending over. Soon, the game of pool, or billiards as it is sometimes known, was moved to table tops. However, when pool was first moved to tabletops, the balls kept rolling off, so wooden rails or bumpers were soon attached to the pool table's edges to keep the balls in play. Rubber strips were soon attached to the rails, so the ball would get an extra bounce when it hit the rail. It served as protection for the wood as well, keeping it from chipping. Thin green felt was then added to cover the table to allow players a more accurate and precise shot. Green was the color of choice because it represented the grass that the game originally began on. Originally, pool was played with two balls on a six pocket table with a hoop similar to a croquet wicket, and a stick standing upright as a target. To stop the balls from falling to the floor and getting damaged, the holes were blocked underneath by pocket style bags, which were sewed on in order to catch the balls. Soon, the object of pool changed, it now consisted of knocking the balls into the pocketed holes. The first record of a pool table dates back to 1470. King Louis XI of France possessed one, although his pool table had no pockets, but it did have a hole in the center of the table. 
 
The first tables were primarily owned by the upper class, due to the high cost of constructing them. People in the lower working classes often built their own pool tables, however, the wood tables usually warped in a couple of years. Originally pool tables had no standard size or shape. Many of the early models were square, and over time the table became more rectangular in shape. By the mid-1500’s, pool tables were common in pubs and taverns throughout France. 
 
In 1826, a man by the name of John Thurston gave the pool table its newest invention. He gave the billiard table a slate surface, making it dramatically smoother. The tables became much sturdier, and the felt was also improved, making a much similar pool table to the one we are accustom to seeing today.

Today, you can find pool halls, or just a single table in almost every city in the United States. There are leagues every day people can join and there is even a professional league that pays big money. There are a number of different games that can be played as well. Snooker, 9-ball, 8-ball, Cutthroat, and others have all evolved out of what was once a single idea.