The pool is played recreationally as well as on a competitive level. We cannot disregard the recreational worth of pool games, as it has successfully garnered fans worldwide. Pool games such as eight ball, nine-ball, and straight ball are played on an international forum. Played on a rectangular table, there are designated small balls moved around the table with the help of a long stick called a cue. The essential equipment for billiard games includes a table, cue sticks, and a ball. However, different game forms are played in different countries and parts of the world. For example, the carom billiards game is primarily famous in France and other European countries. The English billiards is widespread in Britain. However, in pocket billiards, there are 15 balls played in addition to one white ball. The object balls are labeled from one to eight in bright solid colors.
Next to the pool table, the most important piece of equipment in the game of the pool is the total number of balls. At an initial glance, these balls are appealing as they are made of an overwhelming amount of multiple solid colors. The bright colors of the 15 pool balls are physically tempting, but at the same time, each of the balls is numbered, serving a different purpose. Each ball is numbered and has a designated color. To understand the game of pool, it is essential to be familiar with each color and number to call the shot. Pool balls are mostly polyester or phenolic resin, an ideal material for professional or competitive platforms. It is scratch and chip resistant making it the right choice for Aramith’s billiards brand.
What Color Are Standard Pool Balls?
The standard pool balls are 15 colored balls divided into two groups, stripes and solid. The stripe balls have a thick colored line that runs across the ball, while the solid balls are covered up with the same color around the ball. Solid and striped balls have visible numbers on each ball.
The standard pool has eight colors; red, yellow, purple, burgundy, green, orange, blue, and black. Black is the only color not repeated on a ball twice.
Are Pool Balls Always The Same Color?
No, pool balls are not always the same color. The pool game has multiple colors for easy identification and no confusion. Pool balls have seven colors, and one color is repeated on two balls. The black ball is the only black-colored ball among the pool balls.
Pool balls have color repetitions but are not all the same colors; because the black and white balls have particular uses, these colors are not duplicated on any other ball.
How Do You Determine Solids Or Stripes In Pool?
The break shot has to be played to determine which player plays solid or stripes, so the table can be considered open. After the table has been declared open, players can not determine who plays what until player one pockets a called shot.
The solid balls are from 1 – 7, while the black ball is the 8th ball and the stripe balls are from 9-15.
The player going first will shoot the cue ball at either a solid or striped ball. Whichever ball is pocketed will be what the player uses to play the game, and the player 2 picks the other set of balls. If the first player hits a stripe or solid at the break, and no ball is pocketed, the floor is still open for players to keep trying until a ball gets pocketed.
The initial point to consider during the pool game is the total number of billiard balls that come in a set. Typical pool balls usually consist of 15 balls and a white cue ball within the standard group. The white ball is the only ball in the standard set that makes contact with the pool cue and is also used to hit the other object balls to the pool table pockets. The white ball has no defined number and no significant markings; however, it is easily noticeable from the other balls on the table. The rest of the balls within the rack are the object balls which are radiantly colored and conspicuously numbered and used to make up a standard set of pool balls numbered from 1 to 15. The balls numbered from 1 to 8 are rock-solid decorated balls. The rest of the balls are numbered from 9 to 15 and exhibit stripes in physical appearance. The striped balls have elongated lines of color around them, and the other ball, which is only white. Therefore in the standard set of pool balls, there are two different colored patterns, which makes them easily distinguishable, and players can tell them apart during the game.
Solids
The balls categorized from one through eight are distinguished by one solid color except for a small circle with the number written on it. The first ball is yellow, number two is blue, number three is red, four is highlighted in purple, five in orange, six in green, seven in burgundy, and the last eight ball is black.
Stripes
All of the solid balls in the game except the eight balls have a striped counterpart, particularly for balls from 9 to 15. These balls include a base color which is white and has a white-colored stripe present in the middle. The numbers are seen on the white part. Number nine has a yellow line; number 10 has blue, number 11 is red, 12 is purple, 13 is orange, 14 is green, and 15 is in burgundy color. The players are supposed to learn the colors of the pool balls and should add eight to the number to find an equivalent among striped balls. For instance, the number two ball is highlighted in blue, and if eight is added, it becomes 10; therefore, the 10th ball has a stripe appearance.
Cue ball
The ball that the player strikes with a cue or the long stick in a pool game. The players use the cue ball to hit the object ball, which completes the set. It is always in white; however, some cue balls have a slight tinge of a red dot to assist the players with a direct aim. Some cue balls have red dots for an easy game and help the players notice the ball spin as it makes its way across the table.
Deviations
In some scenarios, pool balls consist of a set with half pink on the third and 11th balls. Occasionally the pool set will also have a tan for the seven and 15 balls. Some pool sets are equipped with balls in the pastel-colored version of the standard colors; however, it is not common in public platforms and pool halls. Some players prefer customizing and tailoring the colors of the ball according to their own choice, including modified names and symbols. Some of these balls are glow in the dark, pearlized, crystal, or marbelized.
There are typically two kinds of balls that we can use during the pool game. They are labeled as standard or Aramith balls. Standard balls are ideal for those players who are just commencing their match on the table. It consists of a standardized or typical set of balls with every pool table. These balls are manufactured in China on a large scale with hard plastic outer shells making them extremely reasonable and user-friendly. However, Aramith balls are more professional, manufactured in Belgium, and do not fall under an appropriate category. The Aramith balls give a better response during the play, minimize the table friction between the ball and the surface, and provide a flawless shine and solid color.
The total number of balls on the table depends on the pool game. The cue ball is the only thing that stays the same and requires no variation among different games. The players should have 16 balls on the pool table, eight balls: one cue ball and the other 15 colored ones. Before the beginning of the play, we should organize the 15 colored balls together into a triangle rack. In the nine-ball game, the pool table should have ten balls; one white ball and the other nine colored balls. The nine balls should be categorized and organized into a diamond shape rack. The players should have four balls in the three-ball game, including three colored balls and one white one. This ball should be categorized and appropriately organized into a triangle-shaped rack. In the game of snooker, there should be 22 balls on the table. There should be 15 red balls, one white ball, and six balls of different colors, including yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black. We should tightly place the 15 red balls into a triangle-shaped rack on one end of the table. One colored ball should be placed behind the red balls and should touch the front tip of the triangle rack.
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