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Billiard Pool

Pool has been a common name for billiards for about 150 years. Originally it was merely a betting term. The name of the game refers to the bet, or ante, that players would put up before a game. The intent being that whichever player won that particular match would win the money.

Pool halls used to be places where gentlemen placed bets on horse racing and fights. It was only the heavy betting that is common with billiards that makes the word synonymous with billiards.

Gambling halls slowly installed billiard tables as the sport gained in popularity. The tables are so large, that they quickly became the most recognizable fixture of these halls and the word became attached to billiards.

Today, pool refers to any game played on a billiard table. It can be eight ball, nine ball, snooker, or many other variations. The word is more widely used now to describe billiards.

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