"Pool" originally meant a collective bet, or ante. Its origins began back in the 15th Century as an outdoor lawn game similar to Croquet. Everyone from Noblemen to commoners played the game.
Shifting indoors to a green topped table, the game was played with a ‘mace’, however, its bulky head made it inconvenient to use around the 'rails' (cushions as we now know them), so a tendency to use the long stick end of the mace proved far more practical and the cue eventually came into play around the 16th century.
Pool got cool in the 60's with the release of the film 'The Hustler.' Paul Newman played the role of Eddie Felon, a young but naive pool player who takes on the legendary 'Minnesota Fats.' Newman returned triumphantly in an Oscar winning turn as Eddie in the 1986 sequel "The Color of Money", this time mentoring young pretender 'Vincent' played by Tom Cruise.
Pot the coloured balls leaving the black till last. How simple can a game be? Pocket the black before the last colour and you’ve lost the game. Pocket the cue ball after potting the black, and you’ve lost the game.
Officially as long as the Black is in the centre the rest is up to you! So crack on. Whilst a simple game at heart, here are some ideas to improve your chance of getting the balls down more often.
Not cockney rhyming slang! Play at your best by chalking your cue before every shot, but don't 'twist it.' Instead use more of a painting action for best results. And whilst you're at it, check that the ferrule is not loose (that’s the white piece under the tip).
Imagine the ball you want to sink and draw a mental picture of the exact line you would need to strike it, to pocket the ball. Now imagine the cue ball right next to the object ball (that’s just Pool talk for the ball you want to hit), touching at that point. Then draw a mental line from the real cue ball to the centre of the imagined cue ball. That is the exact line you have to hit the ball at in order to pot it. Focus aiming the end of your pool stick, in a straight line with your imaginary cue ball. SIMPLE! Eh? Now go hustle ‘em.
Be careful wielding your Cue, you could have someone's eye out with it or far worse, knock someone's pint over!