What Is the Difference Between a Billiards Table and a Pool Table?

You might think that billiards and pool are interchangeable, but there are some key differences between a billiards table and a pool table.

Size

The most significant difference comes down to size. Billiard tables tend to be slightly longer than pool tables, stretching between 10 to 12 feet long. By contrast, pool tables are between seven and nine feet long. The composition of the tables is also a little bit different. A billiards table has no pockets because the object of billiards is different than that of pool. Instead of getting the ball into the hole, you need to hit it off the edge a certain amount of times.

Composition

Pool tables are smaller than billiards tables and generally covered in green felt or cloth instead of baize. It's not entirely uncommon to see a pool table covered in baize, however, and if you find one that is cloaked in this material as opposed to felt, it will work just as fine. Pool tables are in greater demand in most parts of the world, as opposed to snooker or billiards table. It's a very popular sport, so these tables tend to be mass-produced but are available year-round.

Types of Balls

Billiard balls are also slightly different than pool balls. They are a little bit bigger but weigh the same. Billiard tables are covered in a type of cloth known as baize, a wool blend that helps the balls move more effectively down the table.

Pool tables have six pockets for balls to go into and bumpers around the edge. The object of pool is to get the balls into the holes either in a specific order, based on solid color or stripes, or both. There are several different games that one can play with pool balls, but the objective is always the same; to sink as many balls as possible before your opponent does.

You can't play billiards on a pool table or pool on a billiards table even though at first glance, these two tables look similar. There's a fundamental difference in the games, even though they stemmed from the same ancient origin. Pool, billiards, and snooker, a hybrid of both games played on a larger table, are all fun party games that foster healthy competition and are well worth learning.

Check out Watson’s selection of pool tables for your next game-room addition.