Bar billiards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bar billiards is a form of billiards which was possibly initially based on the traditional game of bagatelle. The origins of the game are uncertain, yet it has been suggested that there is a link to a traditional Russian game.
Bar billiards in its current form started in the UK in the 1930s and the tables were made by the Jelkes company of Holloway Road in London and sold to many pubs. It is a traditional game played in West Sussex.
[edit] The game
Bar billiards is played on a special table without side and corner pockets, but with 9 holes in the playing surface which are assigned certain point values (from 10 to 200). There are 8 balls for play - seven white and one red. Potting the red ball in any hole scores double points. On the playfield are normally placed three pegs - two white pegs just behind the two 50 pockets, and one black peg in front of the 200 pocket. If a white peg is knocked over then players turn is ended and all score acquired during that turn is discarded. Knocking down the black peg ends the players turn and all points are lost. In the case that a white and a black peg are both knocked over, then only the first peg to be knocked over is used.
All shots are played from one end of the table so access to all sides of the table is not necessary. A white ball is placed on a starting spot, then another ball (the red ball, if available) will be placed on a spot a few inches in front of that. The player usually aims to get one ball in each of the 50 holes, this can only be done a maximum of three times, if both balls fall down the 50 holes on the fourth time then all points from that turn are lost. As a result of this, the player usually tries to keep one ball up, and is often referred to as the 'one up shot'. The player then tries to pot this ball, if both balls are potted then two balls are put back on the spots. If the player fails to pot a ball then the turn has ended and the second player takes his turn by placing another ball on the first spot. If all balls are in play, then the closest ball to the 'D' (the semi-circle around the first spot) is removed and put on the spot. If a player fails to hit a ball, then the turn ends and all point earned in that turn are lost.
The play is time-limited (normally a coin will give 16-17 minutes of play). After this time a bar drops in the table stopping any potted balls from returning, leading to a steady decrease in the number of balls in play.
The last ball can only be potted by getting it into the 100 or 200 point hole after bouncing off of one cushion.
The game is played mostly in southern England and the Channel Islands. The county with most leagues is Sussex (currently 10).
