AMERICAN BILLIARDS The game of American billiards is played on a table without pockets. It is called a carom table and is of two sizes, one 42 by 9 ft. and the other, 5 by 1 o feet. For the carom game three balls are used, one red, one plain white and one white with a black dot. In the four ball game, played by the less expert, there are two red balls and two white balls.
Three Ball Game.—The red ball in the three ball game is placed on the foot section of the table on a spot at the middle of a line drawn across the table at a right angle from the second diamond on each long rail, and one white ball is placed on a corresponding spot at the head of the table. An imaginary line drawn across the head of the table at right angles to the second diamond on each long rail is termed the "string." In what would be the centre of this line a spot is placed, known as the head spot. The game is begun by "stringing" for the lead, banking from the head to the foot rail and back. The player whose ball settles nearest to the head rail wins the choice of white balls and the right to elect whether to lead or to make his opponent lead. Should the two white balls come in contact when stringing for lead, the player whose ball is clearly out of its true course or whose ball strikes the red ball when that ball is on its proper spot, forfeits the lead. When the contact of the balls is equally the fault of both players or when the balls come to rest at an equal distance from the head cushion, the players string again. Con testants play in rotation until a specified number of points con stituting a game is completed. The player leading must place his ball inside the string and within six inches to the right or left of the other white ball and must make the cue ball strike the red ball in order to effect a count. On any other than the opening shot, excepting when the balls are for any reason spotted, the striker may play upon either ball. Each carom counts one point. A ball forced off the table is spotted on its proper spot. If the spot is occupied by another ball the ball forced from the table is placed on one of the other spots. A foul ends an inning. No points are counted on foul strokes.
In the three ball straight rail carom game the crotch is barred. The object balls are considered crotched wherever the centres of both lie within a 41 in. square at either corner of the table, and when so crotched but three counts are allowed unless one or both object balls be forced out of the crotch. In case of failure the player's hand is out and his opponent plays with the balls as he finds them. In the four ball game a carom counts one, but in case of a carom on both object balls the player counts two.
14.2 Balk Line Game.—To mark the table properly for 14 in. balk line the lines are drawn on a 5X io table from each of the first diamond sights on the end and side rails to the correspond ing diamond sight on the opposite end or side rail. The large centre space on the table is not a balk space. The object balls are in balk whenever both have stopped within any one of the balk spaces. The marker then calls "in" and when one or both object balls are driven out of balk space, the marker calls "out." A ball on the line is in balk. A ball is on the line only when its centre or point of contact with the table touches this line. When two object balls are on the same line the striker shall have the option to determine in which balk they are to be called, and must govern his play accordingly. But two shots are allowed when two object balls are within the same balk space, hence the name 14.2 balk line. If at least one of the object balls is not driven out of balk on the second shot the shot is void and the player's hand out.
18.2 Balk Line Game.—The game of 18.2 balk line is played on a 5 X 10 table and the balk lines are drawn 18 in. from the edges of the cushions with eight anchor spaces on each table. These anchor spaces measure seven inches square. Two each are located on the head rail and on the foot rail and two each on the side rails with the 18 in. balk line across the ends of the table as a centre. The general rules of 18.2 balk line are somewhat similar to those of the 14.2 balk line game. The object balls are con sidered to be in anchor when the centres of both balls lie in one of the anchor spaces. When the balls are anchored the striker may have two consecutive shots, but if he fails on the second shot to force one or both of the object balls outside the anchor space, the second shot is void and the opponent plays the balls as he finds them. There is also an 18.1 balk line game in which but one ,shot is allowed in balk and one in anchor. It is claimed for the 18.1 balk line game that it is the medium by which the highest skill of both professional and amateur can be measured. After Frank Ives had won the 14.2 balk line championship in 1892 it was agreed the game had become too easy. Experiment began and the new game of 18.2 was invented. In 1896 Maurice Daly held the first 18.2 championship in New York City, Ives, Schaefer and Garnier competing. The game was for 500 points, five shots allowed in anchor. The anchor spaces were 31 by 7 inches.
In 1903 the first world tournament at 18.2 was played in Paris. Vignaux was awarded the championship by a decision based upon grand averages. Sutton and Slosson, representing the United States, played against him. Sutton challenged Vignaux and lost to him, 1904, by 496 to 500. Since then all 18.2 tournaments have been played in the United States. George F. Slosson won in New York in 1906, losing to Sutton only. Sutton challenged and won from Slosson the same year. Sutton was challenged but held the title to 1908, when he lost to Hoppe on the latter's second challenge. Hoppe resigned the title. Successive winners were Morningstar, 1909; Demarest, the same year ; Hoppe, 1912 ; at 50o points. In 1919 the anchor spaces were enlarged to seven inches square and the total of points reduced to 400. Hoppe won the tournament and also that of 1920. In the eighth tourna ment in 1921 Jacob Schaefer, Jr., not only won the championship played for in Chicago, but established a single average of 200, grand average of 51.23, and tied Hoppe in games, winning the play off, 400 to 26. Schaefer defeated Cochran 400 to nothing in their game. Hoppe won in 1922 and 1923 in New York City. In 1925 the most remarkable billiard tournament in history was played in Chicago. Schaefer, Jr., won the title again, being undefeated in five games. Schaefer won the seventh of the series from Hagenlacher by winning the bank and making 400 points and game without miss. In the closing game between Hoppe and Schaefer, the latter entered the eighth inning 296 points behind and ran the game out. His grand average was 57.14, a world's record to add to the single average records. Cochran won in 1927 and in his challenge match with Erich Hagenlacher established a high record run of 407 points in one inning.