English Billiards

Cue sport on a full-size snooker table — pot balls or make cannons to score points.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is English Billiards?

English billiards is played on a full-size snooker table with only three balls — white, spot-white and red. Players score by potting balls (2 or 3 points), in-offs and cannons (strikes on both other balls, 2 points). Games are contested to a set score or over a time limit; the sport survives strongly in Britain, India and Australia.

Quick facts

Category

Precision Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Estimated origin

18th-century England (from earlier billiards games)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-20.verified