Billiards Strategy and Game Play

A professional player knows that success is achieved by using the right offensive and defensive tactics according to the flow of play. Offensive play looks spectacular while defensive play is not so obvious but nonetheless is used by the player to his advantage. A player gains time to plan his offensive strategy and at the same time holds ones opponent in check in a defensive move, maneuvering to a position where one eventually goes on to win by combining defense with offense at the right moment to break ahead.

Most players focus on all around play constantly making efforts to move the ball into good striking positions. If a white ball is near a spot, a player can use cannons and pot reds to gain points.

If a player strikes a cue ball, making it hit the other cue ball and the red ball in the same shot, he scores 2 points. If he hits the red with a cue ball to make it enter a pocket the player gains 3 points or a "winning hazard". Hitting the other's cue ball with the player's own cue ball and pocketing it gains the player 2 points. If a player hits the cue ball, which bounces off another ball and enters a pocket, one gains 3 points if the cue ball hits a red ball first and 2 points if it hits another player's cue ball. The player gains only 2 points if both balls are hit while the cue ball is pocketed in a play known as losing hazard.