Cue sports are a family of tabletop games that are played using a stick called a cue to strike a designated cue ball and cause it to collide with other balls. Matches take place on a felt-covered table whose edges are fitted with resilient rubber bumpers (commonly known as cushions) so the balls remain on the playing surface. Players use a variety of techniques with the cue—strike, spin, follow, and draw—to control the cue ball and score according to the rules of each discipline.

The broad term "billiards" has historically been used to refer to these sports, but its meaning varies by region and context; today, cue sports is the preferred collective name that covers several distinct games and rule sets.

Main categories

  • Pool (also called pocket billiards) is played on a table with six pockets. The objective is generally to pocket object balls by caroming the cue ball into them. Well-known variants are eight-ball (usually with 15 object balls), nine-ball (played with nine numbered balls), and casual formats such as cutthroat or killer. Rules, ball sets, and tactical emphasis differ between games, but pocketing and cue-ball control are central to all pool disciplines.
  • Carom billiards is played on a pocketless table and typically uses three balls. A basic goal is to strike the cue ball so that it contacts the other two balls, often with one or more cushion rebounds in between. Several carom forms exist; for example, three-cushion billiards requires the cue ball to touch at least three cushions before the final contact, which makes shot planning more demanding.
  • Snooker is played on a larger table (commonly 6 by 12 feet) with smaller-diameter balls and tighter pockets than standard pool, increasing shot difficulty. A snooker rack contains 15 red balls plus six coloured balls, together with the cue ball; scoring involves alternating potting reds and colours under a specific sequence of rules, which contributes to its strategic depth and length of frames.

Equipment and play

All cue sports use similar basic equipment: a cue, a cue ball, object balls, a cloth-covered table, and cushions. The table cloth (often called baize) and the size of balls and pockets differ between disciplines and influence speed and difficulty. Players commonly apply chalk to their cue tips to reduce miscues, and many competitive formats have standardized dimensions and equipment specifications enforced by governing bodies.

Variety and competition

Cue sports range from informal recreational games to highly organized competitive events with international governing organizations and professional circuits. Variants emphasize different skills—positional play, safety tactics, trick shots, or precise long potting—so players often specialize in one or more disciplines.