h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*Kasia enters the billiards-room: a large place, where the walls are covered with a dark oak wainscotting. At the right side there is a nice fireplace; before you can see two big comfty couches and some armchairs. In the middle of the room you can see a large, beautiful billiard table, the baize is hold in typical green. Directly above the table there is a billiard lamp: longish with a soft light, which comes from the beautiful lampshade, made of stained glass.

At the left wall is a special box for the que's.*

Well, lets start to play then.

*Kasia takes the que and the bills, puts them on the billiard table and starts to play*

*Tweet wanders in and hopes that someone will teach her to play...*

Hi Tweet'.

I'm not very good with pool billiard, but I love this game.
It's not so difficult. We will be playing the 8-Ball Game.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION - 8-Ball is played with a cue ball and a normal rack of fifteen (15) object balls. Balls are racked with the front ball on the foot spot and the 8-ball in the center of the triangle. The primary purpose of this game is for one player to pocket the solid balls numbered from 1 to 7 or the striped balls numbered from 9 to 15, and then marking and pocketing the 8-ball before his opponent. Choice of balls to be pocketed is made by the player legally pocketing the first ball of the game.

For example, if the first ball scored in the game is the 3-ball, then the player must pocket the rest of the balls from 1 to 7 while the opposing player attempts to pocket all the balls from 9 to 15. The turn passes from one player to the next whenever the shooter fails to pocket a ball of his category or fouls. A player legally pocketing a ball of his category must continue to shoot. Winner of the game is the player pocketing his numerical group of balls first, followed by legally pocketing the 8-ball. The 8-ball must be pocketed in a marked pocket.

1. LAGGING - Players will lag to see who has first break and from that point on the winner breaks. If the lagged balls make contact during the lag, lag over.

2. RACKING - All balls should be frozen (touching) as tightly as possible. The breaking player may request and receive a re-rack.

HOW TO WIN - You have won the game when all the balls of your numerical group have been pocketed, and you have legally pocketed the 8-ball in a properly marked pocket without scratching. To properly mark the pocket, a coaster or some other reasonable marker (other than chalk) must be placed next to the pocket the 8-ball is intended to enter. Both teams may use the same marker. Only one marker should be on the table. However, if more than one marker is on the table, as long as you clearly mark the pocket where you intend to pocket the 8-ball you have properly marked the pocket. If the marker is already at the intended pocket from a previous attempt or game, it is not necessary for you to touch it, pick it up, or reposition it.

Well, methinks that's enough for the beggining, no?
Shall we start, Tweetie?

I'm not sure I understand the bit about "Lagging?" but I'll just watch you two for now.

*sits down to watch*

I don't think I have ever played pool this way Kasia. It's very interesting.

Anyone fancy a game?

I'll break

I'll play, I'll follow your lead.

Ok

*pulls cue back, strikes the white ball, splits the pack and pots bugger all*

Your shot

~picks up the cue, the wrong way round~

~looks helpless~

So, what colour am I supposed to hit?

*fingers a cue lightly, but decides to sit this one out...*

It's the first shot, Mina?

First of all, you should rub in some chalk on the top of the cue - it's good, because then you can shot the ball whitout slippering.

Then you just shot on the white ball, the socalled cue ball, and it doesn't matter, which ball you hit first. Just shot in the middle of the balls set in a triangle. Important is, which ball will go at first in one of the bottom pockets. If it is a solid ball (number 1 to 7), then you are shooting at these till the end of this particular game. If you place a striped ball in the pocket, these are yours. Just don't try to place the black number 8 in the pocket; this ball should be placed as the last one. If you place the 8 in the pocket BEFORE all of the balls you are playing are in the bottoms, you lose the game!

Enjoy!

Thank you Kasia.

~rubs chalk in the cue, realises it is the wrong way round, turns it over and does it again. Aims at the cue ball and shoots wildly. By sheer fluke 3 red balls go in~

I think I'm gonna like this game.

I think the red balls are the same as the solid ones (also known as spots)

Ehem... I forgot to mention: all balls have different colours, I mean, the 1 to 7 are yellow, red, green, blue, orange, purple and... oh, damn, I forgot the last colour. Nevermind. And the striped ones are also in these colours, but with a strip.

*Kasia hopes someone will understand her bubbling...*

AAH! sorry, spots and stripes.

Ok, it was 3 spots then.

Wow, 3 at once, Mina?

You have a great future then!

Okay, so go on, cause you play as long as you can place your spots in bottoms; if you missed one, then it's the turn of the other player.

~lines up the balls carefully, aims, shoots, and knocks the white ball flying off the table~

Oops, hope that wasn't expensive, I'll fix it Kasia, really I will.

Nevermind, Mina, just put the white one back onto the table, and start again.

BTW: I did exactly the same, as I played pool for my first time ever. But, sorry to admit, my friend wasn't so lucky, cause this ball hited him right in his stomach... Hmm, I wondered, why he prefered NOT to play with me anymore...

Lucky it wasn't slightly lower!

LOL - but almost, you know heh heh
Maybe that's way he refuse to play with me...