description Straight rail billiards Overview
Straight rail billiards, also called straight billiards or the free game, is a form of carom billiards played with three balls on a pocketless table. A player scores when the cue ball contacts both object balls during the same stroke, without the cushion requirements used in games such as three-cushion billiards. Because skilled players can gather the balls and score repeatedly, later carom disciplines introduced restrictive zones and cushion rules to make sustained runs more difficult.
help Straight rail billiards FAQ
What is straight rail billiards?
Straight rail billiards, also called the free game, is a form of carom billiards played with three balls on a pocketless table. A player scores a point when the cue ball contacts both of the object balls during the same stroke.
How does straight rail differ from other carom billiard games?
Unlike other carom games, straight rail does not have any cushion requirements, meaning a player can score even if no balls hit a rail. It differs from games like three-cushion billiards by keeping the scoring mechanic as simple as possible.
Why isn't straight rail billiards a common professional game anymore?
Straight rail billiards became too easy for top players, who developed techniques to keep the balls clustered together for endless scoring runs. Because the game lacked variety and could go on too long, other versions like balkline were introduced to force players to separate the balls.
How many balls are used in straight rail billiards?
Straight rail billiards uses exactly three balls: one red object ball, one white object ball, and a second cue ball. The game is played entirely on a pocketless carom table.
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