Digi Crunch

Pool, also known as billiards, is one of the most popular bar games in the world. It’s rules seem to be universal, and no matter what city you are in it seems you can find some kind of pub offering tables to play. There is even a league dedicated to professional billiards. But there are some strange facts you may not have known about it.

For instance, did you know that it was outlawed for years? Many countries, including the United States and Britain, once felt that pool was an immoral games filled with gambling sinners. They were fearful of the repercussions of allowing betting on such a game to be sanctioned, and so banned it for quite some time.

Another interesting fact is that billiards were originally played outdoors, and was closer to croquet. In fact, the reason that the table is usually green, and referred to as ‘grass’, is because it was originally played as a yard game in the 17th century, where it was popular in France.

Last, pool tables were actually a form of side entertainment, used to keep gamblers busy as they waiting for horse races to begin. It wasn’t until after the 19th century that the term ‘poolroom’ came to mean somewhere you played billiards as it’s own game.