Welcome to 3-Cushion Billiards
If you are a carom billiards player, you cherish a five-minute scene in the middle of the 1961 movie, The Hustler. Fast Eddie Felson’s manager, Bert Gordon, has set up a high stakes game at a Louisville mansion owned by Findley. Anxious to start the match, Fast Eddie removes the table cover and is confused by the absence of pockets. “Thought we came here to play pool?” Felson says. "I don’t play pool, Mr. Felson,” Findley says. He sips from his drink, a cigarette wedged between his middle and ring fingers. “I play billiards. My house, my game. You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”
The games of billiards and poker share several things in common, namely skills, strategy, and high-stakes competition. But these beloved pastimes share another aspect that is so obvious, it is often overlooked—the felt!
Read more: Felt-to-Felt Success: Conquering the Worlds of Both Billiards and Poker
Snooker players are generally considered to be extremely dexterous and adaptable and the majority of them have probably flirted with the idea of trying their hand at other cue sports. Very few European players have been tempted by 3-cushion billiards over the years, but the great Ronnie O'Sullivan has recently bucked that trend. The 41-year-old traveled to the USA as part of his new TV series Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle for the History channel where he enjoyed the opportunity to sample the game.
Read more: Can Snooker Players Make Decent 3-Cushion Billiard Players?
Three-cushion billiard players hail from all around the world, with top competitors representing Belgium, France, Vietnam, Turkey, South Korea and the USA. But the sport is currently attracting plenty of interest in the Netherlands, in part due to the recent success of the new world champion Dick Jaspers. The Sint Willebrord-born player is a true 3-cushion specialist and has enjoyed a hugely lucrative year in 2018. As a result, his homeland appears to be fully embracing the sport in every way.
Read more: Dick Jaspers Success Leads To Surging Interest in Billiards in the Netherlands