When it comes to billiards, people often think of pool and while that might be the most popular variation, it’s just one of many different games of its type. Where pool is a form of pocket billiards, there are also multiple carom variations, with one of the best and most popular being 3-cushion billiards.
Whether you’re a long-time fan of 3-cushion billiards or you’re completely new to the sport, 2023 has some fantastic events in store. Below are some of the main ones to look forward to and get stuck into on trusted sites like PowerPlay.
Upcoming Global Billiards Events for Fans to Be Aware Of
3-cushion billiards has a long and rich history. It dates all the way back to the late 1800s, where it evolved from straight rail billiards. There have been many great players and events in its roughly 150-year history and the game continues to be popular with people around the world today.
The USBA 2023 Three Cushion National Championship Tournament
The United States Billiard Association (USBA) is the governing body for 3-cushion billiards in the United States and in May will host the USBA 2023 Three Cushion National Championship Tournament. It will see 48 players competing for the main prize, with the four top players from 2022’s competition gaining automatic entry. The eleven-time champion, Pedro Piedrabuena will certainly be one of the favorites to take the title home and is the current defending champion.
The Tournament is being held at the Carom Billiards club in Lauderhill, Florida and will run from May 4th-9th.
2023 UMB World Championship Tournament
3-cushion billiards isn’t only popular in the States of course. There are also many other events that take place across the world. One of the most famous is the UMB World Championship Tournament.
The Union Mondiale de Billard is the official governing body for the sport worldwide and the 2023 UMB World Championship Tournament is set to take place in Ankara, Turkey from September 6th-10th. The winner of 2022’s competition was Turkey’s own Tayfun Tasdemir who will almost certainly be back to defend his title this year.
Other UMB tournaments
Although the UMB World Championship Tournament is the largest event that the UMB hosts, they also put on many other events throughout the year. Some of the other major UMB events for 2023 include -
- World Cup 3-Cushion in HoHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 22nd-28th May
- Carom Cafe International Tournament in New York from 31st July to 6th August
- World Championship Ladies 3-Cushion in Ankara, Turkey from 12-14th September
- World Championship 3-Cushion Juniors, also in Ankara and runs from 15th-17th September
- World Cup 3-Cushion in Veghel, Netherlands from 22nd to 28th October
- World 3-Cushion Gran Prix in Korea from 8th to 21st December
PBA tournaments
South Korea is another country where 3-cushion billiards enjoys a lot of popularity. The Professional Billiards Association (PBA) also hosts numerous tournaments throughout the year, many of which are available to watch through their streaming service - Billiards TV.
Specific dates for 2023’s events have yet to be released but some of the best 3-cushion events PBA hosts each year include -
- Helix PBA Challenge Tour
- Fromm PBA Dream Tour
- Hana Card PBA Championship
- Gyeongju BlueOne Resort LPBA Championship
- Huons LPBA Championship
- NH Nonghyup Card PBA Championship
How to watch 3-cushion billiards
There are a couple of main options for watching 3-cushion billiards if you’re not able to attend events in-person. The first, as mentioned above, is through PBA’s streaming platform, Billiards TV. This is a free service and you can find full details of all the upcoming PBA events on their official website.
Another way to watch 3-cushion billiards live is via Kozoom Magazine’s premium streaming service. Although this isn’t free like the PBA’s streaming service, it does provide a way to watch many of the biggest 3-cushion events from the comfort of your home. You can find more details about their live streaming agenda through the calendar on their website.
Conclusion
3-cushion billiards is growing in popularity all the time, picking up new fans in various countries around the world. Although it might seem simple on the surface, the number of routes you can take to score caroms adds a lot of strategy to the game and makes it that much more exciting for players and spectators alike. As you can see, 2023 and beyond have some fantastic events for fans to look forward to.