Carombo Physics lab · v0.5
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Cushion count
Space pause/resume · B previous shot · ← → step · R replay · P pick your shot · S T L vote · N skip ahead · F table only · Q quiz · M engine model

Three-cushion billiards trainer

Carombo is a shot-selection trainer for three-cushion billiards. A world-class engine reads every position, chooses its shot and plays it on the table above, with the reasons a top player would give.

Three-cushion is won or lost before the cue ball moves. Good players pick shots with room for error: a big target, a hit they trust, running english and as few surprises as possible. Carombo shows you those shots thousands of times, then asks you to pick them yourself.

Play the trainerLearn the basics

How the trainer works

What the engine looks for

The engine weighs a shot the way an expert does. First the hit: is there a big ball to aim at, a two-way chance of scoring, a half-ball to third-ball hit on the first ball? Then the route: running english rather than reverse, ball first rather than cushion first, no kiss waiting halfway round. Then speed and spin to suit the hit, and, when two shots are close, the one that leaves the next shot.

Read the full checklist in How to choose a shot.

Start learning

All lessons · Three-cushion glossary

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Questions

Is Carombo free?
Yes. The trainer and the Learn pages are free and run in your browser. There is nothing to install and no account.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. On a phone the table stands upright and fills the screen; tap the table for the playback controls.
Is the physics real?
The balls follow a physics model of cloth, cushions, spin and ball contact, and the engine plays every shot with the kind of error a world-class player makes. It is tuned by an expert player against a real table and keeps improving.
Is it for beginners?
Yes. Beginners and professionals play the same shots; what changes is how well they execute them. Watching the engine choose is the fastest way to learn which shots to look for.
What languages does it speak?
The trainer follows your browser's language and supports 33 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Turkish, Korean, Japanese and Chinese. You can change it in the menu.