Learn three-cushion billiards

Short lessons on the game and, above all, on choosing the shot. Every idea here is one the Carombo engine uses when it picks its shot, so you can see it at work in the trainer.

New to the game? Start with What is three-cushion? and the rules. Already playing? Go straight to How to choose a shot.

Start here

• What is three-cushion billiards?The game in five minutes: three balls, no pockets, one rule.
• Three-cushion rules and scoringPoints, the break, fouls, frozen balls and averages.
• The table: size, diamonds and spotsSize, diamonds, spots, cloth and cushions, and why they matter.
• Three-cushion glossaryEvery term in these lessons, in plain English.

Choosing the shot

• How to choose a shotThe expert's checklist, in the order that matters.
• Big ball: aim for the biggest targetWhy a ball near a cushion is three or four balls wide.
• Two-way shots: short or long, still a pointShort, it hits the ball; long, it goes two more cushions and hits it from behind.
• Ball first or cushion first?Why banks are harder than they look, and when to play one.
• Position play: leaving the next shotWhere to leave the balls, and how much to care.

Shot patterns

• The natural: around the tableBall first, then around the table with running english.
• Ticky, lag ticky and umbrellaThe cushion-first patterns worth knowing by heart.
• Running and reverse englishWhy running english is predictable, and when reverse is worth it.

Playing the shot

• The hit: half-ball to third-ballThe thickness where small errors matter least.
• Speed and spinAs much speed as the route needs, and a tip that helps the hit.
• Kisses: how to see them comingThe most common way a good shot fails, and how to avoid it.
• Short, true or long: reading the tableWhy tables play short or long, and how to adjust.