Those games which are played with cues are referred to as the cue sports. They are majorly divided into three categories; pool, snooker and carom billiard.
There is a very little difference between these categories. Snooker is played with 22 balls which have 1 white striker ball (cue ball), 15 red balls, 1 yellow, 1 brown, 1 pink, 1 blue, I green and 1 black. While pool balls has 15 balls with 7 balls in color, 7 balls in stripes, and 1 white cue ball.
When the balls used in these games are different than it is obvious that their cues will also be different as well.
Today we are here discussing the differences between the pool cues and the snooker cues. Though there are not many but still when you hold a cue, you will understand that which cue belongs to which game.
| Pool Cue | Snooker Cue | |
|---|---|---|
| Tip | 12 – 13mm | 9 – 10.5mm |
| Weight | 19 – 21 oz | 18 – 20 oz |
| Size | 57 – 58 inches | 57 – 58 inches |
| Material | North American straight grained Ash, Maple | North American straight grained Ash |
Now, We will be discussing the differences one by one so that it will be easy for you to understand the billiards cue well.
It might be hard for you to understand the difference by just looking at the cues, but one such fact which will tell you the most about their original game is the tips. The pool cue and the snooker cue have different tips.
Snooker Cue Tip
Snooker cue tips are smaller and shorter while their tips measurements are 9mm – 10.5 mm. They kept in this way, so they provide a more accurate and precise shot.
Pool Cue Tip
Pool cue tips are larger than snooker cues, they have 12mm – 13mm size of the tip. The tips of English pool cues are usually 8mm – 9.5 mm.
Weight is something which counts most when the shot is being played. The weight recognizes the power on the shot.
Snooker Cue Weight
Snooker cues are kept light weighted to hit according to the game rules. They are less in weight as compared to the pool cue because not much strength is required in their hitting. Snooker cue’s weight is 18-20 oz.
Pool Cue Weight
In case of the pool cues, they are kept on the heavy side as strength is required for them to play because of heavier pool balls. Preferred Pool cues weight is 19-21 oz.
Although there is not much to say about the size difference because the cues from both the game types have somewhat equal length of cues. Snooker cues and pool cues are about 57-58 inches.
Now the difference may lie in different pool cues such as English pool cues and American pool cues. The English pool cue is usually of 57 inches while American pool cues are 57- 58 inches.
Usually the material used in the making of the snooker cue is North American straight grained Ash. It is a strong and stable wood which allows enough flexibility to the cue which is required in the play.
English pool cues are made from the same material which is used in the making of snooker cue, but American pool cue is produced from the Maple.
It is noteworthy here to mention that if you are used to playing with an American pool cue, you will not get satisfied with the English pool cue or snooker cue because they are lighter than American pool cue and your mind and body get used to of handling heavy weighted cues.
Type of material matter the most in the purchasing of the cue whether it is a snooker cue or a pool cue.
When you select any cue from the lot, you might get confuse whether that particular cue is for snooker or pool, but if you look closely and feel the cue, only then you will realise the difference.
As I mentioned earlier that the snooker cue’s main difference lies in its tips, the gameplay has a lot of difference due to that. Not to mention the difference of tips also has something to do with their different ball’s sizes and ball weight.
