Three balls, no pockets, three cushions

The table and the balls

Three-cushion billiards (carom) is played on a heated table with no pockets. The match table here has a playing area of 2.84 m by 1.42 m. There are three balls: your cue ball (the white), your opponent's cue ball (the yellow) and the red.

At the start, the red is on the foot spot, the yellow on the head spot, and the white beside it on the same line.

What scores a point

You score a point when your cue ball hits both other balls and touches at least three cushions before it reaches the second ball. The cushions can come before the first ball, between the two, or a mix. The same cushion can count more than once. Score and you play on; miss and it is your opponent's turn. Here the first to 15 wins. Professional matches go to 40 or 50.

Start with a plain cannon

Before worrying about cushions, learn how your ball leaves the first object ball. A thin contact keeps most of its speed and changes its direction a little. A thick contact slows it and sends it off at a wider angle. With a natural roll, a half-ball contact sends it off at about 30°.

Plan the route, then the hit

In three-cushion you plan backwards. First choose the route your ball will take round the cushions to reach the second ball. Then work out how to hit the first ball so your ball starts on that route. Routes round a corner, along two cushions that meet, are the most common, because three cushions come quickly there.

Spin is your main control. Running side keeps your ball moving along the cushions and widens the angles; check side narrows them. Pace matters as much as direction: the ball must make it round and still reach the second ball.

• Players use the diamonds on the rails, with systems such as the Diamond System, to work out where to aim on the first cushion.
• Think about where all three balls will stop, not only about making the point. That is position play in a pocketless game.