The game of billiards is only as fun as the equipment that you have with you. Without the right stuff to play with, just having a pool table in your game room can turn awful dull. So here are the key things that you absolutely must have in order to play a good game of billiards.
Pool Cues – You will obviously need a good set of cue sticks in order to smack the cues around with. You can get a few one piece “sneaky Pete” pool cues cheaply, but if you really want to get something personal, consider getting a two piece cue with good looking inlays and a hard rock maple shaft.
Billiard Balls – Whether you want to play 8 Ball or 9 Ball on your pool table, a good set of billiard balls is a must have. What’s neat about modern billiard balls is the sheer variety that you can get from them. Do you want something really classic? There are plenty of billiard ball sets that look exactly like sets from a hundred years ago. Do you want something really flashy? There are pool ball sets that are sparkly or are even camouflage. No matter your taste or inclinations, there are sets of billiard balls to meet your taste.
Bridge Head – Sometimes a shot requires you to reach all the way across the table. That’s when a bridge head can really come in handy. Just attach it to one cue and rest another cue on the bridge head. When you finally have to make that tricky shot, you’ll be glad you have one.
Pool Cue Stand – You don’t want to just pile your pool cues underneath your table do you? A pool cue stand helps protect your cues while displaying them attractively while they are not in use. If you are worried that you are short on floor space in your game room, you can get a wall mounted pool cue stand.
Diamond and Triangle – If you are going to rack up for the two most popular billiard table games, these are essentials. While the cheapest ones are plastic, you can actually get fancier ones that are made of stained wood. Some advanced models actually have ball bearings on the bottom so that you can smoothly roll them around on your billiard cloth.
Chalk – Chalk is one of the biggest developments in the sport of billiards, as it allows you to control the amount of spin on the ball. Getting a box of chalk cubes is essential if you really want to get good at your game.
Table Brush – How smooth and even your billiard cloth is can be essential to the quality of the billiard ball roll. That’s why it’s just good policy to invest in a a good table brush and use it on your table regularly.
Table Cover – Protect your table from stains and dust with a good quality table cover. Covering your table whenever it isn’t in use can increase the longevity of your table and make it perform better whenever you use it.
Fortunately, there are a good selection of billiard accessory kits that allow you to all this kind of equipment in one easy package.