Pool, from the deep end

Pool, or billiards, began with …

I know that because I made up a funny bit about how darts began, you are waiting for me to give you a completely fabricated, cock-and-bull story about how this sport arose.

I, being a semi-sadist, refuse to do it.

… plus I couldn’t think of anything outlandish enough.

The Name of the Game

Billiards got its name from France. It either came from the word “billart, “ one of the wooden sticks originally used or “bille,” meaning a ball.

In the 19th century, “poolroom” was the term used for a horse racing betting parlor and the term “pool” refers to a collective bet...