This game is fairly different from other games. You do not play from the position left at the end of the previous shot, the balls are set up on the table in well-defined positions. The player does not have the choice of the shot: the shot must be played in a pre-established manner and points are scored only if this path is followed. The player is allowed three attempts for each shot. Shots are worth between 5 and 11 points depending on their difficulty. Do not start dreaming though, 5 or 6 points does not mean the shot is easy.
Artisitic billiards is supposed to be played with ivory balls.
Figure 59. Now that's what I call follow. It is worth only 5 pts, so there are people who find this fairly easy.
Figure 31. A jump draw. Such shots are called coulé-rétro in French (literally follow-draw): because of the jump the cue ball moves forward after contacting the first object ball, then the spin kicks in and the cue ball comes back. It is worth 5 pts.
When you use enough follow the cue ball barely manages to escape from the corner.
When you use even more follow the cue ball does not escape from the corner.
If you can make this shot, please let me know. My computer can.
Another shot from outter space.
Figure 68. This massé is part of the official artistic billiards program. The cue ball must go beyond the red dot to score. 11 points means you can forget about it.
Figure 92. The cue ball must go beyond the pin to score 10 points. Played by Jan Osterloh from Germany.
Massés are easy with a computer program:
Another dream massé:
There is not much available in English.
The figures were obtained using the simulation developed by Laurent Buchard (http://perso.wanadoo.fr/laurent.buchard.)
© Mathieu Bouville, November 17 th 2003