IRONWOOD, MI - Monday, April 14, 2008 - It was a slow night last night at the pool hall, so Knight Club Billiards Co-Manager Alan Traczyk took the time to explain the game of Snooker.

Originally, all billiard games were played outdoors. They were similar to croquet, using mallets instead of cues. The English brought the game inside, most likely because of the constant cold, foggy weather they are so famous for. The first billiard tables still used mallets. Players pushed the balls with their mallets. Pockets were not originally a part of the game. Points were scored when players would make their object ball contact their opponent's object balls. Eventually, a Frenchman came up with the idea of putting a leather tip on a mallet and using it to "cue" up a shot. The new leather tips allowed players to do amazing things with the cue ball, and it didn't take long before leather tips on cues were the standard. Ironically, it was a Frenchman that invented the tip that make "English" possible. (English is "side-spin" added to shots.)

Players became very good at billiards. The game began to lose favor because it wasn't much of a challenge. Three-cushion and Balk-line Billiards games were invented to make the game more interesting. Soon players mastered those games as well. Snooker was an alternative to the pocket-less game of billiards. Snooker today in England is like NFL Football is in the U.S. People watch matches on television. The bet on the games, and Snooker players are sports heroes in Britain. They have trading cards and everything! Snooker is the most popular pool game in Europe. It is the most popular game in most of Asia as well. While England controlled India, Snooker parlors were everywhere in that country.

The first real "pool game" in the United States was Snooker. English immigrants brought the game over and it became quite popular for a time here. The Knight Club has the only commercial snooker table in the U.P. and the nearest pool hall with a Snooker table featured is in Superior, WI.

The European and English version of the game has been corrupted in the U.S. In Ironwood, the rules have been further corrupted.

According to the American Standardized Snooker Rules, players must sink a red ball and then a numbered ball, then a red, a numbered ball, and so on. The red balls (cherries) are worth 1 point each. The numbered balls are worth the number on the ball (2 thru 7). Pocketed red balls remain pocketed. As long as red balls remain on the table, numbered balls must be re-spotted after being pocketed. In American Snooker, calling a ball and pocket is not required. Players need to call numbered balls, but not where they will be pocketed. All penalties: (1) scratch; (2) pocketing a wrong ball; (3) failing to hit a ball; (4) failing to force a ball into a pocket or to a cushion; result in a seven point penalty.

In Ironwood, the 7 ball is wild, and its value is determined by shaking a numbered pill (1 thru 16) out of bottle. Whatever number is drawn determines the value of pocketing the 7. Likewise, penalty points are also drawn by shaking a numbered pill out of a bottle. Therefore the 7 ball could be worth anywhere from 1 to 16 points and any penalties could be worth anywhere from -1 to -16 points.

In Ironwood, called banks, kisses, caroms, and combinations (reds only) count for extra points. A called single bank is worth double points. A called double bank is worth triple points, and so on.

After any penalty, the incoming player can make the offending player shoot again. If he fails to make a legal shot on the second try, he has fouled and is once again penalized. The incoming player can make him shoot once more if he chooses.

The player with the most points at the end of the game, wins!

"Our owner corrupted the national rules to suit the local need." Alan Traczyk told the Chronicle, " He made changes that make the game more exciting and more interesting. Before when three players were playing, often the third player couldn't possibly win. Now, with the shaker bottle, any one can come from behind and pull off a victory!"

Traczyk Co-Manages the Knight Club along with Steve Frank. Traczyk is a full-time high school student and a member of the Accent singing group. Alan spends his summer months volunteering for Deaf Services of America, assisting deaf and hearing impaired children and adults throughout the U.P., northern Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Traczyk is a trained audio specialist and he occasionally does sound work for the Chronicle. He is the son of Mark Traczyk and Jackie Lutey of Ironwood.

Traczyk said, "Snooker is a great game! It's my favorite pool game, followed by Football. Now, with our season is winding down, I have a chance to actually play pool instead of watching others play. Anyone that is interested in learning how to play Snooker or any other pool game is welcome to stop down! I'd be more than happy to show them! There is no better place in town to play pool or to fully learn the game. Most of the best players in the area learned to play down here!"

The Knight Club features four 4-1/2'x9' regulation Brunswick Gold Crown III pool tables; one 5'x10' regulation Brunswick Gold Crown III Snooker tables; two Valley 3-1/2'x7' coin tables in our lower level and four additional Valley tables in the ground level game room. The Knight Club offers wireless Internet and serves a large assortment of snacks and beverages.

Jim Albert