If you like shooting pool or Billiards, you know how important and sometimes annoying pool table lights can be. I mean by annoying, it is always inevitable after you & your pool partner have had a few drinks you will end up hitting the pool table light with your stick, hand or head. I suppose professionals don’t worry about those billiard lights because they are professionals and are most likely sober. However, are there more drunken bar pool players or professional pool players? I imagine it’s most likely the first group.

I decided to get a friend to help me redo basement and create a game room by setting up a pool table complete with billiards lamps or pool table lights. I also wanted to include a rack for pool sticks. I called them billiard lamps because that was the only way I could find anything serious about the specifications for lighting around a pool table. Billiard lights are a great addition to any game room that needs additional lighting for activities. Lights can improve game play. Lights are also ideal for nighttime play and they allow for everyone to see the table and the balls during the game. I was amazed at the reasons the come up with for having the table lit up. I never considered that using a light not above the table could possibly cast shadows across the balls on the table making it difficult to hit your angle shots. I continued to do research and found the preferred method of or distance for pool table lights is usually around 36 inches above the bed or 914mm. The goal would be to have the lamp hang down near the bridge of the player’s nose or bridge of his/her nose. The only concern with trying to make it close to tournament specifications is you can actually spend thousands on lights. I don’t think he’ll be into that. We started measuring and getting the electric ready when he finds a light he wants. The issue we will most likely face is the light will still hang down to far because of the basement ceiling.

Picking the Best Pool table lights

I searched online and found several lights some had three lights and some with just one. Since we are also planning on putting a bar in the basement we were kind of thinking about getting a light that has some beer logo. I am a Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) person. So, I am searching for this lamp. Unfortunately, the only lamps I can find have Miller Light. So, I may settle on the one below. My friend also warned me about the heat they put out. The lamp is a little too close but I’ll make do.

First game played under the lights

Yes, it was Nine Ball, even though we never play slop. We always are trying to challenge ourselves. So we agreed on something more than slop. We decided on 9 ball. If you’re not familiar with 9 ball it consists of the cue ball and nine balls numbered, you guessed it; balls used are numbered from1 through 9. The game is similar to other pool in that it based on a rotation. The player must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first. Players are not required to call any shot, and you win the game when the nine ball is sunk. A player continues their turn at the table as long as they keep hitting the lowest numbered ball first and pockets a ball on each shot. After a miss, the next player must shoot from the position left by the previous player, but, the incoming player may start with the cue ball from anywhere on the table. The player need not pocket the lowest numbered ball to continue shooting. He may, for example, shoot the 1-ball into the 4-ball thus pocketing the 4. The player continues shooting but must again strike the 1 ball first. If the player shoots the 1-ball into the 9-ball and the 9 is pocketed, the game is over. I can positively say we never hit the new pool table lights during our first game.