Floor type billiard game with compensating pocket density arrangement

Claim 1

A floor-type billiard game comprising: a rectangular-shaped playing-surface means including a base, said base supporting a playing surface on a floor so that players of said game can easily step from said floor onto said playing surface, walk around said playing surface and step from said playing surface to said floor, said playing surface having horizontal rectangular dimensions which range from 8 to 12 feet in length and from 6 to 8 feet in width, and which have a length-to-width ratio substantially less than 2, said playingsurface means further including a rectangularly shaped boundary, including two side rails and first and second end rails, which surrounds said playing surface, said playing surface means including scratch-line indicia for identifying a scratch line across the width of said playing surface and defining a scratch-line end of said playing surface, said scratch-line end terminating at said first end rail and spotting indiciA for identifying a ball-pack spotting position defining a spotting end of said playing surface, said spotting end being positioned at the opposite end of said playing surface from said scratch-line end and terminating at said second end rail, said rectangularly-shaped boundary having breaks in the corners thereof for defining four corner pockets, each of said two side rails having one break therein, each said break being longitudinally spaced away from the longitudinal center of its respective side rail, for defining two off-center side pockets, said two off-center side pockets being located only within said spotting end of said playing surface approximately adjacent said ball-pack spotting position, said first end rail having at least one break therein for defining centrally-located end-pocket means, said second end rail having no breaks therein, whereby said off-center side pockets and said centrally-located end-pocket means provide a pocket density which compensates for the relatively large-size playing surface; playing balls which are approximately the same size as standard billiard balls, said playing balls including a cue ball; and a mallet including an elongated shaft and a head mounted at the end of said elongated shaft so that a longitudinal axis thereof is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said elongated shaft said mallet having a function of being manipulated by said players so that said head moves laterally to strike the cue ball and thereby cause said cue ball to strike another ball on said playing surface and drive said another ball into one of said pockets.