Billiard

Billiard is the straight shape considered the most classic of all pipe shapes; it's found in nearly every manufacturer's catalog, and other shapes are often described in relation to it. With its near-cylindrical bowl, measured shank length, and unassuming line, it sits at the center of the classic pipe shapes family. Unless otherwise qualified, a Billiard is a straight pipe; when its mouthpiece is bent, it's called a "Bent Billiard."

Shape and Proportions

The Billiard's bowl is nearly cylindrical; its base is rounded, and the bowl leans slightly outward and back from the shank by a few degrees. This small tilt gives the shape a lively stance rather than the look of a rigid mold standing bolt upright. For the names of parts such as bowl, shank, and mouthpiece, see the pipe anatomy entry.

The shape's classic proportions are summarized as follows:

• Bowl height is roughly 1.25 times the bowl diameter.

• Shank length is close to the bowl height.

• The pipe's total length is a little more than three times the bowl height.

These figures aren't rigid rules but balance measurements refined through makers' trained eye; small deviations from one manufacturer to another are considered normal.

On a Billiard that keeps faithfully to the classic description, the chamber is also cylindrical; because the outer surface and the inner bore rise on the same axis, the rim comes out as a flat ring of even thickness all the way around. Leaving a very slight bulge in the middle of the wall is a common practice; this adds a bit of extra wood thickness at the point where heat concentrates most. Examples with a rounded rim or one narrowing upward are also made; although these are considered departures from the standard, as long as the body doesn't drift toward an apple or egg look, it's still counted as a Billiard. The shank cross-section is classically round, and the mouthpiece is most often of the tapered type.

Shank, Mouthpiece and Bend Variations

The same body turns into a whole set of subtypes as the shank cross-section and mouthpiece shape change. When a saddle mouthpiece is fitted instead of a tapered one, the pipe takes the name "Saddle Billiard." The shank can be worked round, oval, diamond-sectioned, or in a thin "pencil" form instead of round. When the surfaces of the body or shank are flattened, a Panel Billiard is born; when a box-shaped bowl meets a square shank, the result is a type called "Four-Square." An army mount, where the shank is wrapped in a metal band and the mouthpiece is push-fitted, is also a solution often paired with the Billiard body.

In old catalogs, degree of bend was indicated with fractions: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full bent. This scale has no precise measured equivalent; the line between 3/4 and full bent especially remains approximate in practice. For a Billiard bent all the way, with a shank rising nearly vertically, the names Oom Paul or Hungarian are used. The name Oom Paul is traced to Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic in the late 19th century.

Origin and Naming

The Billiard is thought to have matured in the 19th century, as mass production of pipes from briar on the lathe developed. This maturation is mostly associated with England; but the share of the Saint-Claude workshops in France in this process is also a matter of debate. It's suggested that the name comes from the flat, plain form of a billiard cue; but this explanation of its origin isn't conclusively documented.

The Billiard Family

The Billiard is such a fundamental shape that a substantial part of the classic repertoire is considered a derivative of it:

Variant	Distinguishing trait
Pot	Shorter, wider bowl
Chimney (Stack)	Elongated, tall bowl
Panel	Flattened bowl surfaces
Canadian, Lovat, Liverpool, Lumberman	Elongated shank, shortened mouthpiece
Poker	Flattened base that sits on a table
Brandy and Apple	Rounded body lines

The long-shank derivatives are rich enough to warrant their own entry; details are found in the Canadian family entry.

Prevalence and Cultural Standing

A striking example of the shape's central standing is the old numbering system used by Dunhill (White Spot) from the 1920s through the 1970s: according to records, this system alone had roughly fifty different codes just for Billiards. Among these, LB ("Large Billiard") came onto the market after the First World War and became one of the brand's most beloved shapes. The Bent Billiard, meanwhile, became something of a signature for Irish and English brands such as Peterson in particular; Peterson's System pipes are mostly produced with this body.

How widespread the shape is can also be seen by looking at manufacturers' shape numbers. According to records, Dunhill's 114, Comoy's 105, Peterson's 957, Savinelli's 1011, Stanwell's 03, Barling's 1100, and BBB's 606 all denote a straight Billiard; some manufacturers, such as Sasieni, have used place names like Pembroke or Buckingham instead of numbers. In the same lists, pot, chimney, bent, and army-mounted derivatives appear under separate numbers — meaning a single body family can fill dozens of lines in a catalog. It's also known that these numbering schemes changed across periods and that old brochures don't always agree with one another.

Because of its balanced bowl geometry, the Billiard is among the shapes most often recommended both to newcomers to pipe smoking and to those who want to get to know their tobacco blends: the bowl lets the tobacco speak for itself, without the shape getting in the way.