On Snooke

Online pool, billiards, and snooker games provide a great alternative to spending all your time on Facebook.

Face it: Betty White said it out loud on “Saturday 5 world snooker championship schedule Night Live,” and you know it’s true. “Now that I know what Facebook is, it seems like a complete waste of time.” That’s exactly the point. Facebook numbers among the greatest inventions of all human history, because it empowers you to waste time at work while imagining you are doing something worthwhile. Do not, however, limit your horizons, because a whole alternate universe of online distractions waits in the virtual pool hall.

Reprise the excuse you used with your parents when you stayed overlong in the real world pool hall: you’re studying geometry and mastering the rudiments of physics. Imagining you are building your computer proficiency and networking with potential clients, you can play all your favourite pool and billiards games online. As you grow more proficient, you may even supplement your income, playing in virtual tournaments and competing for handsome purses. When the boss passes you desk, simply click to that spreadsheet he thought you were finishing.

Traditional pool games online

The pool hall standard is alive and well on the virtual pool table: shoot “stripes and solids” with complete control over your aim, the strength of your thrust, and even the way you spin the cue ball. As you take your first few breaks, play against “the robot”-the genius in the machine, which shows amazing prowess with a well-chalked stick. Be patient, because a mouse or touchpad does not play exactly the way the stick slides between your fingers; in fact, your virtual pool cue is a lot more accurate than the sticks you pulled off the wall down at the hall, making your shots a lot more precise than you remember from playing in the real world.

When you can pocket your stripes before the robot has a chance to clear away the solids, you will know that you are ready to pit your skills against other people in the virtual pool room. Meanwhile, however, your virtual arcade will keep track of your visits and your progress, posting awards on your profile. When the time comes to find a worthy micro-chipless opponent, the site will match you with someone at about your same level of skill and experience.

You quickly will discover that you become at least as devoted to your friends in the virtual pool hall as you ever were loyal to your old friends of Facebook.