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Atrick shot (alsotrickshot ortrick-shot) is a shot played on abilliards table (most often apool table, thoughsnooker tables are also used) which seems unlikely or impossible or requires significant skill. Trick shots frequently involve theballs organized in ways that do not correspond to normal play, such as balls being in a straight line, or useprops such as extra cues or atriangle that would not be allowed on the table during a game. As an organizedcue sports discipline, trick shot competition is known asartistic pool.
Billiards trick shots are the subject of increasing international competition, bothamateur andprofessional. There are world championships, such as theWPA World Artistic Pool Championships and theWorld Snooker Trickshot Championship (which has not been held since 2006), and made-for-TV events, such asTrick Shot Magic and theWorld Cup of Trick Shots, often televised in both theUS and theUK and providing enough prize money that some professional players specialize in the discipline.
The formats vary depending on the competition. Some, such as theWorld Snooker Trickshot Championship are purelyexhibitions, with a panel of judges scoring subjectively to determine the winner.
Events such as Trick Shot Magic and the World Cup feature head-to-head competition where the players select shots that have strictly outlined requirements specified in aplaybook. Each year, players are allowed to submit their own shot inventions, however, they are disclosed prior to the event to give all players an equal chance to practice them. Players or teams are given two attempts to complete a selected shot within the given parameters, and earn one point for each successful shot, either a first shot or follow-up shot. Each player or team gets to select a given number of shots, generally eight or ten, and a winner is declared when one side is mathematically eliminated. Trick Shot Magic,ESPN's annual artistic pool pro tournament, has been widely considered the televised version of the World Artistic Pool Championship, and it has held the highest ratings in televised cue sports competitions in the United States between 2000 and 2009.
Artistic pool similarly(seebelow) has aprogram of shots (three attempts each, in a sliding-scale point system), with precisely outlined parameters requirements.
The Ultimate Trick Shot Tour[1] features head-to-head competition between two players with no pre-defined shots. Players challenge each other with shots outlining the parameters of the shots just before shooting. Each player gets three attempts per shot, scoring one point per shot made. Each player gets to select a given number of shots, generally six to ten, and the winner is declared when one player is mathematically eliminated.
Artistic pool trick shot competitions (inspired by the related discipline ofartistic billiards performed on a pocketlesscarom billiards table) began in the 1970s with international pros and coordinated by world champion Paul Gerni, with the World Trick Shot Artists Association, and in 2000, in Las Vegas, formed a new group, again with an international cast.[2] They feature a program of 160 tricks to attempt, many of which were used in the previous formats by the WTSAA,[3] and include theBCA North American Championship,EPBF European Championship, andWPA World Championship, among others.[2] The tricks are now divided into eight "disciplines", including trick/fancy, prop/novelty/special arts, and disciplines for extremes in each of the corecueing techniques.[3][4] The current worldgoverning body for this sport is the WPA Artistic Pool Division, while the current largest league and player organization is the US-basedArtistic Pool & Trick Shot Association (APTSA), which organizes the World Artistic Pool Championship (WAPC) annually, held concurrently with the more generalVNEA International Pool Championship.[2][5] The greatest contemporary champions of artistic pool include 22-time World ChampionPaul Gerni,Mike Massey,Stefano Pelinga,Tom Rossman, andAndy Segal.
In WTSAA and APTSA competitions, competitors would have three chances to successfully perform each trick, earning full points if they are successful on their first attempts and incrementally reduced points for subsequent attempts. Each shot has an associated difficulty rating (also the point value) with a higher rating being more difficult. A preliminary round of 40 shots is performed, and the top players (the number varies depending on the number of competitors, but usually the top 12) proceed into a head-to-head playoff format to determine the winner. Proper and official artistic pool competitions feature equipment limitations, (one cue, one stroke per trick shot, one approved universal prop per shot per diagram if necessary, all shots on the bed of the table, etc.), and shot requirements (e.g., preclusion of any off-the-table tricks, such as are popular in events like Trick Shot Magic and World Cup of Trick Shots).[6]
Sanctioned by theWorld Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2000 |  Mike Massey |
| 2001 | Charles Darling |
| 2002 | Mike Massey (2) |
| 2003 | Mike Massey (3) |
| 2004 |  Łukasz Szywała |
| 2005 | Mike Massey (4) |
| 2006 | Tom Rossman |
| 2007 | Andy Segal |
| 2008 | Jamey Gray |
| 2011 | Andy Segal (2) |
| 2012 | Andy Segal (3) |
| 2013 | Andy Segal (4) |
| 2014 |  Nick Nikolaidis |
| 2015 |  Gabi Visoiu |
| 2016 | William DeYonker |
| 2017 |  Sebastián Giumelli |
| 2018 | Gabi Visoiu (2) |
| 2019 |  Chi-Ming Lin |
| 2022 | Chi-Ming Lin (2) |
| 2023 |  Florian Kohler |
| 2024 | Florian Kohler |
As with other pool and billiards games, trick shots usually utilize acue ball, one or moreobject balls, and acue stick. However, many props can be used in trick shots includingbottles,drinking glasses,baskets,coins,ball racks,cue tip chalk, and other billiards- and non-billiards-related equipment. Props are used to change the difficulty of the shot or add aesthetic value. As with artistic billiards pros, trick shot artists often have specialized cue sticks for performing particular types of shots, particularlyjump shots andmassés.[7]
The APTSA trick shot disciplines are:
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Various trick shot competitions (sometimes with footage dating back years) remain among the most dominant ofESPN's pool-related programming, and the World Snooker Trickshot Championship has enjoyed notable popularity in the UK. The British TV game showBig Break, which ran from 1991 to 2002, featured a round each week called "Virgo's Trick Shot".John Virgo would demonstrate a snooker trick shot which the contestant would then attempt to copy. The show also aired eight trick shot specials between 1995 and 1999.
Trick shots appear frequently in films and television. Perhaps the most outlandish case would be inBBC Two's science fiction comedy TV seriesRed Dwarf, episode "White Hole", in which the characterDave Lister uses his pool-playing skills to play a trick shot at an astronomical level in order to save the ship, using a thermonuclear device as a "cue" and planetary bodies as "balls". Most pool-themed films, such asPoolhall Junkies with a scene involving a high-stakes wager on atime shot, include difficult shots that some might classify as trick shots. Another example might be the character Vince pocketing the nine-ball"on the snap" when asked to, in the film version ofThe Color of Money.
