Billiards Diamond System

The Diamond system has been the subject of many questions as of late. Most billiard tables have them, and many beginners wonder about their propose, and more specifically, how the diamond system can help their game. Many wonder what these are for, and how they can be used for improving accuracy, and their game overall.

The Diamond System in Billiards

To begin, it should be noted that there are "invisible lines" going from diamond to diamond. That is, for example, they go from diamond one on the left hand side to diamond one on the right hand side. (see the diagram below; the dotted lines illustrate the invisible lines.) It is assumed that one can use these diamonds and lines as the base of an aiming system. We'll outline the fundamentals of using this system, and hopefully clear up some of the confusion.

The use of the diamond system varies. The players, professional or not, who do learn how to use the diamond system swear by its effectiveness. On the other hand, most professional billiard players don't use it, with one exception: that the majority 3-cushion players use a diamond system of some sort. It can be said that most players generally learn the angles without any assistance from the diamond system whatsoever. This ability is beneficial as your "table layout" at the time may not be in a position where you can benefit from the diamond system.

The Diamond System can generally be figured out with practice sessions done with simple geometry in mind. The general principle is that if you hit the cue ball (or any ball) perfectly straight at one diamond, it will travel completely straight back toward the diamond at the opposite end of the table. That being said, you could hit it from ten degrees either way, and it should rebound ten degrees out in the opposite direction. If you find yourself playing a situation where a diamond is not in the appropriate spot, you will have to envision "imaginary diamonds" in the appropriate spot, and the corresponding imaginary lines. (Imagine that!) It may sound complicated, but it can generally be worked out with an few hours at the table with only the cue ball. By the end of the session, you should have a good feel for the diamond system.

As mentioned earlier, most three-cushion players use a diamond system. Below is a very basic system (no English used) that some find helpful. Note that the "System" is a personal thing, and diamond systems may varry from player to player.

First, figure out where you must hit the long rail. (...at which diamond on the Third Rail.)
Next, subtract that from the number two. That number is the number of the diamond where you will need to hit the first long rail using the center ball. For "running english" you will need to add one half of a diamond.

Other than the above, there is not much more you can "learn" without first logging some hours at the table practicing the basics. Once you have done that, you can read some more. Check out the following works, which go in more deep detail on various uses and systems for the pool table diamonds:

Raymond Ceulemans, who wrote "Mister 100." is said to be the master of the diamond system. It is too bad that this book is no longer in print.
Robert Bryne wrote a new book called: "Bryne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards" and he covers the system in the "billiards" section of the piece.

We hope this covers the basics of the diamond system . As mentioned earlier, there is no substitute for hours logged at the table. Read the basics to get a feel for the general idea, and then get off the internet, and hit the table. Once you have mastered the basics, come on back here and get some more advanced ideology on the diamond system.