The New York Times announced it with fanfare : `` For the first time in the history of world 's championship balkline billiards a heated table will be used ... '' Straight rail , sometimes referred to as carom billiards , straight billiards , the three-ball game , the carambole game , and the free game in Europe , is thought to date to the 18th century , although no exact time of origin is known .
The New York Times announced it with fanfare : `` For the first time in the history of world 's championship balkline billiards a heated table will be used ... '' Straight rail , sometimes called carom billiards , straight billiards , the three-ball game , the carambole game , and the free game in Europe , is thought to date to the 1700s .