The stairway shines with the reflected light of small mirrors that decorate the passage leading up to a second floor. The second player’s cue ball can either be white with a spot or spots to differentiate it from the cue ball of player one, or it can be solid yellow. I see my face multiplied by the shards of glass and I am taken by surprise at the yellow glow that permeates the venue. The surprise on my face must show. The cue ball must hit at least one object ball and the object ball must hit a cushion or a pocket. Coloured ball racking positions must be remembered with care, as each time a coloured ball is potted, it is immediately replaced to its starting position, which occurs multiple times per frame, whereas reds are not returned to the table's surface after being potted. It is one of those Kubrick rooms that is impossible, and Kubrick even presents the impossible room as being in two different locations in the apartment. His eyes glance around the room and stop at a table which is being cleaned.

I spend about half an hour playing with them and then my attention is caught by the sight of a table on the other side of the room where two women are just beginning their game. The clients are so absorbed in the game that no one pays attention to what I am doing. As I wander through the "T zone" - which takes its name from a certain intersection - and come out at the Calle 85 with Carrera 15, I see a glowing neon light on one side of the street, and it strikes my attention. Whenever you’re chalking your cue, do so away from the table to prevent the residue from getting into the felt.- Invest in a dedicated felt brush that can be used to brush out chalk residue that’s accidentally been lodge in. That’s it. Of course, to get there can take a long time. The goal here is to avoid eye contact until the game starts, because otherwise I might be asked to break, and that’s never a pretty sight. Aim your cue stick accordingly, taking into account any English or spin that might be necessary for achieving your desired outcome. I get out my camera once again and begin taking pictures.

When I get out my camera, they look at me. They look at each other, laugh and invite me to join them in their game. Originally the game was called Billiards and is, of course, still referred to as such by the pros. Learn what slatron is, how it compares to slate and MDF surfaces, and who should consider buying a slatron table. Further up the table is the pink ball, which sits midway between the blue spot and the top cushion, followed by the red balls (one each), placed in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink. This means that, no matter in which pocket the cue ball is pocketed in, the opposing player can only take the ball in hand from behind the head string. If the cue ball fails to touch an object ball, it is counted as a foul. The majority of the balls are red, and there is a small selection of colored balls and the cue ball. I enter through another small corridor flooded with fluorescent light. The light tends to be flat, giving the place a special atmosphere - private - almost intimate where the only grip on reality is the sound of the music and the laughter of a group of men and women mingling in a corner.

Near them, I see two women who are playing ‘pool’ on a different kind of table. "The good thing about the ‘Club de Billares Londres’ is that people come here from all over the city from every social class, rich or poor, to drink or to play, and no one gives you a dirty look, the kind that asks you what you are doing here. It is evident that they are here to have some fun: to get away from the routine of the city and to relax after a week of work while they stand over a wooden table, trade stories, remember former days and listen to songs of salsa, carrilera and vallenato. I decide to stop for a cup of coffee near the Centro Andino shopping complex, that part of the city which never sleeps with its many fancy restaurants, what is billiards pubs and bars. To be fair, from how the game is portrayed in the media and pool tables being a familiar fixture in bars and restaurants, you can hardly blame anyone for melding the two together. There are additional features you can choose when picking your pool table felt, with their purpose being to protect the surface.