The object of the game is to score up to an agreed upon number of cushion caroms, with one point being awarded for each successfully made.

[3][4] One-cushion billiards developed in the late 1860s as an alternative to the game straight rail, in which points are scored by a simple carom off both object balls with no cushion requirement.

Straight rail fell into disfavor as skilled top players could score a seemingly endless series of points with the balls barely moving in a confined area of the table playing area.

It eclipsed one-cushion billiards as the game of public match play and tournaments until well into the 20th century.

[1] One-cushion billiards retained some popularity with the public; it is known that Mark Twain enjoyed the game on occasion.