What corner pocket?

Eight ball in the corner pocket, you say. It's a shot that could perplex even Minnesota Fats when played on one of JM Billiard Co.'s custom tables. That's because the tables have no corners.

The Riverside, Calif.-based company makes round pool tables.

"We're not trying to change the billiard industry; we're just giving it a different and more challenging playing surface," said Tim Meyers, who founded the company a little more than a year ago with his son, Moe.

The trick to playing on the round tables is 7-inch straight sections in the middle of each rail cushion. The straight sections protrude out about 1 inch past the curved section of the rail or bumper.

"They produce a lot of your bank shots and keep the balls from running along the rail," Tim Meyers said.

As a result, you can play the same games on a round table as you can on a traditional rectangular billiard surface.

"Most billiard players that have played on the round table say they really enjoy playing on it because it is more challenging than your normal rectangular table," he said.

Even though the business is fairly new, the idea of the round pool table is not. Tim Meyers said it was his father, Jim Meyers, and one of his co-workers who came up with the idea in 1969.

"While working for McDonnell Douglas, they were inspecting a jig that just happened to be painted green and had six holes evenly spaced apart around the edges. They both looked at each other and said why not a round pool table," Tim Meyers said.

After about a year and a half, the two men made a prototype for the table. Its unusual nature resulted in appearances on "The Steve Allen Show" and "What's My Line?" as well as articles in several area newspapers.

Once the initial curiosity died down, the table "became a storage place for boxes inside the garage."

Tim Meyers said his father gave him the pool table in 1989 and he refurbished it with different colored felt and replaced the wood with high-gloss black and red Formica.

Two years ago, Moe Meyers was talking with his father about starting a business and they decided to take the round pool table and begin manufacturing and selling them.

But first, they made a few engineering changes to the rail system, applied Billiard Congress of America specifications to the design and applied for U.S. and international patents.

Because the round table is built to Billiard Congress of America standards, players do not have to alter their shooting techniques or styles.

Paul Gerni, who is known as the ambassador of pool and is a master at trick shots, said the round table teaches players "to be more than they are and reach out to pull out more of their skills."

During their first year of business, the Meyers have built more than 40 custom pool tables. They plan to open a Las Vegas location some time this year.

There's already one round billiard table in the valley. JM Billiard donated an 8-foot table to Opportunity Village recently for its annual holiday silent auction.

The Meyers were introduced to the charitable organization by Cameron Oliver, owner of Eye My Home, a real estate marketing firm, who saw the table and was impressed. Oliver's wife, Gina, works at Opportunity Village and helped coordinate the donation.

"After a few conversations via the telephone, and him telling me about Opportunity Village and the wonderful work they do here in Las Vegas, I offered the table to them as a donation," Moe Meyers said.

The billiard tables are available in three sizes -- 6-foot, 7-foot and 8-foot diameters -- with multiple choices of colored and wood laminates. Additionally, there are more than 20 cloth colors available.

A standard round pool table is priced around $3,000.

Tim Meyers said they also can customize a table to feature any type of wood the customer requests or to match existing furniture. Custom designs and logos can be engraved on the rails and skirts, as well.

"The possibilities are endless," he said.

For additional information, visit JM Billiard's Web site at wwwjmbilliard.com or call 951-760-1949.