Billiards is a simple game — in America.

In Asia, there is another type of billiards, and now Ames residents have a chance to try it.

Scallion Korean Restaurant, 118 Hayward Ave., is the only restaurant in Ames that offers Korean billiards, known as “danggu” in Korea.

Lee says the lack of danggu tables in central Iowa was an opportunity the restaurant could not pass up.

“We figured out the restaurant was a big space, and we had more space than we needed, so we decided to get two danggu tables,” says Mikyoung Lee, Scallion manager. “We thought if we had [danggu tables] it would help business.”

The new addition to Scallion holds some attraction for students.

“When we came here, we saw the tables and started playing,” says Shawn Kim, senior in computer science. “But we don’t come here a lot. We come here to eat — and when we do, we play too.”

American billiards requires players to knock the pool balls into six evenly placed pockets. In danggu, two white cue balls and two red balls are used on a table similar to an American pool table — but with no pockets. A yellow ball can replace one of the white cue balls to avoid confusion.

If a player hits both red balls on a single hit with one of the cue balls, the player receives one point. A player is allowed to continue to hit until he or she misses a ball. A wooden box mounted on the wall with score chips helps keep score. Chips are deducted from the amount set at the beginning of the game.

The number of people allowed to play doesn’t matter, Kim says, as long as it’s an even number. How well a player can put spin on the ball increases his or her chances of a better score.

Lee says he’s found an affordable way to play the game — the loser usually pays.

Kim says there are several variations of danggu throughout Asia. Therefore, it’s difficult to pinpoint the origin of the game.

“I learned to play as a child when I was growing up in South Korea,” he says. “It was my favorite game.”

Lisa D’Amico, junior in advertising, ate at Scallion for the first time Monday and said she became interested in the game.

“It made me curious because there were no pockets. I didn’t know anything about the game because I hadn’t seen it before,” says D’Amico.

“I thought the point of the game was to hit the balls in the corner of the table.”