The Ball That Debuted at the 2019 Mosconi Cup and Changed Pool Forever
November 25–28, 2019. Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas. The partypoker Mosconi Cup became the first major professional 9-ball event to use the Aramith Tournament Black TV set, and the sport hasn't looked the same since.
The story behind this ball set starts a year earlier. In 2018, Matchroom Multisport formally approached Aramith with a specific problem: certain ball colors were too difficult to distinguish on camera. The orange ball read too close to red and pink on screen. The dark green was nearly indistinguishable from dark blue. For a sport increasingly consumed on smartphones and tablets, that was a real issue.
Billiards viewership surged 63% year-over-year in 2024, reaching 65 million unique viewers on Billiard TV with an average watch time of 80 minutes per session. Pool is a spectator sport now, and the Tournament Black was engineered from the ground up for that reality. This was not a cosmetic refresh. It was an engineering response to how millions of fans actually watch the game.
Why the Colors Are Different: The Science Behind the New Palette
The Tournament Black TV set introduces four color changes from traditional ball sets, each selected for maximum on-screen contrast:
- Light purple (5 & 13) replaces orange
- Lighter green (6 & 14) replaces dark green
- Pink (4 & 12) replaces the traditional pink/maroon shade
- Light brown (7 & 15) replaces maroon
The old orange ball was the biggest offender. On broadcast cameras, it read almost identically to the red 3-ball and the pink 6-ball, especially during fast-paced 9-ball racks where balls move quickly across the frame. Swapping it for light purple eliminated that confusion entirely.
A common point of buyer confusion, frequently discussed on forums like AZBilliards, is the difference between the Aramith Tournament TV and the Tournament Black TV. The standard Tournament TV set uses a traditional color palette optimized for television. The Tournament Black TV goes further with its contrast-optimized colors and, critically, black stripes on all striped balls.
The black stripe design has a specific origin. It was originally conceived for 9-ball play, where the 9-ball and the 1-ball can look nearly identical on camera when both have white stripes. Black stripes solved that problem immediately. Aramith then extended the design across the full set for a cohesive, unified look. The design is patent pending.
Black stripes outperform white because of contrast ratio. Black stripes create sharper visual separation against both the ball's base color and the cloth surface. This is especially noticeable on Simonis 860 Shark Grey cloth, the exact surface used at all Matchroom World Nineball Tour events. On that neutral grey backdrop, the black stripes stand out in a way white stripes simply cannot match.
The Dotted Cue Ball: What Those 6 Black Dots Actually Do
Every Tournament Black TV set ships with the Aramith dotted cue ball, featuring 6 black dots and the black Aramith logo. It looks distinctive, but the dots serve a very practical purpose.
Those dots allow players to visually track cue ball spin in real time. Topspin, backspin, sidespin (english): you can see exactly how the cue ball rotates during and after a shot. A plain white cue ball gives you none of that visual feedback.
The training benefit extends to ball repositioning. By watching how the dots rotate after contact with an object ball, you can better understand where the cue ball will travel next. Over time, this visual feedback helps calibrate your stroke and improve your position play. It is a legitimate practice aid used at the professional level, not a gimmick.
One question that comes up regularly in the community: does the Tournament Black play differently from the Super Aramith Pro-Cup? The answer is no. The phenolic resin composition and Duramith technology are consistent across Aramith's Tournament-tier sets. The differences between these sets are visual and design-based. Roll characteristics, weight, balance, and playability are the same.
Duramith Technology: Why These Balls Last Decades, Not Years
The Tournament Black TV set is built on Aramith's 4th generation Duramith phenolic resin technology, first introduced with the Tournament line in 2009. The durability numbers are striking: Duramith increases ball service life by up to 50% over previous Aramith generations and up to 8 times compared to average polyester and phenol-like resins.
The material matters for a specific reason. During a shot, friction between ball and cloth can reach temperatures of 250°C (482°F). Only genuine phenolic resin can resist that heat without leaving burn marks on your cloth. Those burn spots are not just cosmetic; they alter ball paths and degrade your playing surface over time.
Not all "phenolic" balls are created equal. Aramith balls are made from over 98% pure genuine phenolic resin. Many competitor balls marketed as "phenolic" are actually blends containing roughly 85% phenolic resin. That 13% gap translates directly into reduced durability, lower heat resistance, and faster wear.
The manufacturing process reflects this commitment to quality. Each Aramith ball goes through a 13-step production process spanning 23 days, including casting, curing, precision grinding, and polishing. This meticulous process is a major reason Aramith accounts for approximately 80% of the global billiard ball market.
At approximately $439.99, the Tournament Black is a premium purchase. Consider the math: these balls can last up to 40 years in residential use, protect your cloth from burn damage, and reduce cloth replacement costs. Compared to cheaper polyester sets that need replacing every few years and actively damage your table surface, the Tournament Black is the more economical choice over any reasonable time horizon.
The Pro Table at Home: Pairing the Tournament Black with Simonis 860 Shark Grey
The Tournament Black TV was specifically designed to complement Simonis 860 Shark Grey cloth, the exact surface used at every Matchroom World Nineball Tour event, including the Mosconi Cup and the US Open 9-Ball Championship.
The visual synergy is intentional. Shark Grey provides a neutral, high-contrast backdrop that makes the Tournament Black's new color palette and black stripe design stand out, both on camera and to the naked eye. The colors were chosen with this cloth in mind.
For club owners and serious home players looking to replicate the exact pro-tournament setup seen on Matchroom broadcasts, the Tournament Black paired with Simonis 860 Shark Grey is the only consumer-available combination that achieves it. No other ball-and-cloth pairing delivers the same look you see on screen during the Mosconi Cup.
Billiard City is an authorized dealer of both Aramith and Iwan Simonis products, so you can source both components of this pro-level setup from a single trusted retailer. You'll find the Tournament Black TV set and Simonis 860 cloth in our product listings, ready to ship.
It is also worth noting that the American Poolplayers Association (APA), the world's largest recreational pool league, has appointed Aramith as the exclusive official ball for all its tournaments. From local APA league nights to elite Matchroom events, Aramith is the standard at every level of organized play.
Is the Aramith Tournament Black TV Set Right for You?
Three types of players get the most from this set:
- Serious recreational players who watch Matchroom events and want the same balls on their home table.
- Billiard club owners looking for a premium, durable set that photographs and streams well for social media content or in-house displays.
- Competitive players who want to practice with the exact equipment used at the Mosconi Cup and US Open 9-Ball.
As pool fans increasingly watch on phones and tablets, the Tournament Black's color palette was engineered precisely for this shift. It is the most future-proof ball set currently available to consumers.
At approximately $439.99 for a set with 40-year residential lifespan potential, cloth-protecting phenolic resin, and official Matchroom tournament pedigree, the long-term value is hard to argue against.
As an authorized Aramith dealer carrying over 2,000 billiard products with free shipping on US orders over $99, Billiard City is here to help you get the right equipment for your game. Our 4.7-star rating across verified reviews reflects our commitment to every customer. If the Tournament Black TV set is the right fit for your table, we would be glad to get it to your door.