Air Hockey is a game between two players trying to outscore each other by sinking the puck on the opponents’ goal. Air hockey is played on a special table: the Air Hockey Table.
Typically, an air hockey table is a platform with a very largesmooth surface. Rails surround it on all sides to prevent the puckthe strikers from leaving the table. It has a slot at both ends that serves as the goal where the players try to sink the puck. The slots usually have a puck return behindbelow the goals.
Air hockey tables will typically have a machine that will provide the air on the surface of the table that produces air cushion. The puck then is not really lying flat on the air hockey table but is actually floating. This reduces the friction on the play surface facilitating a very fast exchange of pucksstrikes that is one of the main excitements of the game. Playing on air hockey tables develops to very large extent eyehands coordinationthe skill to fast “on the feet” thinking.
Often, in the interest of saving money, the option for machinery that produces air are replaced in favor of slickvery smooth plastic playing surfaces. These may approximate the thrill of playing air hockey, but note that it is not quite the same as air hockey tables as no air is used. Because of the similarity of the game play they are also generally accepted as air hockey tables.
To play air hockey needs strikers for each playera puck. The strikers are flat surfaces that lie on the table connected to a handle. The puck is a slim plastic disc about half an inch thicka couple of inches in diameter.
To play the game, two players stand at the opposite end of the table with one player serving by hitting the puck to the opposite end until the puck goes into a player’s goala score is made. The player who lost the point is entitled to serve. The goal of both players is to score 7 points although time limit is often set on the length of time that the game will be played. A player who has the most points when the time runs out wins the game. If both players have the same score when the time runs out, the game is a draw.
