What is snooker? Rules, points, colours and set-up explained
- Published
Luca Brecel poses with the Snooker World Championship trophy
With the World Snooker Championship starting on Saturday, we have put together a beginner's guide to snooker. Here's what you need to know.
What are the basics of snooker?
The first shot (the break) involves a player hitting the white ball from the 'D' at the far 'baulk' end of the table into the group of 15 reds that form a triangle between pink and black.
Unless a red is potted, the opposing player plays the next shot.
A maximum break (a 147) is made up of 15 reds, 15 blacks, then each 'colour'.
Although once rare, there have now been more than 200 maximum breaks achieved in professional competition, with six-time world champion Steve Davis making the first of these in 1982.
Two red balls cannot be potted from consecutive shots by the same player, or a 'foul' penalty will be called.
Players score one point for potting a red, after which they must nominate a colour for their next shot. The black is worth seven points and is the most valuable colour, followed by the pink (six), blue (five), brown (four), green (three) and yellow (two).
A break of red-black-red-black-red-black would therefore be worth 24 points.
When all reds are pocketed, players attempt to pocket the other balls in ascending numerical order.
The object of the game is to use the white - the cue ball - to pot the other balls in the correct sequence. When the last ball is off the table, the game, or 'frame', ends, and the player with the highest score wins.
A foul on the final black also automatically ends the frame, while a player may choose to concede a frame early if they consider themselves too far behind on the scoreboard.
A frame is the term used for each individual game. During the World Championship, matches are decided by the best of 19 frames (round one), 25 frames (round two and quarter-finals), 33 frames (semi-finals) and 35 frames (final).
In a match context, the term 'snooker' is used for when the cue ball is in such a position that a player does not have a clear sight of the ball they must aim for next.
A player must then plot a path around the table for the cue ball as they attempt to get out of this 'snookered' position.
How is a snooker table set up?
A view of the cue ball cracking into the reds from a break in a snooker match
The balls are arranged as follows:
All reds in a triangle
Black - on the spot near the top end of the table
Pink - directly above the top of the triangle
Blue - centre spot
Green, brown, and yellow - on spots along the baulk line, on the left, centre and right spots in the D, the semi-circular marked-out area
How much is each ball worth?
Snooker is played with 22 balls. The balls are listed below, with their points value in brackets.
White ball (the cue ball - this ball is not to be potted, and to do so is a foul shot)
15 reds (worth one point each)
one yellow (two points)
one green (three)
one brown (four)
one blue (five)
one pink (six)
black (seven)
When was snooker invented?
Snooker was invented in 1875 by an officer of the British Army in the Indian town then known as Jubbulpore.
It has become an increasingly global game. Many players hail from the United Kingdom and Ireland, traditional hotbeds for snooker, but its popularity has soared in China over the past 25 years and the country has produced many leading professionals, while mainland Europe now has a world champion in Luca Brecel, the Belgian who won the 2023 title.
Snooker v pool, what is the difference?
The balls
Snooker balls are slightly smaller than balls used in pool.
A set for the most popular variant of pool (often known as eight-ball pool) includes 16 balls:
One white
One black
Seven coloured balls (spots)
Seven striped colours (stripes)
Every ball has a number from 1-15, the black taking the 8.
The cues
Snooker cues - usually made of wood - are often slightly lighter than pool cues. Cues are available in different sizes, but professionals in both sports usually use cues of 56-59 inches in length.
The table
A full-size snooker table (12ft x 6ft) is larger than those used in pool. The tables used by professionals in American pool measure 9ft x 4.5ft.
The rules of pool
The aim of eight-ball pool is to pot all seven solid or seven striped balls followed by the black in order to win. There are several variants of pool, even at a professional level, but eight-ball is the most popular.
What is the 'miss' rule in snooker?
A foul is called when a shot or action by the player is against the rules of the game.
If a player commits a foul, their opponent is awarded four points, unless the foul occurred while playing the blue, pink or black - or the player hit one of those higher values first, or potted one by mistake, in which case the foul is worth the value of the ball in question.
The referee may call a 'miss' if a player does not strike the correct ball and is judged not to have made a sufficiently adequate attempt to do so, with this usually occurring from a snookered position. The other player is awarded the foul and has the option to make the player play the shot again, usually from the original position.
The Snooker World Championship runs at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre from 20 April-6 May and is available on the BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport app & website.