Snooker: Rules and High-Scoring Techniques

The history of billiards dates back to the 14th century, over 600 years ago. With its continuous development, billiards has evolved into multiple ways of playing.

Among them, snooker, renowned for its strategic depth and skillful execution, has captivated countless enthusiasts and become one of the most celebrated variations of the game worldwide, becoming one of the most famous billiards variations globally.

The Origins of Snooker

Snooker originated in India in the 19th century. While stationed in India, the British army created a Groundbreaking game of billiards using simple props for recreation, thus laying the foundation for snooker.

Snooker then quickly became popular throughout the United Kingdom, and through decades of advancement, its rules experienced ongoing enhancement, and the game became increasingly standardized.

At the beginning of the 20th century, snooker began to go global. in some countries, especially the the United Kingdom and Australia, it has swiftly evolved into a sport of significance.

Competitive Objectives

Score the top scores potting all the object balls (red and Colour) in sequence and eventually the black ball.

Tables and Balls

Snooker is played on a rectangular table covered with green velvet and equipped with six ball pockets. The table is of uniform size, 12 feet in length and 6 feet in width. There are 22 balls , including a cue ball, 15 red balls, and 6 color balls, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black.

Break-off Shot

Ball Arrangement

• Red Balls: 15 red balls are placed in the red ball area of the table in a triangular arrangement, with the tip pointing to the center of the table, and the ball at the tip is as close as possible to the pink billiard ball, but not touch to each other.
• Colored balls: Different colors correspond to different positions. Yellow balls are positioned on the right side of the D-zone, green balls on the left side of the D-zone, brown balls on the midpoint of the tee line, blue balls on the center ball placement point, pink balls on the top of the triangle, and black balls on the ball placement point.

The validity of the break-off Shot

• A player must strike at least one of the red balls for the ball to be considered a valid break-off Shot.

• Invalid break-off Shot (Foul): Potting the cue ball, not striking any of the balls, cue ball touching the colored ball, etc.

Ball Striking Suquence

Snooker has a fixed scoring sequence, where competitors need to strike the red ball first, then the colored balls, and strike the balls in the sequence of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black (points from smallest to largest).

Tip: You can only strike the colored ball after you pot the red ball!

Scoring rules

Each red ball potted scores one point, while colored balls have different point values as follows:

Color	Points
Yellow	2
Green	3
Brown	4
Blue	5
Pink	6
Black	7

Penalty Points Rule 

A player who commits a foul will be penalized points, the number depending on the specific foul committed, usually four. However, it's not always four points. If a player strikes the wrong color ball in sequence, the penalty points are awarded for the next color ball in the sequence of the offending color ball.

At the same time, the opponent has the option to place a color ball anywhere on the D and strike it once.

Winning Rules

When all 15 red balls have been potted, the game enters the colored ball stage. Players take turns potting the colored balls in sequence until all the balls are potted. The player with the top score wins.

Common Fouls

• Cue Ball Potted

A cue ball being pocketed is one of the most common fouls in snooker. When the cue ball is potted, regardless of whether the player strikes the object ball, it is deemed a foul.

• Failure to make contact with any object ball（Miss）

Failure to make contact with any object ball during a shot with the cue ball constitutes a foul.

• Knocking the ball off the table

If a competitor knocks the ball off the table, whether it is an object ball or a cue ball, it will be considered a foul.

• Intentionally moving any ball with the cue tip (Push Shot)

Intentionally moving any ball with the cue tip during a stroke, whether it is the object ball or the cue ball, is considered a foul.

• Potting color balls in the wrong sequence

In snooker, the sequence of potting colored balls is fixed. If a competitor pots the colored balls in the wrong sequence, it is considered a foul.

Note: A foul may result in the opponent receiving a free ball opportunity or even directly gaining points.

High Score Tips

Now that we have learned the basic rules of snooker, how are we going to get a high score in the game?

• Mastering the fundamentals

Learn to aim and strike the ball accurately, which is the most fundamental to get a high score, and also learn to control the strength of the club, so that we can control the cue ball to stop in our favor.

• Developing a sound strategy

Developing a sound strategy is crucial during a match. Continuously observe the table, plan your next shots, and determine the optimal order and positioning of the balls to set up advantageous conditions for subsequent plays.

• Maintain a good mindset

The snooker game rhythm is relatively slow, which tests the patience and concentration of the players. Due to the long game duration, many players experience significant mental pressure, making it difficult to maintain focus, leading to distractions, missed balls, and other errors.

A positive mindset can help players concentrate on striking the ball, make accurate judgments, and reduce errors.