Rules of snooker
is a cue sport that is played on a baize-covered billiard table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white, 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different : yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black. A player wins a of snooker by scoring more points than the opponent, using the cue ball to the red and coloured. A player wins a match when they have achieved the best-of score from a pre-determined number of frames. The number of frames is always odd so as to prevent a tie or a draw.
The table
Snooker is played on a rectangular snooker table with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. The table usually has a slate base, covered in green baize. A is drawn across the width of the table, from the cushion at one end; these two latter items are respectively designated as the and. A semicircle of radius, called, is drawn behind this line, with its centre on the midpoint. The cushion at the other end of the table is known as the.A regulation table is ; because of the large size of these tables, smaller tables are common in homes, pubs and other places where space is limited. These are often around in length, with all the dimensions and markings scaled down accordingly. The balls used are sometimes also scaled down, and/or reduced in number by omitting the longest row of balls in the rack.
The balls
Snooker balls, like Billiard balls, are typically made of phenolic resin, and are smaller than American pool balls. Regulation snooker balls are nominally 52.5 mm in diameter, though many sets are actually manufactured at 52.4 mm. No weight for the balls is specified in the rules, only that the weight of any two balls should not differ by more than 0.5 g. Some recreational sets are in up to as large as pool balls, at in ; larger ball size requires wider pocket openings. Miniature sets also exist, for half-size home tables. There are fifteen, six , and one white. Usually none of the balls are numbered, though the six colour balls often are in the US, where they are easily mistaken at first glance for pool balls.At the beginning of a frame, the balls are set up in the arrangement shown in the illustration. The six are placed on their own spots. On the baulk line, looking up the table from the baulk end, the green ball is located where the "D" meets the line on the left, the brown ball in the middle of the line, and the yellow ball where the "D" meets the line on the right. This order is often remembered using the mnemonic God Bless You, the first letter of each word being the first letter of the three colours. The blue ball rests at the exact centre of the table, while the pink is placed midway between it and the top cushion. The red balls are arranged in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink, with the apex as close as possible to the pink but not touching it. Finally, the black ball is placed on a spot from the top cushion, centred from left to right so that the brown, blue, pink, and black balls all sit on an imaginary line that bisects the table along its length.
Objective
The objective of the game of snooker is to strike the white with a cue so that it strikes the in turn and causes them to fall into one of the six pockets, called. Points are scored for potting balls legally, in accordance with the rules described below, or in the event of a foul committed by the opponent. The player who scores more points wins the frame, and the first player to win a set number of frames wins the match.Match
A match usually consists of a fixed, odd number of frames. A frame begins with setting up the balls as described above. A frame ends when all balls are potted, or when one of the players concedes defeat due to being too far behind on points to tie or beat the opponent's score.A match ends when one player has won enough frames to make it impossible for the other player to catch up. For example, in a match of 19 frames, the first player to win 10 is the victor.
In most versions of snooker, there is no specified time limit for a player to take a shot. However, the referee may issue a warning at his/her discretion, then award the frame to the opponent if the player takes too long to act. Other versions do set a time limit for each shot, such as 60 seconds, and impose a foul if the limit is violated.
Gameplay
At the beginning of each frame, the balls are set up by the referee as explained. The frame begins with one player taking the cue ball, placing it anywhere on or inside the D and attempting to hit one or more of the red balls on an initial shot. A common strategy for this shot involves placing the cue ball on the baulk line, between the brown ball and either the green or yellow ball. The break-off alternates between players on successive frames.Only one player may visit the table at a time. A is the number of points scored in a single visit to the table. A player's turn and break end when they commit a foul, fail to pot a ball, or when a frame is complete.
The ball that can be hit first by the cue ball are referred to as being for that particular stroke. The ball "on" differ from shot to shot; if any reds are on the table, all of them are "on" for the first stroke of a player's turn. Potting a red allows the player to nominate one colour as "on" for the next shot and attempt to pot it. The alternation between reds and colours continues until a player either ends their turn by missing or committing a foul, or pots the last red and attempts to pot a colour after it. All of the reds are "on" for the break-off shot.
Each frame of snooker generally consists of two phases. The first phase lasts as long as any red balls remain on the table. During this phase, all red balls are "on" for the beginning of a player's turn; the player must therefore first hit and attempt to pot one or more of them. If the player either commits a foul or fails to pot a red, the turn ends and the opponent begins to play.
| Colour | Value |
| 1 point | |
| 2 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 7 points |
Each legally potted red ball awards one point and remains off the table until the end of the frame. The player continues their turn by nominating one of the six colours as the ball "on" for the next shot. The rules of the game indicate that the player must state the desired colour to the referee, although it is usually clear which ball the player is attempting to pot, making a formal nomination unnecessary unless the referee insists on it.
Potting the nominated colour awards further points. The referee then removes the colour from the pocket and replaces it on the table in its original spot. If that spot is occupied, then the ball is placed on the highest available spot. If all spots are occupied, it is placed as close to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the top cushion, without touching another ball. Should such a placement be impossible, the colour is placed as close to its own spot as possible in a straight line towards the bottom cushion, without touching another ball. The player then resumes play, with the red balls "on" again.
The alternation between red balls and colours ends when all reds have been potted and an attempt to pot a colour is made after the last red is potted, or when the last red is potted or knocked off the table as the result of a foul and is not replaced. All six colours have then to be potted in ascending order of their value. Each becomes the ball "on" in that order. During this phase, the colours are not replaced on the table after being legally potted; however, any colour potted as the result of a foul is re-spotted.
After all six colours have been potted, the player with the higher score wins the frame.
Because only one of the colours can be "on" at any given time, it is a foul to first hit multiple colours at the same time, or pot more than one colour (unless a has been awarded.
Touching ball
If the cue ball comes to rest in direct contact with a ball that is on or could be on, the referee shall declare a "". The striker must "play away" from that ball without moving it, but is not required to hit any other ball because the touching ball is on. If the object ball moves, it is considered a and a foul is called. No penalty is incurred for playing away if:- The ball is on. Example: Striker pots a colour, making the reds on for the next shot, and the cue ball comes to rest touching one of them.
- The ball could be on and the striker nominates it as on. Example: Striker pots a red, cue ball comes to rest touching the green, and the striker declares that ball as on.
- The ball could be on, and the striker nominates another ball as on and hits it first. Example: Striker pots a red, cue ball comes to rest touching the green, and the striker declares the black as on and hits it first.
The striker scores no points for balls potted as the result of a foul. Depending on the situation, these balls will either remain off the table; be returned to their original spots; or be replaced in the positions they occupied before the foul shot, along with any other balls that were moved during the shot. For details on such situations, see [|Fouls] below.
If any reds are still on the table and a player fails to legally pot a ball that is on, whether a red or a nominated colour, the opponent will come to the table and the reds will be on. If a player's turn ends with no reds on the table, and in such a way that none of them must be replaced due to a foul, the opponent's turn will begin with the lowest-value colour on the table as being on.