How to Play Snooker
Score more points than your opponent to win., Set up the table properly., Decide which player will break., Alternate between red and colored balls to earn points., Pocket the rest of the colored balls in the correct order.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Score more points than your opponent to win.
In order to secure victory in a game of snooker, you have to end the game with a greater number of points than the other player.
This means that you should try to secure as many points per turn as you can.
Snooker can be tricky to get the hang of at first, but with time you’ll learn how to place your shots to run the table and make the best of each turn.There are 22 balls total used in a game of snooker: 15 red, 6 multicolored (yellow, brown, green, blue, pink and black) and a single white “cue” ball, which is used to pocket shots.
The point value of each ball is as follows: all red balls =1, yellow = 2, green = 3, brown = 4, blue = 5, pink = 6 and black = 7 Players score points every time they successfully sink a ball.
By the end of the game, every ball must be in a pocket for there to be a winner.
Because of the player's ability to pocket colored balls repeatedly during the opening stage of the game, a winning score will rarely be below
50. -
Step 2: Set up the table properly.
Before you can begin playing, the balls must be arranged in the right configuration.
Each of the colored balls has a specific location on the table.
The 15 red balls are arranged in a triangular formation at one end of the table, with the pink ball directly in front of the point of the triangle and black ball a few inches behind the red balls.
The blue ball rests in the center.
The yellow, brown and green balls are lined up horizontally on the breaking end of the table.Whichever player begins the game will break from the end of the table opposite the cluster of red balls. , Flip a coin or come to an agreement on who will shoot first.
This player will be responsible for breaking the formation of balls.
For their opening shot, the player will position the white cue ball behind the line of yellow, brown and green balls.
They will then aim to gently dislodge a red ball from the cluster, officially starting the game.Unlike in pool, where the object of the break is to scatter the balls across the table, a snooker break should be conservative.
That way, your opponent won’t have the advantage of multiple shots should you miss.The cue ball can be placed anywhere within the D-shaped semicircular section of the table. , Points are scored by sinking the right balls in the right order.
The active player will attempt to pocket a red ball first.
Once sunk, red balls remain where they are.
The player will then aim for any of the colored balls, which are returned to their designated spot on the table after they’ve been pocketed.
Continue the game in this manner, going back and forth between red and colored balls, until all of the red balls have found their way into a pocket.A player’s turn is over if they miss a shot.If a player scratches (pockets the cue ball by mistake, or fails to hit a single colored ball) or shoots a ball in the wrong order (for instance, two colored balls in a row), it’s considered a foul.
Typically, they lose their turn, and in competition there may also be a point deduction. , After all of the red balls have been pocketed, a player can close out the game by consecutively sinking the remaining colored balls in order of their point value.
In this stage of the game, the balls no longer go back to their original position.
If one player misses, it becomes the other player’s turn.
The game is over when there are no more balls on the table.Following the red balls, the colored balls must be deposited in this order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
Since missed colored balls stay on the table in the final stages of the game, it becomes a free-for-all to see which player can snag the most points. -
Step 3: Decide which player will break.
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Step 4: Alternate between red and colored balls to earn points.
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Step 5: Pocket the rest of the colored balls in the correct order.
Detailed Guide
In order to secure victory in a game of snooker, you have to end the game with a greater number of points than the other player.
This means that you should try to secure as many points per turn as you can.
Snooker can be tricky to get the hang of at first, but with time you’ll learn how to place your shots to run the table and make the best of each turn.There are 22 balls total used in a game of snooker: 15 red, 6 multicolored (yellow, brown, green, blue, pink and black) and a single white “cue” ball, which is used to pocket shots.
The point value of each ball is as follows: all red balls =1, yellow = 2, green = 3, brown = 4, blue = 5, pink = 6 and black = 7 Players score points every time they successfully sink a ball.
By the end of the game, every ball must be in a pocket for there to be a winner.
Because of the player's ability to pocket colored balls repeatedly during the opening stage of the game, a winning score will rarely be below
50.
Before you can begin playing, the balls must be arranged in the right configuration.
Each of the colored balls has a specific location on the table.
The 15 red balls are arranged in a triangular formation at one end of the table, with the pink ball directly in front of the point of the triangle and black ball a few inches behind the red balls.
The blue ball rests in the center.
The yellow, brown and green balls are lined up horizontally on the breaking end of the table.Whichever player begins the game will break from the end of the table opposite the cluster of red balls. , Flip a coin or come to an agreement on who will shoot first.
This player will be responsible for breaking the formation of balls.
For their opening shot, the player will position the white cue ball behind the line of yellow, brown and green balls.
They will then aim to gently dislodge a red ball from the cluster, officially starting the game.Unlike in pool, where the object of the break is to scatter the balls across the table, a snooker break should be conservative.
That way, your opponent won’t have the advantage of multiple shots should you miss.The cue ball can be placed anywhere within the D-shaped semicircular section of the table. , Points are scored by sinking the right balls in the right order.
The active player will attempt to pocket a red ball first.
Once sunk, red balls remain where they are.
The player will then aim for any of the colored balls, which are returned to their designated spot on the table after they’ve been pocketed.
Continue the game in this manner, going back and forth between red and colored balls, until all of the red balls have found their way into a pocket.A player’s turn is over if they miss a shot.If a player scratches (pockets the cue ball by mistake, or fails to hit a single colored ball) or shoots a ball in the wrong order (for instance, two colored balls in a row), it’s considered a foul.
Typically, they lose their turn, and in competition there may also be a point deduction. , After all of the red balls have been pocketed, a player can close out the game by consecutively sinking the remaining colored balls in order of their point value.
In this stage of the game, the balls no longer go back to their original position.
If one player misses, it becomes the other player’s turn.
The game is over when there are no more balls on the table.Following the red balls, the colored balls must be deposited in this order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
Since missed colored balls stay on the table in the final stages of the game, it becomes a free-for-all to see which player can snag the most points.
About the Author
Kimberly Ramos
Creates helpful guides on cooking to inspire and educate readers.
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