Ninh explains, the Rules of Snooker The object of the game is for you to win more
frames than your opponent.
Snooker is a game that’s usually played between two people, and to win a frame, you
must score more points than your opponent.
To score, you must use a wooden cue to hit a white ball (known as a cue ball), into a
coloured ball and for that ball to go into any of the pockets on the table.
This is known as ‘potting the ball’. The table is roughly 12ft by 6ft, and the
amount of points vary depending on the colour of the ball being potted.
The 15 Red balls on the table are worth 1 point each.
The Yellow ball is worth 2 points. The Green ball: 3 points.
The Brown Ball: 4 points The Blue Ball: 5 points
The Pink Ball: 6 points and the Black ball is worth the maximum of
7 points. In Snooker, the rules stipulate that you must
hit a red ball on the table. If you manage to pot a red ball, you are then
given free choice to pot a different coloured ball to add more points to your total score.
If you successfully pot a coloured ball after a red, you score the relevant number of points,
and the coloured ball is put back onto the table.
The entire process begins again, and you will be allowed to try and get another red ball
into one of the pockets. If at any point you fail to pot the relevant
ball, it is the end of your turn and you opponent will be given the chance to aim for a red
ball so that they can score themselves. Once all red balls have been potted, you must
aim for the rest of the coloured balls in ascending order.
The highest score after the black ball has been potted … wins.
Games will usually played to the best of 11, 15 or 17 frames.
Winning more frames than your opponent wins you the game.
That sounds a bit too simple. There’s more isn’t there?
You guessed it! There’s a lot of things you cannot do in Snooker.
You cannot touch any of the balls with anything except your cue.
You cannot pot the cue-ball, accidentally or otherwise.
You cannot hit an incorrect coloured ball out of turn.
You cannot hit any of the balls off the table. You cannot hit the cueball twice in one stroke.
and you cannot move a touching ball. These infractions result in a foul, and your
opponent will be awarded 4 points and the next shot.
Fouls can also be awarded 5,6 or 7 points for fouls involving the blue, pink or black
balls respectively. Snooker is a very strategic game, and that’s
basically the rules in a nutshell, but there’s a few things you’ll need to understand before
playing or watching a game.
For example: Cannon – A cannon is where a player hits
the cue-ball to contact more than one ball. This is usually a strategic play to leave
the cue-ball in a favourable position for the next shot.
Touching ball – If the cue-ball is touching another ball, the referee will call ‘touching
ball’. You must play your next shot without moving this ball, otherwise a foul will be
called against you. Snookered – You can strategically hit the
cue ball to make it difficult for your opponent to hit the next required ball. When a ball
is blocking a shot to the next required ball, this is known as being ‘snookered’ and
makes the next shot very difficult for your opponent.
Foul and a miss. – If a player fouls and fails to hit the required colour ball, the
opponent will be awarded 4 points (or more), and has free choice to play the next shot
where the balls lie … or have the balls reset to their previous positions and to make
the offending player try that shot again. Free ball – If a player fouls and leaves
the cue ball in a snookered position, he is eligible to declare a ‘free ball’. He
can pot any coloured ball and will only score one point for it.
However, he will retain the next shot, so this is usually a strategic play to stay on
the table. Conceding – If a player does not think that
he has a realistic chance to win the frame, or realises that there isn’t enough points
on the table to get a win, the player can concede defeat and a new frame will start.
Conceding is usually done verbally, or by not returning to the table when it’s your
shot. Maximum Break (147) - The maximum you can
score in one trip to the table is 147 points. This involves potting a red, then potting
a black, repeating this process 15 times, and then proceeding to pot the colours in
order without fouling. If you manage to do this, this is known as
a maximum break, or a 147. And is the equivalent of a perfect game in 10 pin bowling or pitching
a perfect game in baseball. It’s not impossible, just rare.
Snooker is a popular game worldwide, and once you’ve played or watched a few games, the
rules will become clear. If you have found this video at all helpful,
please like, share and subscribe. It takes me ages to make one of these things
and good karma is very much appreciated. Be sure to follow me on Twitter also, but
in the meantime, enjoy Snooker!
Ninh Ly, @NinhLyUK, www.ninh.co.uk