Snooker Draft

Snooker is a cue game played on a big green-baize table with 15 reds, six colours and a white cue ball. You pot a red, then a colour, and build a run of points called a break. It is slow, tactical and very popular in the UK, where snooker halls, clubs and pubs have tables you can play at by the hour.

8 rules, 5 drills (60 min), 3 questions

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How to start

What you need

A cue (halls and clubs lend one, so you do not need your own to start)
Chalk to keep the cue tip grippy
A full set of snooker balls: 15 reds, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black and a white cue ball (the table provides them)
A rest, a spider or an extension for shots you cannot reach (the venue provides them)
Clean, flat shoes and clothes you can move your arms in

Typical cost

Snooker halls usually charge by the hour per table, often about £8 to £14 (approximate, varies by city and time of day). Some members' clubs sell a day ticket or a short membership to visitors. A beginner cue costs about £25 to £80.

Where to play

Snooker halls, snooker and social clubs (many are members only, so ask about a day ticket), pubs with a table, leisure centres and community clubs.

Rules

Two players take turns at the table. You score by potting balls, and the player with more points when the balls are gone wins the frame.
A frame starts with 15 reds, six colours and the white cue ball. A red is worth 1. Yellow is 2, green is 3, brown is 4, blue is 5, pink is 6 and black is 7.
At each visit you pot a red, then nominate and pot a colour. The colour goes back on its spot while reds remain. When the reds are gone you pot the colours in order, from yellow to black, and they stay down.
The visit ends when you miss or commit a foul. The other player then plays from where the balls lie. A run of points in one visit is called a break; the highest possible is 147.
A foul gives the other player at least 4 points (more if a blue, pink or black is involved). Common fouls are hitting the wrong ball first, potting the white and touching a ball with your hand or sleeve.
A snooker is when the white has no clear path to any ball you could legally hit. Hiding the white behind a colour is a main tactic.
A match is a number of frames, usually best of 3, 5 or 7 in a club or pub. The first to win more than half of them wins the match.
A full-size table is about 12 ft by 6 ft (3.7 m by 1.8 m). Pubs and many clubs also have smaller tables, which play a little faster.

Drills

Straight pot 10 min

Put a red a hand's width in front of a corner pocket and the white in line behind it. Pot the red and stop the white where it hit. Do 20 shots and count how many you pot.

Line-up 15 min

Set the six colours and the reds out in a line to a corner pocket. Pot each ball in turn, keeping the white close to the next one. Try to clear all of them without a miss.

Long pot practice 10 min

Place a red near the top cushion and play from the baulk line. Aim to pot it into the corner pocket and watch where the white finishes. Do 15 attempts.

Red and black 15 min

Place a red at an easy angle and the black on its spot. Pot the red and leave the white where you can pot the black. Repeat until you get a 16-point run, then try again with the pink.

Safety shot 10 min

Place a red near the cushion with the colours around it. Play a shot that leaves the white behind a colour or tight on a cushion. Count how often the other side has no clear shot.

Etiquette

Stay still and quiet while your opponent is at the table, and keep out of their line of sight.
Sit or stand away from the table and do not walk around it during a shot.
Call your own fouls honestly, such as a touch with your sleeve or a ball you moved.
Chalk your cue away from the table so chalk dust stays off the cloth, and keep your drink off the table and its rails.
Shake hands before and after a match, and do not lean or sit on the table.
Follow the club's dress rules and ask before bringing a guest into a members' club.

Safety

Hold the cue below shoulder height and keep the tip down when you walk around the table.
Look before you swing a cue back so you do not hit someone behind you.
Keep fingers away from the pockets and the table edge when you lift balls.
Do not lean or sit on the table, and ask staff to move it if it needs it.
Keep drinks off the cloth and take care in a busy club: the floor can be slippery near a table.
Drink responsibly if you play in a bar or club.

Levels

1New to the table; learning to hold the cue and hit the white cleanly; pots a ball now and then.
2Pots simple balls and makes small breaks of 5 to 10; knows the colours and the basic fouls.
3Plays position and breaks of 20 to 30 happen; plays safety shots and understands snookers.
4Regular breaks of 30 to 50 and occasionally more; plays league matches with a plan for each frame.
5Builds 50 and 100 breaks, controls the white across the table and competes in club and county leagues.

Questions

What is the difference between snooker and pool?

Snooker is played on a bigger table with smaller pockets and smaller balls than American pool. There are 15 reds and six colours, and you score points for each ball you pot. Pool uses fewer, larger balls and you usually pot a whole group.

Can I play in a snooker club if I am not a member?

Often yes, but not always. Many clubs are members only and sell a day ticket or a short membership to visitors. Call or ask at the desk. Snooker halls and pubs are usually open to everyone who pays for the table.

What is a break?

A break is the run of points you score in one visit to the table before you miss or foul. The most that can be made in one visit is a maximum break of 147, with a pot of every red followed by the black and then all the colours.

Draft guide: written from general knowledge and not yet checked by someone who plays snooker. Costs are approximate and vary by city. Check with a coach or doctor before starting anything new.