Snooker rules and scoring
A frame of snooker is won by the player who scores more points. Points come from potting balls in the right order and from the other player’s fouls.
Ball values
| Ball | Points |
|---|---|
| Red | 1 |
| Yellow | 2 |
| Green | 3 |
| Brown | 4 |
| Blue | 5 |
| Pink | 6 |
| Black | 7 |
There are fifteen reds and one of each colour.
The order of play
- You must first pot a red.
- After a red you may pot any colour. Say which one if it is not obvious.
- The colour goes back on its spot. The red stays in the pocket.
- Pot another red, then another colour, and continue.
Your turn ends when you fail to pot or commit a foul. The points you score in one turn are your break.
Clearing the colours
When the last red has gone, and the colour after it has been played, the six colours are potted in order of value: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black. This time they stay down.
The colours are worth 27 points in total.
The 147
The highest break in normal play is 147. It needs fifteen reds, each followed by the black, and then all six colours.
| Part | Points |
|---|---|
| 15 reds | 15 |
| 15 blacks | 105 |
| Six colours | 27 |
| Total | 147 |
A break of 100 or more is called a century.
How many points are left
At any stage you can work out the most that is still available. Count the reds on the table, multiply by eight, and add 27.
With four reds left there are 59 points on the table. If you trail by more than that, you need your opponent to foul. This is known as needing snookers.
Fouls
A foul gives points to the other player. The penalty is four points, or the value of the ball involved if that is higher.
Common fouls:
- missing the ball you were required to hit;
- hitting the wrong ball first;
- potting the cue ball;
- potting a ball you were not playing for;
- touching any ball with anything other than the tip of the cue.
After a foul the other player may play from where the balls lie or ask you to play again.
Snookers and the free ball
You are snookered when you cannot hit the ball you need in a straight line because another ball is in the way.
If a foul leaves the next player snookered, that player gets a free ball. They may name any ball to stand in for the one they should be playing.
The miss rule
If a player fails to hit the required ball and the referee judges they did not make a good enough attempt, a miss is called. The opponent can have the balls put back and make the player try again. Many club and league games relax or drop this rule, so check before you play.
Ending a frame
The frame ends when the black is potted or fouled at the end, or when a player concedes. If the scores are level after the final black, the black is put back on its spot and the next score or foul decides the frame.
The table
| Full-size table | 12 ft by 6 ft |
| Pockets | Six |
| Baulk line | Across the table near one end |
| The D | A semicircle on the baulk line, from which the cue ball is played at the start and after it is potted |
Yellow, brown and green sit on the baulk line, with the brown in the middle. Blue is in the centre of the table, pink sits at the point of the triangle of reds and black is near the far cushion.