Snooker

Snooker is a modern billiard sport played upon a cloth-covered table. It requires players to use cue sticks, or "cues", to send balls into openings around the table known as "pockets". Popular across the world, professional snooker events are held across multiple continents each year.

📜 Snooker History

First played in the late 1800s, snooker was created by British Army officers stationed in India. By 1930, it had overtaken English billiards as the most popular cue sport in the UK. Snooker even became an unlikely hit on television in the latter half of the century thanks to charismatic stars like Steve Davis and Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.

Today, snooker’s annual event programme includes the Triple Crown tournaments: the World Championship, the UK Championship, and the Masters. Hosted by prestigious venues like the Crucible Theatre and Alexandra Palace, these competitions attract global interest, with afternoon and evening sessions broadcast to millions across the UK.

Popular for centuries now, snooker's intriguing blend of skill, intellect and nerve has stood the test of time, and continues to captivate audiences wherever the best of the World Snooker Tour take up their cues.

💯 Snooker Format & Scoring

The objective of snooker is to achieve more points than your opponent. In order to do this, players must use a cue to strike a white cue ball, with the aim of sending various coloured balls into pockets around the table. Each coloured ball is worth a different number of points. Red balls, of which there are 15, are worth just one point, whilst yellow is worth 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, and black 7.

During the first phase of the game, players pot red balls, followed by a coloured ball of their choice – only switching over when someone misses or causes a foul. Yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black balls are placed back on the table after being potted, but red balls are not. When no red balls remain, players race to pot the coloured balls in ascending value order. When all balls have been potted, the player with the most points is declared the winner.

Professional snooker events are sanctioned by the WPBSA (World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association), and many of the sport's greatest players compete on the World Snooker Tour. Snooker's 3 most prestigious events are known as the "Triple Crown", which is made up of the World Championship, the UK Championship, and the Masters.