Snooker Rules – How to Play

Snooker is a cue sport played worldwide, especially popular in the UK and Asia. It’s similar to billiards or pool, but with key differences – a standard 12 ft snooker table is much larger than a pool table, and snooker uses 22 balls instead of the few balls in typical billiards games. This is the major billiards and snooker difference: more balls and tighter pockets. Players take turns to pot balls in a set order, which makes snooker both strategic and exciting. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll cover how to set up the snooker table and explain the snooker rules so you can start playing confidently.

Snooker Table Setup (Snooker Set Up)

• Table and Equipment: Snooker requires a full-size table (12 feet by 6 feet), covered in green baize, with six pockets. Each player uses a snooker cue (about 6 feet long) to strike the cue ball. A triangular rack is used to position the 15 red balls. Chalk, rests, or extensions are optional accessories that help players take accurate shots.
• Ball Arrangement: Place the 15 red balls in a tight triangle at the foot of the table, with the apex (top red) a couple of inches behind the pink ball spot. Position the coloured balls on their spots: at the baulk end put Yellow on the right spot, Brown in the center, and Green on the left spot. Then place Blue on the center spot, Pink on its spot just above the red triangle, and Black on its spot behind the reds. Finally, place the white cue ball anywhere inside the “D” (the semicircle) at the other end of the table.
• Final Check: Make sure the reds are tightly racked and the other balls are on the correct spots. The table should be clean and level. Now you’re ready to break (start the frame) by striking the cue ball to scatter the reds.

Snooker Rules Explained

Turn-Taking

Players alternate turns (shots) in snooker. Each turn starts with the striker attempting to pot a red ball into a pocket (worth 1 point). If they pot a red, they continue the turn and must next aim for a coloured ball. If successful, they score that colour’s points and the coloured ball is returned to its spot. The player keeps alternating between potting reds and colours until they miss or commit a foul. When a player fails to pot the required ball or fouls, their turn ends immediately and the opponent takes over.

Scoring System

Each red ball is worth 1 point. The six coloured balls are worth more: Yellow = 2, Green = 3, Brown = 4, Blue = 5, Pink = 6, and Black = 7. For example, potting a yellow ball after a red earns 2 points, while potting the black earns 7. When you pot a red, it stays pocketed, and then you try a colour – potting the colour scores its value and the colour is returned to the table. Then you aim for another red, and so on. All points accumulate as you pot balls. The frame ends when all reds and colours are cleared (in the proper order), and the player with the higher score wins that frame.

Fouls

Common fouls include failing to hit any ball, hitting the wrong ball first, or potting the cue ball ("scratch"). Even a push shot or double-hit is a foul. When a foul occurs, the opponent is awarded penalty points (at least 4 points). If a higher-value ball is involved in the foul (like the brown or black), the penalty is that ball’s value (up to 7 points). After a foul, the player's break ends and all points scored in that break remain with the other player. The opponent then comes to the table and plays next.

Free Ball Rule

If a foul leaves the next player snookered on the ball they must hit (meaning they cannot hit both sides of it directly), the referee awards a free ball. This means the player can nominate any other ball as if it were the next legal ball. For example, if all reds are still on the table and you are snookered on the reds, you could nominate the green as a "free red". Potting that free ball gives you 1 point (like a red) and the ball is returned to its spot. Play then continues normally (you would then attempt a colour next). The free ball rule effectively gives you an extra shot when you would otherwise have no direct shot.

Winning Conditions

One game of snooker is called a frame. The frame ends when all balls have been potted (reds and then the remaining colours). The player with the most points at the end of the frame wins. In a match, players usually compete over multiple frames (for example, best-of-7, best-of-9). The first player to win the required number of frames wins the match. For beginners, you can start by playing single frames or a best-of-3 match. Focus on potting high-value balls when you can, but also try to leave difficult snookers to force errors if you fall behind.