Snooker Rules
Snooker is played with fifteen
red balls
, six
coloured balls
, and
one cue ball
(the white).
The aim of snooker is to
legally pot balls
according to the rules and score
more points
than your opponent.
Ball Values
| ⬤ | 7 |
| ⬤ | 6 |
| ⬤ | 5 |
| ⬤ | 4 |
| ⬤ | 3 |
| ⬤ | 2 |
| ⬤ | 1 |
Opening Break
A game of snooker starts with the
cue ball in hand in the D
(the starting player may place the white anywhere inside the D).
The rules for the opening break are the same as for any normal shot.
Game Rules
A player who has the right to strike must
hit a red ball first
. If there are no reds left on the table, the ball on is the colour with the
lowest point value
.
Each shot must be played within
60 seconds
, otherwise a
foul
is called.
Shot on a red ball
When the next legal object is a red, the shot is
legal if
:
The white ball is
not potted
.
The white ball
hits a red
first.
Only red
balls are potted.
Otherwise, the shot is a
foul
.
If the shot on the red is legal:
if no red is potted, the
opponent plays next
,
if one or more reds are potted, the player scores
1 point per red
, remains at the table, and the next legal object is a
colour
.
Shot on a colour
After potting one or more reds, the player must
nominate a colour
(other than red). The shot is
legal if
:
the white ball is not potted,
the
nominated colour
is hit first,
no other ball is potted.
Otherwise, the shot is a
foul
.
If the shot on a colour is legal:
if no ball is potted, the
opponent plays next
,
if the colour is potted, the player scores its
point value
, the colour is
respotted
, and the next legal object is a
red
.
If no reds remain, the next legal object is the
lowest-value colour
.
Snooker Fouls
If a shot is a foul, the opponent receives
penalty points
:
4 points
if the white is potted,
7 points
if the time limit (60 seconds) is exceeded,
the
value of the ball concerned
(minimum 4) if:
the white hits the
wrong ball first
, or
the wrong ball is
potted
.
If
multiple fouls
occur in a single shot, the opponent receives the
highest value
foul.
Penalty points have a
minimum value of 4
.
After a foul, the
incoming player
may:
play the balls
as they lie
, or
pass the shot
, requiring the offending player to play again (without restoring the balls).
Free Ball
After a foul, if the incoming player is
snookered
, they may nominate any ball as a
free ball
.
For that shot, the free ball is treated as the
ball on
and takes its value.
If the free ball is potted:
it is respotted,
the value of the ball on is scored.
Example:
If a red is the ball on and the
nominated free ball
is pink, potting the pink scores
1 point
, and the pink is respotted. The player then plays a colour, followed by a red, and so on.
Foul and a Miss
If the player fails to hit the ball on first, a
miss
may be called.
The opponent may request that:
the balls are replaced to their
previous positions
, and
the offending player plays the shot again.
This may be requested up to
three times
in a row.
This rule applies only in
PRO mode
.
Game Over Rule
The frame ends when
a pot or foul occurs while
only the black
remains,
one player concedes,
after a break, the point difference exceeds the
remaining points on the table
plus 20,
after a break,
only the black
remains and the point difference is
greater than 7
.
The player with the
higher score
wins the frame.
Re-spotted black
If the scores are level after the black is potted, the
black is respotted
and play resumes from the D. The
first pot or foul
decides the game.
Snooker Variants
Quick Snooker
The rules are the same, but there are only
six reds
on the table, only
25 seconds
is available per shot, and the game is played on a
smaller table
.
Lite Snooker
The rules are the same, but there are only
ten reds
(six optionally) on the table, and the game is played on a
pool-sized table
using pool-sized balls.
