Tuesday, October 20, 2009

All About Snooker

By Matthew Kerridge

Snooker is a cue-sport that is played on baize-covered table with six holes - one in each of the four corners and one on either side of the table, placed directly in the middle of the side cushion. A full-sized regulation Snooker tables dimensions are twelve foot by six foot.

Because the size of the regulation snooker table demands a very large room, smaller snooker tables, such as a ten foot by five foot table or an eight foot by four foot table, can be used with fewer balls. These snooker tables come in various styles, such as one that converts into a dining table and snooker tables that can fold for easier storage.

The game is played using a cue ball and snooker balls of various colors: one white cue, and six balls of different colors. Black balls are worth seven points, pink balls are worth six points, blue balls are worth five points, brown balls are worth four points, green balls are worth three points, and yellow points are worth two points.

Snooker is played on a snooker table, which is similar to a billiards table because it has six pockets in the same placement as a pool table - one in the center of either side cushion and on in each corner of the table. A regulation snooker table, however, is twelve by six foot, which is much larger than the regulated nine foot by four and a half feet for a billiards table.

When somebody refers to a "break" in snooker, they are speaking of the amount of points one gains during one consecutive turn. For example, a break of ten may include potting a yellow ball, a green ball, and a blue ball. A '147' break, also known as a maximum break, is when a player pots all the red balls with black ball and proceeds to pot every colored ball remaining on the table, which would give the player the maximum amount of points possible - or 147 points.

Once the balls are positioned on the snooker table, a player attempts to knock a red ball into a pocket using only a single strike from the tip of the cue. If they are successful in knocking the red ball into a pocket they are then granted the chance to shoot a colored ball into a pocket. If they successfully hit a colored ball into a pocket, the player then scores a certain amount of points depending on the color of the ball. The colored ball is then returned to it's correct position on the snooker table, and the player then attempts to knock another red ball into a pocket in order to gain the chance to hit another colored ball. This process continues until the players fails to knock the desired ball into a pocket, which brings about the opponent's turn. The game goes on like this until all the red balls are potted and only the colored balls are left on the snooker table. When this is achieved any colored ball that is potted is left in the pocket.

A common term used while playing snooker is a break, which refers to the number of points a player as gained during one consecutive play at a table - not including fouls. A "maximum" or "147" break is when a player pots all reds with blacks and then pockets every colored ball on the table, in which the player would earn 147 total points, or the maximum amount of points possible.

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