The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker
Although it lags behind pool in most parts of the globe, snooker is still one of the most popular cue sports on the planet. It’s a little more complicated than its cousins as there are additional rules and a set order that balls must be pocketed.
There are several other key differences between pool and snooker that may take you a little while to understand if you’re new to playing the latter.
The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker
Competitive Snooker
Just like other cue sports, professional snooker competitions take place throughout the year. The World Snooker Championship, the UK Championship, and the European Masters are enjoyed by millions of fans each year and see some of the biggest names in the sport take part each year.
You will, however, notice that these major competitions are European-centric since snooker is much more popular on that side of the Atlantic. At a professional level, snooker is much bigger in many parts of Europe, while pool and other forms of billiards dominate in North America.
The same isn’t true for casual players. You’re more likely to find a pool table in a British pub than one for playing snooker.
Snooker Betting
Just like snooker and many other sports, these competitions are popular among those that like to bet on sports. In the United States, you might have to look a little harder to find a sportsbook that’ll accept wagers on snooker games and tournaments, but it shouldn’t be impossible.
When you do, you’ll usually find a mix of the most common wager types, including individual snooker game lines, futures, and even prop bets. Generally, the more prominent the competition, the more markets you’ll find open.
Most customers will also be able to use the many promotions that these bookmakers offer on snooker games, including the widely sought-after no deposit bonus codes that unlock free credit just for signing up.
Rule Differences
To the uninitiated, snooker and pool look near identical. They both use a felt table with six pockets and involve two players using cues to hit a white ball into some others. However, this is where the two games begin to diverge.
Firstly, apart from the black and white balls, all balls on a pool table are of equal value but each player is assigned his or her own ones to try and pot. If they hit their opponents first or manage to accidentally pocket one, they commit a foul.
In snooker, the balls carry different values, each signified by a different color. 15 reds are worth one point each, with the yellow worth two, green - three, and so on until black, which is valued at seven points.
Snooker players are free to pocket any of the balls on the table, though they must do it in a particular order. They must first knock in a red, then they’re given the choice of any other color before they can make another shot at a red. If they pocket the color, it is returned to the table, though the reds are not.
This adds much more strategy to snooker as players must weigh up the benefits of potting a higher-value ball vs the difficulty of the shot and where it will leave the white in relation to the next red.
On top of this, snooker tables are considerably larger (up to twice the length) while their pockets are smaller, adding to the challenge for players since they need to simultaneously add more power and be more accurate with each shot.
You technically could use a pool table to play snooker, but it would be missing the additional D marker at the top end. You would, instead, have to draw this on or just guess roughly where it is. This D limits where the ball can be placed for break shots compared to pool.
Additionally, fancy tricks like jump shots are not permitted in snooker. If the ball leaves the felt, a foul has been committed. On top of that, players must always have at least one foot on the floor while they take their shot, so there is no leaning right across the table.
The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker
- Title: The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker
- Author: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
- Published: 3/31/2022 2:53:28 AM
- Last Updated: 3/31/2022 3:33:47 AM
- Last Updated By: billiardsforum
The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker
The The Pool Player’s Guide to Snooker article belongs to the Miscellaneous Pool Playing Tips category. Lists the pool playing tips and billiard tips that don't fit neatly in any of the other pool playing tips categories.
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