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3 Lives Snooker Rules

3 Lives snooker Rules follow the General Rules of Pocket Billiards, except when clearly contradicted by these additional rules.

3 Lives snooker is best played when greater than four players are present, but less than 10. It has been noted that 3 Lives snooker is a pool game particularly suited to a large group of folks waiting to play snooker, and only one table is present. Regardless of the situation, the more players for 3 Lives snooker, the better, up to nine.

According to 3 Lives snooker rules, each player is to choose a snooker ball which must be uniquely identifiable, and mark three "x" beside their color on a scoreboard. Each of the "x" marks represent his or her 3 Lives. Based on this, yellow, brown, blue, green, black, pink, one red, white, and a spot white are the nine possible colors.

The order of play is determined by which color is chosen. The order of play is as follows:

  1. Yellow (begins from the baulk)
  2. Green
  3. Brown
  4. Blue
  5. Pink
  6. Black
  7. White
  8. Red
  9. Spot White

The object of 3 Lives snooker is to pot the color of the preceding player in a round-robin fashion. For example, green tries to pocket yellow, brown tries to pot green, blue tries to pot green, and so on, until yellow tries to pot the white spot.

When your colored ball is potted, you lose one of your 3 Lives, and an "X" is removed from your tally on the board. You also must pay one monetary unit to the player who has potted you, and one monetary unit to a kitty. Your ball remains off of the table until the play revolves around to you again, at which time you'll play from the baulk. Once all lives are lost, you are out of the game.

Once the shooting player has potted the "on" ball, he or she may try to pot the nearest ball to his or her cue ball. If the shooter can pot that ball, he or she may move to the next nearest, and so on. This may continue until he or she misses, or until their ball is the only ball remaining on the table.

To win the 3 Lives snooker, your ball must remain on the table after all other players have lost all their lives. If you are the winner, the kitty is yours to keep.

Under 3 Lives snooker rules, the rules of snooker apply broadly to all fouls. Any foul made results in the automatic loss of a life. Any owners of balls potted after a foul has occurred will not lose a life. All balls are left where they are post-foul. If a ball is potted as the result of a foul, it is to be re-spotted to the appropriate spot according to their color apart from the player whose turn it is to shoot from the baulk. White, red, and spot white, which do not have official spots, are placed on the top cushion as near as possible to the black spot.

Because of the arguments that will ensue over whose ball is the closest ball, and the strategy required, 3 Lives snooker rules, and the corresponding game of 3 Lives snooker is a great way to develop your snooker safety play.

3 Lives Snooker Rules

If you have any questions about 3 Lives Snooker Rules, please post them in the pool rules forum.

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3 Lives Snooker Rules History

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How to Play 3 Lives Snooker

  • Title: 3 Lives Snooker Rules
  • Author: (Billiards Forum)
  • Published: 2/7/2008 6:35:00 AM

3 Lives Snooker Rules

The 3 Lives Snooker Rules article belongs to the Snooker Rules category. Snooker is a type of cue sport game that is played on a snooker table.

3 Lives Snooker Rules Comments

  1. anakeimaianakeimai from Yorkshire, United Kingdom on 2/4/2012 10:27:39 AM

    Here is a variation on the above 3 Lives Snooker Rules that we play:

    • You start the game with only the colours on their respective spots - no reds
    • Each player picks a colour, but can pot any ball, in any order
    • If you pot a ball owned by another player, they lose a life and you may continue playing
    • If you pot a colour not owned by one of the other players, the colour is respotted and you may continue your visit at the table (this may be useful for positioning)
    • If you pot a ball owned by one of the other players and it's their last life, their ball stays in the pocket
    • If you foul, you lose a life
    • If you have lost a life and pot any ball (including another player's), you regain a life
    • Last man standing wins

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