Learn to Play Snooker

Learn to Play Snooker to Develop Your Skills with a long game of Strategy and Precision

Learn to Play Snooker – Overview

When you learn to play Snooker, it is best to play on a large table and 17 balls: one White shooter ball, 10 Red balls and one each of Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink and Black.

The 10 red balls are racked in the triangle and placed at the foot of the table behind the spot. Each red ball has a value of 1 point. The coloured balls are placed on spots on the Table and have the following values:

• YELLOW ball placed on spot to the RIGHT – value 2 points
• GREEN ball placed on spot to the LEFT – value 3 points
• BROWN ball placed on CENTRE of string line – value 4 points
• BLUE ball placed on spot at CENTRE of table – value 5 points
• PINK ball placed at APEX of pyramid – value 6 points
• BLACK ball placed HALF WAY between pyramid base & back cushion – value 7 points

Learn to Play Snooker – The Game

To play Snooker, a player must pocket a RED ball before he can shoot at a coloured ball. All red balls pocketed in turn count. After sinking the RED ball, the player can pick the colour of this choice. Flukes are not allowed on coloured balls. If two coloured balls are close together the player must designate the “on” ball.

When a coloured ball is pocketed, it is immediately replaced to its original position on the Table. If the spot is occupied the ball is placed on the nearest vacant spot. The RED ball is left in the pocket. After all the RED balls have been disposed of, the colour ball must then be pocketed in order of value starting with the YELLOW ball. It must be remembered that the game is termed snooker, and consequently snookering necessarily constitutes a vital part of it.

Learn to Play Snooker – Free Ball

If you make a foul stroke such as “going in off”, striking a ball not “on”, making a miss etc. and through such foul you snooker your partner (preventing him from hitting the ball “on” by direct stroke) he may claim a “free ball”- that is choose any colour he chooses to serve as a red ball. However, the coloured ball will count as 1 and must be re-spotted when you play Snooker.

Learn to Play Snooker – Penalties

If a player aims for a red ball and does not hit one or if the white cue ball goes into the pocket he loses 4 points.

If a player aims for a coloured ball and misses he loses the value of the ball missed except for the Yellow and Green balls which then carry the minimum penalty which is 4 points.

If he hits a different coloured ball than the one aimed at he loses the value of the highest number ball involved. The same penalty applies to pocketing a wrong ball even if the right ball is hit first.

If the player “on” Black misses it and no other ball is hit – a penalty of 7 points.

Player “on” Yellow strikes Black and Yellow simultaneously – penalty 7 because of Yellow is (minimum forfeit 4) and if other ball struck Black is (7 points). The highest numerical forfeit applies.

When all balls are off the Table the player with the highest score wins. Detailed books on how to hold the cue and how to take different shots are available at any good bookstore.

If you like to play Snooker, you might also be interested in the article – How to Play Billiards

We Carry a Range of Snooker Balls

*If you want to purchase these for your store, contact us at palko.com.au for wholesale prices

View all Billiard Balls →