[Guide] Basic Guide To Snooker [Guide]

SH4D3S · Aug 11, 2008

The Basic Rule's Of Snooker
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Introduction/Equipment - Hey, this is my third guide so far. My last two have been based on Skateboarding so I decided that I have to make a guide with a different topic. So, hence comes this guide about the rules of the game Snooker. I do actually like Snooker a little, but once had a frenzy about it so can remember quite a bit about the game.

Snooker is played on a Billiards table and uses mostly all the same equipment which is used in a game of Billards (similar to Snooker). The probably only difference from Snooker to Billards is there are different ball's used. There is one white ball, which is used to do the shots, fifteen Red Balls along with six other coloured ball's, each scoring a different amount of point's.

Yellow Ball - Worth Two Points.

Green Ball - Worth Three Points.

Brown Ball - Worth Four Points.

Blue Ball - Worth Five Points.

Pink Ball - Worth Six Points.

Black Ball - Worth Seven Points.

Using a frame which is provided each match, the Red Balls are set in a kind of triangular position between the Pink Balls and the Black Balls. Done right, the triangle should point towards Baulk, with the Red Ball right at the tip almost. Though, it should not be quite touching the Pink Ball.

When playing a professional match, there are normally three other special rests available to use for the players. The three are called the "spider", the "Extended Spider" and the "Swan Neck". Depending on what rest your on about, they will either cause height or length. You've probably guesses though - Swan's Neck for height and Spider/Extended Spider for length.
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The objective is pretty simple and sum's up most games - Score more points than your opponent and you've won. But obviously, when you go into greater detail, the game will sound much harder and more complicated. We'll start simple though. To get point's, you simply have to pot more ball's than your opponent, each ball will give a different amount of point's.

It still probably sounds pretty simple but there's lot of strategies you can use to win. I'll mention one - Snookering your opponent, where you set up a shot so your opponent cannot get a good shot, miss and you'll get two shots. Onto another question - How do you choose who goes first? Simply flip a coin and who ever wins gets to choose to go first.

To start the game, get all the ball's set up and get ready to take the first shot. To prepare for the very first shot, put the Cue Ball anywhere in the D Zone, which is displayed in the picture above. Anyway, now get in position and aim your cue at the Red Ball. Make sure you don't, the very first shot is very important. When hit successfully, the game has begun.
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Each turn the player/opponent takes is called a "break". This consists of a series of strikes when the cue ball (White Ball) has either made a shot which didn't score or a foul shot. When it's your turn, you must always start by potting a Red Ball. If one is potted then you can go for a coloured ball. Once one is potted it is immediately returned to it's home spot on the table.

Once a coloured ball has been potted and put back to it's home spot the player must pot another Red Ball if they want to pot another coloured ball after. The two player's must repeat this strategy till all the Red Ball's have been potted. Once all of them have been potted then the player's have to pot all the colour's in order from yellow to black.

Like I said, Red Ball's must always come first. If any of the player's hit a colour before hitting a red then this will be counted as a foul shot. When a break is over the next player must always start with a red as well, regardless of how the last player's break had ended. You may think this would be over pretty quickly then, can't take to long to pot twenty-one ball's. Read on.

Snooker does not always consist about just potting the ball's. If it did, then like I said - The game would be over well to quickly. Player's can set up difficult shot's for the other player, like snookering them. Doing this means the opponent has a difficult shot and may miss. If they do, the opponent gets two shot's which would help him/her an awful lot.
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Now, were onto the final thing in this guide. Foul shots. Yeah, there a bugger to get out with and sometimes a bugger to set up, unless your in a very good position. A Foul Shot can happen in any of the following positions:

The ball strikes a ball that isn't supposed to of been hit.

Whenever the ball is pocketed or leaves the table.

If an incorrect ball is potted. E.g: Supposed to pot a red and pot a Blue.

Whenever a foul is committed there has to always be a penalty given. Bellow is a list of penalties that can be given and a reason why this penalty was given or received. Anyway, here's the list:

If the black ball is struck or potted incorrectly - Seven points are reduced.

If the Pink Ball is struck or potted incorrectly - Six point's are reduced.

If the blue ball is struck or potted incorrectly - Five points are reduced.

If none of these are the foul then it will be four points are forfeited.

And lastly, the player who did not commit the foul may choose if he wants his opponent to have a turn or he can choose for him self to take the turn. Here's a short list about that:

After any foul shot has been committed the player who would normally play next may choose if he wants the other player to take the turn or himself.

If the player who did the foul is snookered then he gets a "free shot" which means he can go for any ball on the table. Instead of having to hit the red first, he could hit any.

And that's really the end of my third guide I've made. I hope this gave you a better understanding of the game "snooker" and you might be interested in some other guides I will be making in the future. Please leave your rating's and short comment's about this guide.
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Thanks For Reading,

SH4D3S.