The rules of snooker (NB: may not apply to me1 vs me2 SNOOKER)
The board
Snooker is played on a rectangular snooker board with six pockets, one at each
corner and one in the middle of each long side. The board usually has a slate base, covered in green baize. At one end of the table (the baulk
end) is the baulk line, which is 29 inches (74 cm) from the baulk
cushion (the short cushion at the baulk end). A semicircle of radius 11+1⁄2 inches (29
cm), called the D, is drawn behind this line, centred on the middle of
the line. The cushion at the other end of the board is known as the top
cushion.
A regulation (full-size) board is 12 ft × 6 ft (3.7 m × 1.8 m); because of
the large size of these boards, smaller boards are common in homes (e.g. home of Richard Herring), pubs and other places where space is limited. These are often around 6 feet (1.8 m) in length, and all the dimensions and
markings are scaled down accordingly. The balls used are sometimes also scaled
down, and/or reduced in number (in the case of the reds) such that the longest
row of balls in the rack is omitted.
The balls
Pack of Reds, not touching the Pink
Snooker balls, like the balls for all cue sports, are typically made
of phenolic resin, but are smaller than pool balls.
Regulation snooker balls (which are specified in metric units) are nominally 52.5 mm
(approximately 2 1⁄15 inches) in
diameter, though many sets are actually manufactured at 52.4 mm (about 2 1⁄16 in.) Some recreational sets (which are usually
not measured metrically) are 2 1⁄8 in. (about 54
mm) up to as large as pool balls, at 2 1⁄4 in. (about
57.2 mm); larger ball size requires wider pocket openings. Miniature sets also
exist, for half-size home tables. There are fifteen red balls, six "colour" balls (yellow, green,
brown, blue, pink, and black), and one white cue ball. Usually none of the balls
are numbered, though the six colour balls often are in the US, where they are easily mistaken at first
glance for pool balls (the design is similar, but the
numbering does not match pool's scheme).
At the beginning of a frame, the balls are set up in the arrangement shown in
the illustration. The six colours (a term referring to all balls except
the white and the reds) are placed on their own spots. On the baulk line,
looking up the table from the baulk end, the green ball is located where the "D"
meets the line on the left, the brown ball in the middle of the line, and the
yellow ball where the "D" meets the line on the right. This order is often
remembered using the mnemonic God Bless You, the first letter
of each word being the first letter of the three colours. At the exact centre of
the table sits the blue ball. Further up the table is the pink ball, which sits
midway between the blue spot and the top cushion, followed by the red balls,
arranged in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink (the apex must be as close
as possible to the pink ball without touching it). Finally, the black ball is
placed on a spot 32.5 cm (12.8 in) from the top cushion.
Objective
The objective of the game of snooker is to strike the white cue ball
with a cue in the direction of other object balls and to pot these object
balls in one of the six pockets. This must be done according to the rules of the
game, described below. By potting object balls points can be scored. The player
who scores most points wins the frame, and the player who wins most frames wins
the match.
Match
A match usually consists of a fixed, odd number of frames. A frame begins
with setting up the balls as described above. A frame ends when all balls are
potted, or when one of the players concedes defeat because he is too far behind
in score to equal or beat the score of the other player.
A match ends when one of the players has won the majority of the set number
of frames and the other player can therefore not equal this. For example, when a
match consists of 19 frames, the match ends when one of the players has reached
10 frames.
Gameplay
Snooker table with all balls at the beginning of a frame.
At the beginning of each frame the balls are set up by the referee as
explained. This will be followed by a break-off shot, on which the
players take turns. At the break-off, the white cue ball can be placed anywhere
inside the D, although it is common for players to start by placing the ball on
the line, between the brown ball and either the green or yellow ball.
Players take turns in visiting the table. When one player is at the table,
the other cannot play. A break is the number of points scored by a player
in one single visit to the table. A player's turn and break end when he fails to
pot a ball, when he does something against the rules of the game, which is
called a foul, or when a frame has ended.
The ball or balls that can be hit first by the white are called the ball(s)
"on" for that particular stroke. The ball(s) "on" differ from shot to shot: a
red ball, if potted, must be followed by a colour, and so on until a break ends;
if a red is not potted, any red ball remains the ball "on". Only a ball or balls
"on" may be potted legally by a player. If a ball not "on" is potted, this is a
foul.
If the cue ball is touching another ball which is on or could be on, the
referee shall state Touching ball, whereupon the striker must play away
from it without moving it (if the ball moves, it is a push stroke, and a foul).
No penalty is incurred for thus playing away if (1) the ball is on; (2) the ball
could be on and the striker nominates such ball; or (3) the ball could be on and
the striker nominates, and first hits, another ball that could be on. If the cue
ball is touching another ball which could not be on, it isn't called a
touching ball, but the striker must play away from it and first hit a legally
nominated ball.
If a ball is potted when a foul is made, depending on the situation, the
potted ball will either stay off the table, or be spotted on its initial spot or
it will – along with any and all balls that were moved during the foul shot – be
repositioned to where it/they lay before the shot. For details on such
situations, see Fouls and Miss below.
The game of snooker generally consists of two phases. The first phase is the
situation in which there are still red balls on the table. In the first phase,
at the beginning of a player's turn, the balls "on" are all remaining red balls.
The player must therefore attempt to first hit and pot one or more red balls.
For every red ball potted, the player will receive 1 point. When a red has been
potted, it will stay off the table and the player can continue the break. If no
red has been potted or a foul has been made, the other player will come into
play.
In case one or more red balls have been potted, the player can continue the
break. This time one of the six colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and
black) is the ball "on". Only one of these can be the ball "on" and the rules of
the game state that a player must nominate the desired colour to the referee,
although it is often clear which ball the striker is playing and it is not
necessary to nominate.
When the nominated colour is potted, the player will be awarded the correct
number of points (yellow, 2; green, 3; brown, 4; blue, 5; pink, 6; black, 7).
The colour is then taken out of the pocket by the referee and placed on its
original spot. If that spot is covered by another ball, the ball is placed on
the highest available spot. If there is no available spot, it is placed as close
to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the top
cushion, without touching another ball. If there is no room this side of the
spot, it will be placed as close to the spot as possible in a straight line
towards the bottom cushion, without touching another ball.
Because only one of the colours is the ball "on", it is a foul to first hit
multiple colours at the same time, or pot more than one colour (unless a free
ball has been awarded (q.v.)).
If a player fails to pot a ball "on", it being a red or nominated colour, the
other player will come into play and the balls "on" are always the reds, as long
as there are still reds on the table.
The alternation between red balls and colours ends when all reds have been
potted and a colour is potted after the last red, or a failed attempt to do so
is made. All six colours have then to be potted in ascending order of their
points value (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black). Each becomes the ball
"on" in that order. During this phase, when potted, the colours stay down and
are not replaced on the table, unless a foul is made when potting the colour, in
which case the colour is respotted.
When the colours have been potted, the frame is over and the player who has
scored most points has won it (but see below for "The End of Frame"
scenarios).
Fouls
A foul is a shot or action by the striker which is against the rules of the
game.
When a foul is made during a shot, the player's turn is ended and he will
receive no points for the foul shot. The other player will receive penalty
points.
Common fouls are:
Should a cue ball be touched with the tip while "in-hand", i.e. when
breaking-off or playing from the "D" after being potted, a foul is not committed
as long as the referee is satisfied that the player was only positioning the
ball, and not playing, or preparing to play, a shot.
When a foul is made, the other player will receive penalty points. Penalty
points are at least 4 points and at most 7 points. The number of penalty points
is the value of the ball "on", or any of the "foul" balls, whichever is highest.
When more than one foul is made, the penalty is not the added total — only the
most highly valued foul is counted.
Not hitting the ball "on" first is the most common foul. Players can make
life difficult for an opponent by making sure that they cannot hit a ball "on"
directly. This is most commonly called "snookering" one's opponent or
alternatively "laying a snooker" or putting the other player "in a snooker".
Because players receive points for fouls by their opponents, snookering one's
opponent a number of times in a row is a possible way of winning a frame when
potting all the balls on the table would be insufficient to ensure a win.
If a player commits a foul, and the opponent considers that the position left
is unattractive, he may request that the offender play again from the resulting
position.
If a foul has been committed by not hitting a ball "on" first, or at all, and
the referee judges that the player has not made the best possible effort to hit
a ball "on", and neither of the players are in need of snookers to win the
frame, or would be after the penalty points were applied, then "foul, and a
miss" is called. In this instance the other player may request that all balls on
the table are returned to their position before the foul, and the opponent play
the shot again. (In top class play, this will usually require only the cue ball
and a couple of other balls to be moved.) This rule is often applied less
stringently, if at all, in amateur matches.
Since jump shots are explicitly forbidden, it can happen that the ball
on is physically impossible to hit even with a swerve shot. (This can
happen, for instance, if the cue ball is crowded into a corner and closely
surrounded by several reds after a red was potted. It is technically possible to
drive one's opponent into a physically impossible snooker by dislodging several
colours in one shot, but this is virtually unheard of.) In this case the player
is nevertheless required to nominate a ball and attempt to hit it, i.e.
to play in the direction that would hit it if the obstacles were not present. A
foul shot will inevitably be called, but since the task was impossible, this
will never be a miss, and the game continues normally.
Free ball
Free ball situation
Free ball occurs after a foul shot where the resultant layout of the
table leaves the opponent snookered. The opponent of the player who committed
the foul can choose any other ball on the table as a replacement for the ball in
question, and pot this as if it were the intended ball. For example, if the ball
"on" is a red, and the free ball is a pink, the player will receive one point
for potting the pink (which is then respotted). He then continues to attempt to
pot a colour which, if successful, is followed by another red etc. If a colour
was ball on, and both the nominated ball and the actual ball on are potted, only
the ball on is scored. The free ball is spotted while, as this can only occur in
the final stage of the frame, the ball on will stay off the table. This is the
only time while attempting to pot a colour that two balls can be pocketed
without a foul occurring. If the ball on is red and both the nominated and ball
on are potted, then each ball potted is scored as a red, as would be typical if
it were not a free ball. The colour free ball is then spotted and the ball on
remains off the table.
It is allowed to play a snooker using the free ball, providing the snooker
does not leave all balls 'on' snookered behind the ball which has just been used
as the ball 'on'. It is allowed to cannon a ball nominated as a red into another
red, so as to pot this (a plant).
The only exception to this rule is if the "on" ball is a red that is being
obstructed by another red. For example, if the player breaking-off hits the
white too soft and it does not hit the triangle of reds, a free-ball would not
be called, even though no red can be hit on both sides, since the only thing
preventing some of the reds being hit on both sides is another red.
A free ball scenario does not occur when the ball gets stuck at the edge of a
pocket jaw (commonly referred to as "angled') in such a manner that the player
is unable to hit any legitimate ball. This is because according to the official
snooker rules a ball is snookered only if its way is obstructed by balls not on.
In this scenario, after a foul, the player may choose to either take the shot
from the current position or ask the offender to play again.
After free ball colored will be played if red balls are still on the
table. If not, the player will continue with the lowest value ball on table.
Miss
A miss will be called if a player does not hit the ball "on" first and
is deemed by the referee to have not made a good
enough attempt at the shot. This gives the opponent the option of having the
balls replaced as they were and have the fouling player take the shot again. A
miss would not normally be called should the offending player require snookers,
but there are exceptions to this scenario. Firstly, it may be possible to make
full central contact with a ball "on" with a plain straight stroke, in which
case a miss would be called every time an unsuccessful attempt at hitting it was
produced. Secondly, it is still up to the referee's discretion whether an
adequate attempt at hitting the object ball was made. If the referee deems that
the snookered player has made no genuine effort to hit the ball, a miss can
still be called despite snookers being required.
The rule was introduced to prevent players from playing professional fouls, i.e.
deliberately fouling so as to leave the balls in a safe position, reducing the
risk of giving a frame-winning chance to the opponent. Multiple misses often
occur because players attempt to hit a shot very softly or thinly in situations
where a fuller contact might leave their opponent an easy potting chance. This
can lead to an apparently easy escape being attempted several
times, as players feel that it is better to concede many points but leave a safe
position, than concede none and leave a frame-winning chance.
However, the applied interpretation of the rule has proved controversial, as
players sometimes narrowly miss a shot many times. Sometimes this is due to bad
luck, or the difficulty of a snooker – meaning that a good snooker can pay more
dividends than a great pot.
The end of a frame
A frame normally ends in one of three ways:
There are three less common ways to end a frame:
If the score is tied after the final black is potted, the black is
"respotted" and the cue ball put "in hand". The referee will then toss a coin,
with the player winning the toss choosing who will take first strike at the
black. Play then continues normally until the black is potted or another
frame-ending situation occurs.
Snooker is played on a rectangular snooker board with six pockets, one at each
corner and one in the middle of each long side. The board usually has a slate base, covered in green baize. At one end of the table (the baulk
end) is the baulk line, which is 29 inches (74 cm) from the baulk
cushion (the short cushion at the baulk end). A semicircle of radius 11+1⁄2 inches (29
cm), called the D, is drawn behind this line, centred on the middle of
the line. The cushion at the other end of the board is known as the top
cushion.
A regulation (full-size) board is 12 ft × 6 ft (3.7 m × 1.8 m); because of
the large size of these boards, smaller boards are common in homes (e.g. home of Richard Herring), pubs and other places where space is limited. These are often around 6 feet (1.8 m) in length, and all the dimensions and
markings are scaled down accordingly. The balls used are sometimes also scaled
down, and/or reduced in number (in the case of the reds) such that the longest
row of balls in the rack is omitted.
The balls
Pack of Reds, not touching the Pink
Snooker balls, like the balls for all cue sports, are typically made
of phenolic resin, but are smaller than pool balls.
Regulation snooker balls (which are specified in metric units) are nominally 52.5 mm
(approximately 2 1⁄15 inches) in
diameter, though many sets are actually manufactured at 52.4 mm (about 2 1⁄16 in.) Some recreational sets (which are usually
not measured metrically) are 2 1⁄8 in. (about 54
mm) up to as large as pool balls, at 2 1⁄4 in. (about
57.2 mm); larger ball size requires wider pocket openings. Miniature sets also
exist, for half-size home tables. There are fifteen red balls, six "colour" balls (yellow, green,
brown, blue, pink, and black), and one white cue ball. Usually none of the balls
are numbered, though the six colour balls often are in the US, where they are easily mistaken at first
glance for pool balls (the design is similar, but the
numbering does not match pool's scheme).
At the beginning of a frame, the balls are set up in the arrangement shown in
the illustration. The six colours (a term referring to all balls except
the white and the reds) are placed on their own spots. On the baulk line,
looking up the table from the baulk end, the green ball is located where the "D"
meets the line on the left, the brown ball in the middle of the line, and the
yellow ball where the "D" meets the line on the right. This order is often
remembered using the mnemonic God Bless You, the first letter
of each word being the first letter of the three colours. At the exact centre of
the table sits the blue ball. Further up the table is the pink ball, which sits
midway between the blue spot and the top cushion, followed by the red balls,
arranged in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink (the apex must be as close
as possible to the pink ball without touching it). Finally, the black ball is
placed on a spot 32.5 cm (12.8 in) from the top cushion.
Objective
The objective of the game of snooker is to strike the white cue ball
with a cue in the direction of other object balls and to pot these object
balls in one of the six pockets. This must be done according to the rules of the
game, described below. By potting object balls points can be scored. The player
who scores most points wins the frame, and the player who wins most frames wins
the match.
Match
A match usually consists of a fixed, odd number of frames. A frame begins
with setting up the balls as described above. A frame ends when all balls are
potted, or when one of the players concedes defeat because he is too far behind
in score to equal or beat the score of the other player.
A match ends when one of the players has won the majority of the set number
of frames and the other player can therefore not equal this. For example, when a
match consists of 19 frames, the match ends when one of the players has reached
10 frames.
Gameplay
Snooker table with all balls at the beginning of a frame.
At the beginning of each frame the balls are set up by the referee as
explained. This will be followed by a break-off shot, on which the
players take turns. At the break-off, the white cue ball can be placed anywhere
inside the D, although it is common for players to start by placing the ball on
the line, between the brown ball and either the green or yellow ball.
Players take turns in visiting the table. When one player is at the table,
the other cannot play. A break is the number of points scored by a player
in one single visit to the table. A player's turn and break end when he fails to
pot a ball, when he does something against the rules of the game, which is
called a foul, or when a frame has ended.
The ball or balls that can be hit first by the white are called the ball(s)
"on" for that particular stroke. The ball(s) "on" differ from shot to shot: a
red ball, if potted, must be followed by a colour, and so on until a break ends;
if a red is not potted, any red ball remains the ball "on". Only a ball or balls
"on" may be potted legally by a player. If a ball not "on" is potted, this is a
foul.
If the cue ball is touching another ball which is on or could be on, the
referee shall state Touching ball, whereupon the striker must play away
from it without moving it (if the ball moves, it is a push stroke, and a foul).
No penalty is incurred for thus playing away if (1) the ball is on; (2) the ball
could be on and the striker nominates such ball; or (3) the ball could be on and
the striker nominates, and first hits, another ball that could be on. If the cue
ball is touching another ball which could not be on, it isn't called a
touching ball, but the striker must play away from it and first hit a legally
nominated ball.
If a ball is potted when a foul is made, depending on the situation, the
potted ball will either stay off the table, or be spotted on its initial spot or
it will – along with any and all balls that were moved during the foul shot – be
repositioned to where it/they lay before the shot. For details on such
situations, see Fouls and Miss below.
The game of snooker generally consists of two phases. The first phase is the
situation in which there are still red balls on the table. In the first phase,
at the beginning of a player's turn, the balls "on" are all remaining red balls.
The player must therefore attempt to first hit and pot one or more red balls.
For every red ball potted, the player will receive 1 point. When a red has been
potted, it will stay off the table and the player can continue the break. If no
red has been potted or a foul has been made, the other player will come into
play.
In case one or more red balls have been potted, the player can continue the
break. This time one of the six colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and
black) is the ball "on". Only one of these can be the ball "on" and the rules of
the game state that a player must nominate the desired colour to the referee,
although it is often clear which ball the striker is playing and it is not
necessary to nominate.
When the nominated colour is potted, the player will be awarded the correct
number of points (yellow, 2; green, 3; brown, 4; blue, 5; pink, 6; black, 7).
The colour is then taken out of the pocket by the referee and placed on its
original spot. If that spot is covered by another ball, the ball is placed on
the highest available spot. If there is no available spot, it is placed as close
to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the top
cushion, without touching another ball. If there is no room this side of the
spot, it will be placed as close to the spot as possible in a straight line
towards the bottom cushion, without touching another ball.
Because only one of the colours is the ball "on", it is a foul to first hit
multiple colours at the same time, or pot more than one colour (unless a free
ball has been awarded (q.v.)).
If a player fails to pot a ball "on", it being a red or nominated colour, the
other player will come into play and the balls "on" are always the reds, as long
as there are still reds on the table.
The alternation between red balls and colours ends when all reds have been
potted and a colour is potted after the last red, or a failed attempt to do so
is made. All six colours have then to be potted in ascending order of their
points value (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black). Each becomes the ball
"on" in that order. During this phase, when potted, the colours stay down and
are not replaced on the table, unless a foul is made when potting the colour, in
which case the colour is respotted.
When the colours have been potted, the frame is over and the player who has
scored most points has won it (but see below for "The End of Frame"
scenarios).
Fouls
A foul is a shot or action by the striker which is against the rules of the
game.
When a foul is made during a shot, the player's turn is ended and he will
receive no points for the foul shot. The other player will receive penalty
points.
Common fouls are:
- failing to hit any other ball with the cue ball
- first hitting a ball "not-on" with the cue ball
- potting a ball "not-on"
- potting the white (in-off)
- hitting a ball other than the white with the cue
- making a ball land off the table
- touching the cue ball with something other than the tip of the cue (except
while positioning the cue ball "in-hand"; while "in-hand" the cue ball may be
touched by anything except the tip of the cue) - playing a "push shot" - a shot where the cue, cue ball and object ball are
in simultaneous contact - playing a "jump shot", which is where the cue ball leaves the bed of the
table and jumps over a ball (even if touching it in the process) before first
hitting another ball - playing a shot with both feet off the ground
Should a cue ball be touched with the tip while "in-hand", i.e. when
breaking-off or playing from the "D" after being potted, a foul is not committed
as long as the referee is satisfied that the player was only positioning the
ball, and not playing, or preparing to play, a shot.
When a foul is made, the other player will receive penalty points. Penalty
points are at least 4 points and at most 7 points. The number of penalty points
is the value of the ball "on", or any of the "foul" balls, whichever is highest.
When more than one foul is made, the penalty is not the added total — only the
most highly valued foul is counted.
Not hitting the ball "on" first is the most common foul. Players can make
life difficult for an opponent by making sure that they cannot hit a ball "on"
directly. This is most commonly called "snookering" one's opponent or
alternatively "laying a snooker" or putting the other player "in a snooker".
Because players receive points for fouls by their opponents, snookering one's
opponent a number of times in a row is a possible way of winning a frame when
potting all the balls on the table would be insufficient to ensure a win.
If a player commits a foul, and the opponent considers that the position left
is unattractive, he may request that the offender play again from the resulting
position.
If a foul has been committed by not hitting a ball "on" first, or at all, and
the referee judges that the player has not made the best possible effort to hit
a ball "on", and neither of the players are in need of snookers to win the
frame, or would be after the penalty points were applied, then "foul, and a
miss" is called. In this instance the other player may request that all balls on
the table are returned to their position before the foul, and the opponent play
the shot again. (In top class play, this will usually require only the cue ball
and a couple of other balls to be moved.) This rule is often applied less
stringently, if at all, in amateur matches.
Since jump shots are explicitly forbidden, it can happen that the ball
on is physically impossible to hit even with a swerve shot. (This can
happen, for instance, if the cue ball is crowded into a corner and closely
surrounded by several reds after a red was potted. It is technically possible to
drive one's opponent into a physically impossible snooker by dislodging several
colours in one shot, but this is virtually unheard of.) In this case the player
is nevertheless required to nominate a ball and attempt to hit it, i.e.
to play in the direction that would hit it if the obstacles were not present. A
foul shot will inevitably be called, but since the task was impossible, this
will never be a miss, and the game continues normally.
Free ball
Free ball situation
Free ball occurs after a foul shot where the resultant layout of the
table leaves the opponent snookered. The opponent of the player who committed
the foul can choose any other ball on the table as a replacement for the ball in
question, and pot this as if it were the intended ball. For example, if the ball
"on" is a red, and the free ball is a pink, the player will receive one point
for potting the pink (which is then respotted). He then continues to attempt to
pot a colour which, if successful, is followed by another red etc. If a colour
was ball on, and both the nominated ball and the actual ball on are potted, only
the ball on is scored. The free ball is spotted while, as this can only occur in
the final stage of the frame, the ball on will stay off the table. This is the
only time while attempting to pot a colour that two balls can be pocketed
without a foul occurring. If the ball on is red and both the nominated and ball
on are potted, then each ball potted is scored as a red, as would be typical if
it were not a free ball. The colour free ball is then spotted and the ball on
remains off the table.
It is allowed to play a snooker using the free ball, providing the snooker
does not leave all balls 'on' snookered behind the ball which has just been used
as the ball 'on'. It is allowed to cannon a ball nominated as a red into another
red, so as to pot this (a plant).
The only exception to this rule is if the "on" ball is a red that is being
obstructed by another red. For example, if the player breaking-off hits the
white too soft and it does not hit the triangle of reds, a free-ball would not
be called, even though no red can be hit on both sides, since the only thing
preventing some of the reds being hit on both sides is another red.
A free ball scenario does not occur when the ball gets stuck at the edge of a
pocket jaw (commonly referred to as "angled') in such a manner that the player
is unable to hit any legitimate ball. This is because according to the official
snooker rules a ball is snookered only if its way is obstructed by balls not on.
In this scenario, after a foul, the player may choose to either take the shot
from the current position or ask the offender to play again.
After free ball colored will be played if red balls are still on the
table. If not, the player will continue with the lowest value ball on table.
Miss
A miss will be called if a player does not hit the ball "on" first and
is deemed by the referee to have not made a good
enough attempt at the shot. This gives the opponent the option of having the
balls replaced as they were and have the fouling player take the shot again. A
miss would not normally be called should the offending player require snookers,
but there are exceptions to this scenario. Firstly, it may be possible to make
full central contact with a ball "on" with a plain straight stroke, in which
case a miss would be called every time an unsuccessful attempt at hitting it was
produced. Secondly, it is still up to the referee's discretion whether an
adequate attempt at hitting the object ball was made. If the referee deems that
the snookered player has made no genuine effort to hit the ball, a miss can
still be called despite snookers being required.
The rule was introduced to prevent players from playing professional fouls, i.e.
deliberately fouling so as to leave the balls in a safe position, reducing the
risk of giving a frame-winning chance to the opponent. Multiple misses often
occur because players attempt to hit a shot very softly or thinly in situations
where a fuller contact might leave their opponent an easy potting chance. This
can lead to an apparently easy escape being attempted several
times, as players feel that it is better to concede many points but leave a safe
position, than concede none and leave a frame-winning chance.
However, the applied interpretation of the rule has proved controversial, as
players sometimes narrowly miss a shot many times. Sometimes this is due to bad
luck, or the difficulty of a snooker – meaning that a good snooker can pay more
dividends than a great pot.
The end of a frame
A frame normally ends in one of three ways:
- A concession, when one player gives up due to being too far behind to have a
realistic chance of winning the frame. Concession before the snookers-required stage may be
interpreted as ungentlemanly conduct and result in a penalty of a second frame
being applied.[1] - When the pink is potted in the final stage of the frame, and the potting
player leads by more than seven points as a result. The striker may pot the
black, for example to complete a high-scoring break, if he so desires. - The final black is potted legally (including after a respot), and the seven
points scored puts one player ahead.
There are three less common ways to end a frame:
- A foul on the black, when the black is the only ball left. It is sometimes
wrongly assumed that play continues after a foul on the black if there are fewer
than seven points between the scores. This is not the case: the player who is in
the lead following the assessment of a penalty after a foul when only the black
remains is the winner.[1] - Failure to hit a ball "on" three times in a row, if the player has a clear
sight of the ball. The referee will warn a player after a second such miss that
a third miss will mean that the opponent will be awarded with the frame. This
rule does not apply if the player is snookered. As missing due to avoiding a
direct shot on a ball is usually a tactical, rather than skill-related, outcome,
this rule is rarely invoked, as a player will simply hit the ball directly on
the third shot.[1] - If the referee deems a player is taking too long to take the shot, the
player may be warned. If the player continues to hesitate, the frame may be
awarded to the other player at the discretion of the referee. In practice, a
delay of over two minutes can result in such a forfeiture.
If the score is tied after the final black is potted, the black is
"respotted" and the cue ball put "in hand". The referee will then toss a coin,
with the player winning the toss choosing who will take first strike at the
black. Play then continues normally until the black is potted or another
frame-ending situation occurs.