Snooker Rules of the Game
At Gladesville Sporties we welcome new snooker players, beginners and experienced. Beginning Snooker players may want to review the basic snooker game rules listed below.
Snooker Balls:
Snooker is played with 22 balls: one White shooter ball, 15 Red balls and one each of Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink and Black.
The 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 snooker 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 and back cushion - value 7 points
Playing Snooker:
A snooker 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.
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 respotted.
Snooker Penalties:
Snooker penalties apply. If a snooker 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 snooker 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 - penalty 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.
Have a game of Snooker
You are invited to have a game of snooker at Gladesville Sporties!
Beginners can be assisted with free Snooker coaching to get comfortable with the snooker rules, learn how to hold the snooker cue or how to play different shots.
More details if you like to have a game of snooker: Snooker Club.
