Quick Snooker 8

About us

QuickSnooker has been running for over 20 years and has a friendly community of more than 500 regular players around the world, It is written and maintained by Nick Axworthy and supported by his wife Clare.

A quick guide to the game of Snooker.

Snooker is a truly great billiard table game, more subtle than Pool it's a game of real skill, precision and strategy.

If you've never played Snooker before Quick Snooker is a great way to learn - All the rules are correctly implemented and explained as and when needed - but to get you going here are the basics...

The game is played on a very large, baize-covered table. A regulation (full-size) table is 12 ft x 6 ft (3.6 m x 1.8 m).

One white cue ball, 15 red balls worth one point each, and six balls of different colours yellow (2 points), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6) and black (7) are used.

The 15 reds are initially arranged in a triangular 'pack' and each colour is positioned on its own special 'home' spot.

Who takes the first shot (or 'breaks') is decided by the toss of the coin. The winner of the toss may place the cueball (white) anywhere with the 'D' at the bottom ('baulk') end of the table.

Players take turns to use their cue (stick) to strike the white cueball, to hit a ball 'on'.

During the game, players must aim to pot (pocket), first a red and then any colour, red, colour, etc..
Each time a ball is pocketed, the player may remains at the table and may pot the next ball on, when no reds remain, the colours must be potted in sequence (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black).

If a player 'A' fails to pot (pocket) a ball, player 'B' is 'up' and has his turn.

At a professional level, the first shot will typically make no attempt to pocket (pot) a red - in contrast to pool, potting from the break cannot be done reliably and the risk of leaving many balls available for your opponent is far too great,of more concern when breaking is returning the cueball to the 'bottom' of the table - ideally behind one of the 'baulk' colours (yellow, green or brown).

A great break will leave the pack of reds relatively undisturbed, and will place the cueball awkwardly behind a colour and/or against a cushion - Ideally in a Snooker

A 'Snooker' is leaving your opponent in a position where he has no 'view' of a ball 'on' (technically, it's where he can not see both sides of any ball on) - for example - if he would be on 'reds' and you can 'tuck' the cueball up 'behind' the brown - you are said to have 'Snookered' him.

After the break, until a legal ball is potted game play alternates, when a players pots a red he may nominate (only the ball needs be nominated, not the pocket) - and pot a colour.

There are many ways to foul in Snooker, primarily by failing to hit a ball 'on' - but also by potting the white or potting two colours at once (although potting two reds is allowed) - some of the other real-world fouls don't apply (Quick Snooker doesn't mind if you take a shot with both feet off the ground for example !).

All the subtleties and complexities of the rules and fouls are covered for you by the game.. clear messages will appear as and when you need them - so don't worry too much about those.

Once you've played a break and potted a couple of balls - you'll be hooked and the game will take you through the rest...

Enjoy the ride !