Snooker Rules Explained Easily: A Beginner’s Guide

New to snooker? Don’t worry — the rules might look complicated at first, but once you get the basics, it's a fun and tactical game to follow or play. Whether you're watching a match on TV or picking up a cue for the first time, here’s an easy guide to snooker rules for beginners.

Table Setup

Snooker is played on a large table with 6 pockets and 22 balls:

15 red balls (each worth 1 point)
6 coloured balls:
- Yellow (2 points)
- Green (3 points)
- Brown (4 points)
- Blue (5 points)
- Pink (6 points)
- Black (7 points)
1 white cue ball (used to strike other balls)

All reds are placed in a triangle at one end, and the colours go on fixed spots.

🔢 Ball Values

Here's how many points each ball is worth:

Red – 1
Yellow – 2
Green – 3
Brown – 4
Blue – 5
Pink – 6
Black – 7

You score by potting balls in the correct order — more on that next!

🧮 Scoring Basics

A player's turn (called a break) follows this order:

Pot a red ball (1 point)
Then pot a colour (worth 2–7 points)
After potting a colour, it is re-spotted (put back on the table), and the player tries for another red.
Once all reds are gone, pot the colours in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black — without re-spotting.

The player with the most points at the end of the frame wins.

🏳️ Conceding a Frame

If a player is far behind in points and there's not enough left on the table to catch up, they can concede the frame — essentially giving up and letting their opponent take the win. It’s a common and respectful move in professional play.

❌ Foul and Miss Rule

A foul happens if:

You pot the wrong ball
You miss the ball you’re supposed to hit
The cue ball goes into a pocket (a "scratch")

The opponent gets at least 4 points, or more depending on the value of the ball involved (ie incorrectly potting the black ball gives the opponent 7 points).

If you miss the ball and it’s judged you didn’t try hard enough to hit it, the referee may call a "foul and a miss". Your opponent can make you replay the shot from the original position.

This rule stops players from deliberately playing safe without trying to hit the ball.

⚫ The Black Ball Rule

If the scores are tied after all balls are potted, the black ball is re-spotted, and players play sudden death — whoever pots the black wins the frame. One mistake here can decide the match!

🎯 Final Tip

While the full rulebook is detailed (here is a link), these are the core snooker rules you need to enjoy the game or understand a match. Whether you're watching Ronnie O’Sullivan in action or heading to your local snooker hall, now you’ll know exactly what’s going on.