Snooker Terminology Explained: Break, 147, Century & Ball Colours explained

With more televised tournaments now than ever before and snooker becoming very popular in the Far East, particularly in China, there is increased interest in the game and that can make it difficult for any budding newcomers.

Snooker itself has evolved from the much older game of billiards which dates back to 1875 and with that has come tweaks in the rules and more in-depth terminology.

If you’re a rookie to snooker, you may not be aware of what the different terms related to the game mean.

With that said, we have delved into some of the common words and terminology related to the global sport and provided easy to understand explainers.

Scoring Explained

Frame

Snooker at elite level is played on a table measuring 12ft by 6ft and there are 22 balls on the table at the start of each frame. This consists of 15 reds, a white cueball and six coloured balls. They are yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black and are valued differently.

A frame is a single game in snooker, where two players take it in turns to score as many points as possible, and a full match is made up of a predetermined number of frames depending on the tournament format.

For example, contests can be played over a range of distances stemming from a best-of-seven frame encounter, which is first to four, or a best-of-19 clash which is first to 10 frames.  

A frame can end in several ways, including one player conceding, a player claiming a win when enough points ahead, or the final ball being potted.

Break

A "break" in snooker is the total number of points a player scores during a single visit to the table.

The first objective is to pot a red ball. After pocketing a red, a player must then pot a more valuable ball of a different colour to increase their score. If they successfully pot that more valuable ball, they must then go for another red.

Players must alternate between a red and a colour but when a player fails to pot a ball, their opponent gets a turn at the table.

Century

In snooker, a century break - also often referred to as a ton - is a break of 100 points or more, compiled in one visit to the table. 

A century break requires a player to pot at least 25 consecutive balls and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a mark of the highest skill in snooker.

147

A 147 break is the highest achievement possible from a player in a single frame of snooker and requires great technique and temperament.

To achieve it, a player must pot all 15 red balls, followed by a black ball after each red, and then pot all six colours in the correct order of their worth.

Although rare, the fast-improving standard on the professional tour means they are becoming more regular and they are celebrated comparably to a nine-dart finish in darts or a hole-in-one in golf.

Ball Colours Explained

How many points is each ball worth?

• Red Ball - One Point

• Yellow Ball - Two Points

• Green Ball - Three Points

• Brown Ball - Four Points

• Blue Ball - Five Points

• Pink Ball - Six Points

• Black Ball - Seven Points

Snooker Explained: Rules, Equipment, Scoring & more

Foul

There are a number of ways to commit a foul in snooker and some are punished more severely than others.

Missing the Object Ball

This occurs when a player fails to hit the intended object ball (the ball they are aiming for) with the cue ball.

If the cue ball does not make contact with the object ball, it is considered a foul. 

The foul is worth four points if you are intending to hit a red, the yellow, green or brown. However, with the blue worth five points, that is a five-point foul. The pink is a six-point foul and the black is seven.

Failing to Hit the Correct Ball First

Players must always hit the correct ball first, meaning if they are playing a shot on a red ball, then the cue ball must make first contact with a red ball.

If they were to accidentally hit one of the six coloured balls first, then a foul would be called, and a minimum of four points would be awarded to the opposing player.

Cue Ball In Off

This foul happens when the cue ball is pocketed after a shot.

If the cue ball goes into a pocket, it results in a foul, and the opposing player is awarded ball-in-hand, allowing them to place the cue ball anywhere inside the "D".

The player would also be awarded four points if the foul was committed whilst attempting to play a red ball, yellow ball, green ball or brown ball, with five points awarded for a foul on the blue, six for a foul on the pink and seven for a foul on the black.

The Miss Rule

This rule is called when a player fails to hit the ball they are going for and the referee judges that the player did not make a sufficient attempt to do so. 

The referee can call "foul and a miss," which requires the player to attempt the same shot, with the balls being respotted on the opponent's request.

If a player makes a third consecutive "miss" while trying to hit the ball, they will lose the frame by default.

Cushion

In snooker, a cushion is the padded rubberized edge that runs along the perimeter of the table.

It serves as a surface for the cue ball and object balls to rebound off, allowing players to execute shots that would otherwise not be plausible.

It can also be a hindrance when the cue ball finds itself tight to the cushion as players are unable to strike in the centre of the ball.

Snookered

Being snookered is when a player is obstructed from getting the cue ball to the one they need to hit, because another ball (or balls) is blocking its path.

This can come at a consequence, as it can lead to a foul, but it is often possible to escape from the situations - as professional players have consistently proven.

Rebounding the cue ball off the cushions at precise angles or swerving the white ball around the interfering ball is how a player can reach the desired ball.

Players tend to find themselves in this situation when there are not enough points on the table to win a frame and they are relying on fouls from their opponent to get back in contention.