Snooker is played on a large table with fifteen red balls, six coloured balls, and one white cue ball. Players take turns potting balls in a set order, and the player with the most points when the table is cleared wins the frame. Matches are decided over a set number of frames. This guide explains the sequence, the scoring, and the fouls that swing frames.

The table and the balls

A snooker table is twelve feet long and six feet wide, much bigger than a pool table, which is why positional play matters so much: players must think several shots ahead just to reach the next ball. The fifteen red balls start packed in a triangle. The six colours have fixed spots: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black, each worth a different number of points.

The points are: red 1, yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7. Those values drive every decision in the game, because a player who can reach the black scores far more than a player stuck on the lower colours.

The basic sequence: red, colour, red, colour

The core rule of snooker is the alternating sequence. A player starts by potting a red (1 point). If successful, they then nominate and pot a colour of their choice, scoring that colour's value. The colour is then returned to its spot on the table. The player then pots another red, then another colour, and so on.

The sequence continues as long as the player keeps potting. A visit to the table that produces a run of pots is called a break, and the break ends when the player misses, plays a foul, or runs out of reds. When the break ends, the other player comes to the table and starts their own sequence.

This is why snooker rewards both potting and positioning: potting a red is only useful if the cue ball stops somewhere that allows a colour next, and potting a colour is only useful if it leaves a path to another red.

Clearing the colours

When all fifteen reds have been potted, the colours are cleared in ascending order: yellow, then green, brown, blue, pink, and finally black. Unlike during the red phase, colours potted in this final phase stay off the table. The player with the higher score when the black is potted wins the frame — unless the scores are tied, in which case the black is respotted and a single deciding pot settles it.

A frame can also end early. If a player needs more points than remain on the table, they can concede, and in professional matches a player who falls far behind will often concede rather than play out a lost frame.

Fouls: how points change hands

Fouls give points to the other player, and they are a major source of drama. The common fouls are: failing to hit any ball, hitting the wrong ball first (for example a colour when a red was required), potting the cue ball, knocking a ball off the table, or touching a ball with something other than the cue tip. The penalty is at least four points, or the value of the ball involved if that is higher.

After a foul, the incoming player may also be awarded a free ball in some situations: if the foul leaves them snookered (unable to hit their required ball directly), they can nominate a colour as a substitute red for one shot. Free balls can swing frames, because they turn a defensive foul into a scoring chance.

The 147: snooker's perfect break

The maximum possible break is 147 points: fifteen reds, each followed by the black (15 times 8 points is 120), plus the six colours in order at the end (27 points). Achieving it requires potting every ball without a single miss across thirty-six consecutive pots, always leaving position on the black. It is rare enough that professional players can go entire careers without one, and crowds treat a 147 attempt as a special event: the arena goes quiet, the tension rises with each black, and the final black is usually met with a standing ovation.

Other high breaks are common at the top level. A century break (100 points or more in one visit) is the standard mark of a strong scoring visit, and professional matches often feature several centuries.

Safety play: the other half of the game

Not every visit is about scoring. When no pot is available, players play safety: they try to leave the cue ball somewhere that gives the opponent no easy pot, ideally behind a colour so the opponent is snookered. Good safety play forces mistakes, and many frames are won by the player who handles the tactical exchanges better rather than the one who pots more spectacularly.

A snookered player who cannot hit their required ball directly must try to escape, usually by bouncing the cue ball off a cushion. Failing to hit the required ball at all is a foul, and repeated failures can lead to a ball-in-hand situation where the opponent can place the cue ball anywhere.

Questions, answered

What is the order of play? Red, then a colour of your choice, then red, then colour, repeating until the reds are gone. Then the colours are cleared in order from yellow to black.

How many points is each ball? Red 1, yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7.

What is a 147? The maximum break: fifteen reds each followed by the black, plus the six colours in order — 147 points in one visit.

What is a century? A break of 100 points or more in a single visit.

What happens on a foul? The other player gets at least four points, or the value of the ball involved if higher, and may get a free ball if left snookered.

What to watch next

Watch a frame and count the sequence: red, colour, red, colour. Once that rhythm clicks, the tactics — which colour to take, when to play safe — start to make sense. Head to the live scores section to see which snooker matches are on today, and check the snooker page for fixtures and results.