Snooker

Snooker is a billiards sport that is played on a large (12' X 6') baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long cushions. It is played using a cue, one white ball (the cue ball), 15 red balls and 6 colours: a yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black ball worth from two to seven points. A player wins a frame of snooker by scoring more points than his opponent, through using the cue ball to pot all the red and coloured balls. A match consists of an agreed number of frames. Snooker is particularly popular in English-speaking countries (Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, India and South Africa), and there has recently been a surge of interest in East Asia, with players from Thailand, Hong Kong and China entering the rankings.

Glossary

• back spin: A shot played by striking the cue ball slightly below centre, the spin causing ball's trajectory to bend against its initial direction of motion.
• baulk area: The area between the baulk line and the nearest edge.
• break: Series of consecutive pots by the same player.
• cannon: A shot where the cue ball strikes more than one object ball.
• century: A break of 100 points or more.
• clearance: Break ending with potting the black in phase 2, and thus with an empty table (except for the cue ball).
• colour: A non-red object ball.
• drag, drag shot: A shot played over a large distance but with much backspin, often utilized when delicate contact between cue ball and object ball is required. The backspin, or drag, helps to nullify the effects of any deviations in the table surface that may cause the cue ball to wander off course when played at low speed.
• frame: A single game in a match over a number of games.
• free ball: If a foul shot leaves the opponent at least partially snookered (meaning that every 'ball on' is at least partially obscured by a 'ball not on', i.e. for every 'ball on' a 'ball not on' prevents it from being hit in a straight line on any edge), the opponent can elect to play another ball in place of the obscured ball. This is known as a free ball.
• kick: An unexpectedly poor contact between cue ball and object ball (possibly caused by dirt on either of the balls, or by static electricity).
• kiss: A soft contact between two balls.
• masse: A shot played with the cue played in an almost vertical position - used to impart extreme swerve on the cue ball.
• maximum: The maximum (without fouls) possible score of 147, scored in a single break.
• miss: A miss will be called if a player does not hit the 'ball on' first and is deemed by the referee to not have made a good enough attempt at the shot. This gives his opponent the option to have the balls replaced as they were and have the fouling player take his shot again. The applied interpretation of the rule has proved controversial.
• pack: The red balls in their initial position, or, later in a game, the remaining reds remaining together roughly in the initial position.
• pimmetje: After you potted a ball, the cueball will go straight into the same pocket as the ball you've just potted.
• plant: Hitting one ball first, which in turn (possibly indirectly) causes another ball to be potted. This is only legal when either both balls are red or when the ball hit first is a free ball and the ball potted is a ball which would normally have been 'on' if no free ball were given.
• pot: To hit (a ball) into one of the pockets.
• push shot: The cue tip maintains contact with the cue ball when the cue ball hits another ball. This is normally deemed a foul, unless the cue and object ball where already almost touching each other and the object ball is hit on a very fine edge.
• respotted black: When the frame ends with both players having the same number of points, the black is put back on the table, as is the cue ball, and the first player to pot it wins the frame. If a foul shot is committed by either player, that player loses the frame.
• roll through: A shot played with topspin and making a full contact with the object ball, allowing the cue ball to follow the path of the object.
• safety: A shot not with the intention to pot a ball, but to leave the opponent with little or no opportunity to make a pot on his next shot.
• screw, screw shot: A shot with heavy back spin.
• side, side spin: A shot played with the cue striking the white to one side of centre, used to change the angle at which the white bounces off the cushion.
• snooker: A snooker is a shot that leaves the opponent unable to hit a legal ball directly. The opponent is said to be snookered. If potting all the remaining balls would still leave a player trailing his opponent, then he is said to be needing snookers. At this point the only way for him to win is to lure the opponent into making fouls.
• stun shot: A shot played with exactly enough backspin such that the cue ball stops dead upon contact with the object ball. It is also possible to stun across, achieved again by using a precise amount of backspin, but this time hitting the object slightly off centre, causing the two balls to travel perpendicular to each other.
• swerve: A shot played with extreme spin causing the cue ball's trajectory to be curved. Mainly used to escape from difficult snookers.
• top spin: A shot played by striking the white slightly above centre, causing the ball to accelerate after contact with on object ball.
• touching ball: Situation in which the cue ball is touching another ball. The cue ball must be played away from the touching ball. If this is a ball that is to be hit, the ball counts as having been hit. If the ball that is touching the cue ball is caused to move while the shot is being played, then a foul will be called (see push shot).