THE RACK
1 – Balls must be racked as shown in the diagram opposite with a red ball at the top.
THE BREAK
1 – The break and all other shots where the white ball is replaced (i.e. after In-off etc.) can be played from anywhere behind (no part of the white ball may touch) the baulk line.
2 – To constitute a legal break, at least one ball must be potted, or at least two object balls must pass an imaginary line between the two middle pockets. If a legal break is not made, the opponent may choose to play the balls as they lie, or have them re-racked. If the balls are re-racked, the cue ball is played from anywhere behind baulk. The penalty is one free shot followed by a normal visit. Nomination is not required at any time.
3 – In-off on break, or cue ball/object ball off the table on an otherwise legal break is a standard foul, and the balls cannot be re-racked.
DECIDING COLOURS1 – Colours cannot be decided either on the break, any foul shot, or with a free shot following a foul. The first legal ball/s potted of a single colour following the break, and in normal play, determines colours. If balls of both colours are potted before colours have been decided, the table remains open.
NORMAL PLAY1 – Failure to pot a ball or cause any ball, including the white, to hit a cushion after contact with an object ball results in a two shot penalty. If a player plays a ball already touching a cushion the white ball or another ball must touch a cushion after contact with the object ball for the shot to be deemed legal (or the object ball be moved so that it touches another cushion). EXCEPTION: If a player cannot contact directly any part of one of his balls then he must then declare “total snooker” and allow the referee to confirm this before playing his shot. He will then not receive a two shot penalty if he does not cause a ball to hit a cushion after contact with the object ball.
2 – When a player has two shots this is effectively one free shot followed by a normal visit. The player may play the cue ball where it lies, or ask for it to be returned to baulk. With his free shot, he may play or pot any ball on the table (except potting the black while he still has balls of his own colour remaining on the table)
With ball in hand it must not be repositioned in baulk with any part of the cue – only by hand. (Does not apply before the break)
3 – The player may pot ball/balls of his opponents colour, provided at least one of his own balls is potted legally in the same shot. Potting the black in the same shot as your remaining ball/balls wins the frame.
4 – Any ball falling into a pocket after being motionless for 5 seconds is returned to the same position on the table with no penalty to the player in control.
5 – A player must always make a reasonable attempt to play legal shot.
Deliberately playing an opponent’s ball directly is a loss of frame foul.
Catching the cue ball or object ball before it enters the table mechanism is a loss of frame foul.
6 – If, at any stage of the frame, a legal shot cannot be played, the frame is restarted with the same player breaking.
THE RACK
1 – Balls must be racked as shown in the diagram opposite with a red ball at the top.
2 – To be legal, there must be either a ball, or balls potted OR 2 balls must fully pass an imaginary line between the centres of the two middle pockets. If neither of these occurs, it is a foul break and the incoming player has the three following options with which to play his free shot –
- If the white is still on the table, the player may play his free shot from where it lies
- The player may ask the referee to return the ball to baulk and play his free shot from anywhere behind the line (also if the white has left the table, or been potted on the break)
- The player may ask the referee to re-rack the balls and play his free shot from behind the baulk line.
3 – If the break is otherwise legal, but the white has been potted or has left the table, the incoming player has a free shot and must play the balls as they lie from anywhere behind the baulk line.
DECIDING COLOURS
1- Colours cannot be decided on the break shot, a free shot, or any shot where a foul is committed.
2- Potting off the break only entitles the player to continue his visit. Nomination is never required.
3 – Colours are decided by the first single colour ball/balls legally potted after the break. If a ball or balls of both colours are potted in single shot on an open table, the table remains open. On an open table, the player may play either colour to achieve a pot (e.g. play a red onto a yellow to pot it)
Examples
- Player A pots off break. The player may then play either red or yellow without nomination. If the player pots a ball legally, that becomes his colour.
- Player A dry breaks. The incoming player B may play either set of balls without nomination. If the player pots a ball legally, that becomes his colour.
- Player A goes in-off the break. The incoming player B may play any ball (including Blackball), or pot either colour with his free shot – any balls potted with the free shot are ignored and the table remains open. If the player fails to pot with his next shot the table remains open for player A to return to the table.
NORMAL PLAY
1- Failure to pot a ball or cause any ball, including the white, to hit a cushion after contact with an object ball results in a two shot penalty.
2- If a player plays a ball already touching a cushion the white ball or another ball must touch a cushion after contact with the object ball for the shot to be deemed legal (or the object ball be moved so that it touches another cushion).
3- EXCEPTION: If a player cannot contact directly any part of one of his balls then he must then declare “total snooker” and allow the referee to confirm this before playing his shot. He will then not receive a two shot penalty if he does not cause a ball to hit a cushion after contact with the object ball.
Examples
This example would result in a two shot penalty because the object ball has not been potted and either the object ball or the white has hit a cushion after impact.
In this example, the player cannot directly contact any part of one of his red balls. He should declare “total snooker” and get confirmation from the referee. Therefore a ball doesn’t have to hit a cushion after contact with the object ball.
FOULS – (Penalty is free shot)
1- A standard foul is; going in off, failing to touch a cushion where a ball is not potted, potting a ball you were not entitled to pot, moving the white ball in baulk with the shaft of cue instead of with your hand (following foul), fouling any ball with your cue/clothing, push shots, jump shots (completely missing a ball you would have otherwise hit), etc – see full rules more uncommon fouls.
2- The penalty for committing a foul is loss of control of the table.
Your opponent comes to the table following a foul with a free shot + one visit, and the option to have the white replaced in baulk (ask ref to do this) The player still has a free shot even after asking to have the white taken to baulk
3- With the free shot, the player may, without nomination, play/pot any ball on the table (except potting the black unless on it). After the initial free shot, the normal visit continues i.e. next time shot where you fail to pot a ball the visit is over – 2 shots do NOT carry.
DELIBERATE FOULS – (Penalty is loss of frame)
1 – At any time during the course of play you must make a genuine attempt to play a ball that you are entitled to play. Playing deliberately at your opponents’ ball, or playing into space, is classed as a deliberate foul.
2- Retrieving a ball from the pocket, and not allowing it to pass through the mechanism of the table, is classed as a deliberate foul.
3 – If during the course of play you strike your own ball first this cannot be classed as a deliberate foul regardless of the type shot played – i.e. you hit your ball first, but pot your opponents hanging ball, that is not a deliberate foul but is of course still a standard foul penalised with 2 shots.
4 – Regardless how difficult an escape may be, you must always attempt to escape from a snooker. Accidently hitting you opponents ball when attempting to escape from a snooker is not a deliberate foul.
5– Referees use common sense!! – When the game is played correctly, loss of frames fouls should not occur.
COMBINATION SHOTS
In the same shot as potting one of your own coloured balls, you may legally pot one, or more, of your opponent’s balls.
- You must always strike a ball you are “on” first.
- The balls can fall into the pockets in any order
- Nomination of the shot is not required
- Combination shots on the black are permitted – i.e. if you are on the black, you can pot it and an opponent’s ball/s in the same shot to win the game.
It is also possible to pot your last remaining ball/s and the black in the same shot to win the frame – as shown in the example below; the player pots his last yellow, and stuns the white into the red to pot the black and win the frame.
IMPOSSIBLE SHOTS / RE-RACKS
If, at any stage of the frame, it is impossible for a player to play a legal shot, the frame is re-racked and restarted.
- In order to be “impossible” there must be no route for either the white to escape from its position OR for there to be no gap for the white to get through to any object ball “on”
- If the situation arose accidentally, all 15 balls are re-racked, and the same player restarts the frame.
- If a player or both players have deliberately played negatively to bring about a stalemate, only 9 balls are re-racked, and the players lag again to decide who has choice of break. The rack is set up by initially racking all the balls as usual and then removing the 5 back row balls and the apex ball.
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