Snooker (WST) — Official Rules

Snooker is a cue sport played on a cloth-covered table by two players (or two sides) using one White cue-ball and twenty-one object balls: fifteen Reds, each valued 1 point, and six colours — Yellow 2, Green 3, Brown 4, Blue 5, Pink 6 and Black 7 (Section 3 Rule 1(a)). Each player strikes the same cue-ball. The aim is to score more points than the opponent in a frame by potting balls in the correct order and by gaining points from the opponent's fouls.

A frame is the period of play from the opening break until it is completed (Section 2 Rule 1). A game is an agreed or stipulated number of frames; a match is an agreed or stipulated number of games (Section 2 Rules 2-3). Most professional matches are decided by frames only — e.g. best of 19 frames (first to 10) in a quarter-final, up to best of 35 frames (first to 18) in the World Championship final. The number of frames is fixed by the competition format, not by the playing rules.

The winner of a frame is the player or side (i) with the highest score when all balls have been potted; (ii) to whom the frame is conceded; or (iii) to whom the frame is awarded by the referee for an opponent's misconduct (Section 3 Rule 1(f)). A frame ends when Black is the only object ball remaining and the first pot or foul occurs — unless the scores are then level, which triggers the re-spotted Black (Section 2 Rule 1; Section 3 Rule 4). A player may also claim the frame early when, with only the Black left, the difference in scores in their favour is more than seven points (the only points still available).

The playing area is the surface within the cushion faces and shall measure 11 ft 8½ in x 5 ft 10 in (3569 mm x 1778 mm), with a tolerance of ± ½ in (13 mm) on both dimensions (Section 1 Rule 1(a)). The table height from floor to the top of the cushion rail is 2 ft 10 in (864 mm) ± ½ in (Rule 1(b)). There is a pocket at each of the four corners and one at the middle of each of the two longer sides — six pockets in all (Rule 1(g)). The two shorter ends are the Bottom (Baulk) Cushion and the Top Cushion.

The Baulk-line is drawn 29 in (737 mm) from the face of the Bottom Cushion and parallel to it; the line and the space behind it are termed Baulk (Section 1 Rule 1(d)). The "D" is a semicircle marked in Baulk, centred on the middle of the Baulk-line, with a radius of 11½ in (292 mm) (Rule 1(e)). The six colours have fixed spots (Rule 1(f)): Yellow at the right corner of the D, Green at the left corner, Brown in the middle of the Baulk-line, Blue at the centre of the table, Pink midway between centre and Top Cushion, and Black 12¾ in (324 mm) from the Top Cushion.

A set comprises 15 Reds plus one each of Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black and a White cue-ball; every ball has a diameter of 52.5 mm ± 0.05 mm (Section 1 Rule 2). Balls should be of equal weight, with no more than 3 g difference between the heaviest and lightest in a set. A cue shall be not less than 3 ft (914 mm) long with a tip fixed to the thinner end, showing the traditional tapered form (Rule 3). Approved rests, extensions and adaptors may be used; cueing or sighting aids require prior approval from the governing body (Rule 4).

At the start of each frame the cue-ball is in-hand and the object balls are set as follows (Section 3 Rule 2(a)): the 15 Reds form a tightly-packed equilateral triangle, its apex Red on the centre longitudinal line as close to the Pink Spot as possible without touching it, the base parallel to the Top Cushion; and the six colours stand on their designated spots. If the table is set up incorrectly, the error is corrected and the frame proceeds as normal.

Players decide the order of play by lot or by mutual agreement, the winner choosing who plays first; the order then stays unaltered through the frame (Section 3 Rule 3). The player to break first alternates each frame during a game. The first player plays from in-hand — the cue-ball placed on or within the lines of the D and struck in any direction — the frame commencing when the tip contacts the cue-ball on the playing area (Rule 3(c), Rule 5). For the first stroke of each turn while Reds remain, a Red (or a free ball nominated as a Red) is the ball on.

While Reds remain, the striker first pots a Red (1 point); the value of each Red potted in the stroke is scored and the same player continues (Section 3 Rule 3(g)-(h)). The next ball on is then a colour of the striker's choice; if potted it is scored and the colour is immediately re-spotted. The break continues by potting Reds and colours alternately — Red, colour, Red, colour — until all Reds are off the table. Each colour potted in this phase is returned to its spot before the next stroke (Section 3 Rule 7).

Once all Reds are off the table (and any colour due after the last Red has been played at), the colours become the ball on in ascending order of value — Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black — and when potted they remain off the table (Section 3 Rule 3(h)(iii)). The highest possible break is 147 (a 'maximum'): 15 Reds with 15 Blacks (15x8 = 120) followed by the full colour clearance (2+3+4+5+6+7 = 27). A continuous run of pots in one turn is a break; a break of 100 or more is a century.

A pot is when an object ball, after legal contact and without infringement, enters a pocket (Section 2 Rule 7). Any colour potted while Reds remain must be spotted before the next stroke on its own spot; if that spot is occupied it goes to the highest available spot, otherwise as near its own spot as possible toward the Top Cushion (Section 3 Rule 7(e)-(h)). A ball that enters a pocket and rebounds onto the table does not count as potted (Rule 3(m)). Both the referee and the players are responsible for ensuring the correct score is applied (Section 4 Rule 6).

A foul is an infringement that ends the offender's turn; penalty points are awarded to the non-offender (Section 2 Rules 15-16). On a foul the referee immediately calls FOUL. Every foul incurs at least four (4) penalty points, but where the ball on or the ball concerned is worth more than four, the penalty is the higher value (Section 3 Rule 11). All points the striker scored before the foul stand, but no points are scored for any ball pocketed in the foul stroke (Rule 10(e)). If more than one foul occurs in a stroke, only the highest penalty applies (Rule 10(g)).

Fouls penalised by the value of the ball on (minimum 4) include (Section 3 Rule 11(a)): missing all object balls (cue-ball failing to contact any ball on), potting the cue-ball (in-off), striking the cue-ball more than once, making a jump shot, playing with both feet off the floor, and playing improperly from in-hand. Fouls penalised by the higher of the ball on or the ball concerned include (Rule 11(b)): striking while a ball is not at rest, the cue-ball first hitting a wrong ball (not on), pocketing a ball not on, a push stroke, touching any ball in play with person/clothing/equipment, and forcing a ball off the table.

A flat seven-point penalty applies if the striker (Section 3 Rule 11(d)): uses a ball off the table for any purpose, uses any object to measure gaps or distance, plays at two Reds in successive strokes, uses a ball other than White as the cue-ball, fails to declare which ball they are on when asked, or — after potting a Red — commits a foul before nominating a colour. After any foul the next player has options (Section 3 Rule 10(h)-(i)): play the cue-ball as it lies, or ask the offender to play again from the position left. The non-offender may instead request all balls be replaced to their pre-foul positions and have the offender play again from there.

The cue-ball is snookered when a direct straight-line stroke to every ball on is wholly or partially obstructed by a ball not on (Section 2 Rule 17). If at least one ball on can be hit at both extreme edges free of obstruction, the cue-ball is not snookered. When in-hand, the cue-ball is snookered only if obstructed from all positions within the D. The cue-ball cannot be snookered by a cushion. Laying a snooker — leaving the opponent unable to strike a ball on — is a key tactical weapon, especially when a player needs points from fouls (Section 3 Rule 1(e)).

If, after a foul, the cue-ball is snookered, the referee calls FREE BALL (Section 3 Rule 12). The incoming player may nominate any ball as the ball on (the genuine ball on remains worth its own value). If the nominated free ball is potted, it is spotted and the value of the ball on is scored; if the actual ball on is then potted it is scored and stays off. It is a foul to leave the opponent re-snookered behind the nominated free ball after a non-scoring stroke (except when only Pink and Black, or Black and one other colour, remain). The free-ball option is void if the offender is asked to play again or balls are replaced.

If at the end of a stroke the cue-ball is touching a ball on (or one that could be on), the referee calls TOUCHING BALL (Section 3 Rule 8). The striker must then play the cue-ball away from that ball without moving it, or it is a push stroke foul. Provided the touching ball does not move, there is no penalty if it is the ball on, or the striker declares and plays at a ball that could be on. It is not a foul if the referee is satisfied any movement of a touching ball at the moment of striking was not caused by the striker (Rule 8(f)).

The striker must, to the best of their ability, endeavour to hit the ball on (Section 3 Rule 14(a)). A miss is when the cue-ball fails to first contact a ball on (or, with a free ball, the nominated ball) (Section 2 Rule 21). If the referee judges that the striker did not make a genuine attempt, they call FOUL AND A MISS — unless a player needed penalty points and the miss was not intentional, or it was impossible to hit the ball on (provided the attempt was struck with enough strength to have reached it). The non-offender may then play from where the balls lie or require the offender to play again from the original position, all balls replaced.

Where there was a clear straight path to a ball on allowing full-ball (central) contact, or the cue-ball was touching a ball that could be on, a second failure from the original position is called a miss regardless of the score difference (Section 3 Rule 14(d)). If the offender is then asked to play again from the original position, the referee issues a Warning that a further failure will award the frame to the opponent — and a frame cannot be awarded unless this Warning was issued. If the player instead chooses to play from where the balls lie, the Foul and a Miss sequence ends. In Six-Reds Snooker the cap is five consecutive Foul and a Miss calls (Rule 19).

When Black is the only object ball remaining, the first pot or foul ends the frame — except if the scores are then equal and aggregate scores are not relevant (Section 3 Rule 4). In that case the frame is decided by a re-spotted Black: the Black is spotted on the Black Spot, the players draw lots for choice of playing next, the next player plays from in-hand, and the first pot or infringement ends the frame (Rule 4(b)). The same procedure decides a tie when aggregate scores determine the winner of a game or match (Rule 4(c)).

A player may concede a frame, but a concession becomes void if the opponent chooses to play on (Section 4 Rule 2). A player shall not concede unless a player requires penalty points to win; conceding earlier is treated as Unsporting Conduct. Neither the offer nor the acceptance of a concession can be withdrawn. Where aggregate scores decide the result, on a concession the opponent receives the value of the balls remaining, with each Red counted as eight points and any colour wrongly off the table counted as if spotted.

If the referee judges a stalemate exists or is approaching (or both players indicate one), the referee offers the immediate option of re-starting the frame — commonly a re-rack (Section 3 Rule 17). If any player objects, play continues with the proviso that the position must change within a stated period, usually after three more strokes to each side at the referee's discretion. If it remains essentially unchanged, the referee nullifies all scores and re-sets all balls as for a new frame, the same player making the opening stroke with the established order maintained.

For offensive language or gestures, conduct that is wilfully or persistently unsporting, or refusing to continue a frame, the referee shall Warn the player that any further unsporting conduct will see the frame awarded to the opponent (Section 4 Rule 1). A second instance after a Warning awards the frame (and a fresh Warning is issued that the next will award the game); persistence then awards the game to the opponent. For sufficiently serious conduct the referee may award the frame or game even without a prior Warning, and such a decision is final and not subject to appeal.

If a player takes an abnormal amount of time over a stroke or its selection, the referee shall Warn that further time wasting will see the frame awarded to the opponent, and may award further frames for repeated offences (Section 4 Rule 3). The core rules set no fixed clock, but specific competitions impose a shot clock in their own regulations — most notably the Shoot Out, which uses a 15-second shot clock for the first 5 minutes and 10 seconds thereafter, plus a per-frame time limit. Any such clock is defined by the event format, not by these playing rules.

While the striker is playing, the non-striker shall avoid the striker's line of sight, sit or stand at a reasonable distance, and make no movement that may interrupt the striker's concentration (Section 4 Rule 5). If the non-striker comes to the table out of turn and commits an infringement, the referee calls PENALTY, replaces any balls moved, and the striker's turn continues unaffected (Section 3 Rule 3(k)). A non-striker who must leave the table may appoint a deputy to watch and claim an infringement, with prior notice to the referee (Section 4 Rule 7).

The referee makes decisions in the interests of fair play for situations not adequately covered, is responsible for proper conduct, intervenes on any infringement, tells a player the colour or position of a ball if asked, and cleans a ball on reasonable request (Section 5 Rule 1(a)). The referee shall not give any indication that a player is about to commit an infringement, give advice or opinion that could affect play, or answer any question about the difference in scores (Rule 1(b)). If an incident is missed, the referee may rely on the marker, other officials, or camera/video evidence to decide (Rule 1(c)).

The governing body is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). The edition in force is the Official World Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards, revised September 2024, the current rulebook throughout 2026; the printed Rulebook is reviewed roughly every two years. The fundamentals — 15 Reds (1) and colours valued 2-7, the 3569 x 1778 mm table, alternate Red-then-colour potting, the minimum 4-point foul, the free ball, the Foul and a Miss rule and the re-spotted Black — are unchanged. The professional World Snooker Tour (WST) plays under these WPBSA rules, with frame counts and any shot clock set per competition.