Last updated: December 12, 2004
I've enjoyed snooker and pool over the years casually, and in leagues and tournaments. I had a nice pool table for several years but recently sold though as it wasn't getting used much.
Gandy Hustler
About pool
Most people think of '8-ball' when they think of pool. As you probably
know, one person (or team) goes for 'stripes' (numbered balls 9-15) and the
other person (or team) goes for 'solids' (or 'spots', numbered 1-7) and after
either side has finished their type they go for the (black) 8 ball.
The rules of 9-ball sound simple, but it's very subtle. The balls numbered 1-9 are placed in a diamond shape and the balls must be sunk in order 1-9 although the game can be won at any time by putting the 9 in as long as the player plays the lowest numbered ball on the table first. You can win 9-ball by putting in the 9 ball on the break! This isn't very easy though as the number 9 ball is always placed in the middle of the diamond of balls.
Pool tables
Bar room pool tables are usually 7 foot long (3 1/2 foot wide) with a coin slot
and white ball return (the white is slightly larger or smaller than the other
balls). Pool hall pool tables are usually 8 foot long (4 foot wide) but
some have 9 foot tables, which are what professional tournaments are played on.
About snooker
The first major difference between pool and snooker is that snooker is usually
played on a table TWELVE feet long, by six feet wide, with pockets much tighter
than a pool table and balls that are smaller than pool balls. This makes
is HARD to sink any of the balls. A full table diagonal shot is over 13
feet!
The basic rules of snooker are a bit more complicated than pool. Pool is like the board game checkers (or draughts as it's called in England) while snooker is more like chess. In snooker there are 21 balls on the table plus the cue (white) ball. The 21 balls consist of 15 solid red ones, and 6 other solid colored balls (referred to as 'the colors'). After the break each player must try to pocket a red ball (worth 1 point) after which they can go for one of the colors (worth 2-yellow, 3-green, 4-brown, 5-blue, 6-pink, and 7-black). If the player pockets a color, it is placed back up on the table on it's own 'spot' (see diagram below) and the player goes for another red. Eventually all 15 reds are gone and the players must try to shoot the colors in sequential value order (somewhat like 9-ball). A 'perfect' snooker game is one where a player cleans all the balls in one turn at the table (one break) and makes a black (the highest value color) after every red. This is a tremendous accomplishment. It means putting 36 balls down, getting position on the black after each red, and finally finishing the colors in sequence once all the reds are gone. Amazingly, most if not all professionals have done this at least once. A game of snooker take 20-30 minutes typically, and of course it's played on a huge table, which might be why it is not that popular in the U.S. Most Americans do not seem aware of what snooker is, yet it is played competitively in almost every other country in the world. To the North of the U.S., in Canada, snooker is VERY popular. Canada has produced many world class snooker players. Snooker is a very popular televised sport in England!
Snooker table layout
I think I like pool and snooker because they require a lot of concentration, strategy, accuracy and control. To play either game well, you obviously have to be able to shoot well, choose the right shot most of the time, but you must also be able to block out distracting thoughts and keep your emotions under control. It's a tough game to play really well! I'll probably never dedicate the time to being as good as I'd like to be though, because I have too many other hobbies, like working on this web site!