Snooker, with its unique charm, attracts countless enthusiasts around the world. Its rules are rigorous, and understanding these rules is the key to enjoying the game and improving one’s playing skills.
Venue and Equipment
The snooker table is a standard rectangle, 12 feet (approximately 3.66 meters) long, 6 feet (approximately 1.83 meters) wide, and nearly 3 feet (approximately 0.91 meters) high. It is covered with a slate and green baize. There are six pockets around the table. There is a break line at one end of the table, and the semi-circular area in the middle of the break line is the “D area”. A total of 22 balls are used in the game, including 15 red balls, 6 colored balls (one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black), and 1 white cue ball, all made of phenolic resin. Before the break, the balls are placed in specific positions. For example, the red balls are arranged in an equilateral triangle, and the black ball is on the longitudinal center line of the table. The cue sticks used by players are generally made of wood and are no less than 3 feet (approximately 0.91 meters) in length.
Scoring Rules
The order of hitting the balls is red first and then colored. Scoring a red ball earns 1 point, and then a specified colored ball is hit. The colored balls have different point values: the yellow ball is worth 2 points, the green ball is worth 3 points, the brown ball is worth 4 points, the blue ball is worth 5 points, the pink ball is worth 6 points, and the black ball is worth 7 points. After all the red balls have been potted, the colored balls are hit in ascending order of their point values. Scoring continuously in one turn is called a “clean sweep in one shot”, and the theoretical maximum score is 147 points. If a player commits a foul while hitting the ball, the opponent will be awarded penalty points. Generally, a foul incurs a penalty of 4 points, and if it involves a high-value colored ball, the penalty is equal to the point value of that ball.
Hitting Rules
The right to break is determined by tossing a coin. The cue ball is placed in the “D area”, and it is necessary to hit a red ball first. If there is a foul during the break, the opponent can choose to accept the situation or request a re-break. When hitting the ball, the cue ball must hit a legal target ball first. The cue stick can only touch the ball once per shot, and there should be no consecutive hits or pushing the ball. If a ball is potted after the cue ball hits the target ball, the player scores and can continue to hit the ball. If no ball is potted, it is the opponent’s turn to hit the ball.
Special Situations
If both sides in the game believe that the situation is difficult to continue, the referee can determine it as a stalemate, and the balls will be reset and the game will start again. “Snooker” refers to the situation where the cue ball is completely blocked by other balls and cannot directly hit the target ball. The player needs to skillfully maneuver the cue ball to get out of the snooker. If a foul occurs while getting out of the snooker, the opponent will be awarded penalty points and can also request the player who committed the foul to hit the ball again.
Mastering these rules is like having the key to unlocking the wonderful world of snooker. Applying these rules in actual games allows us to have a deeper appreciation of the unique charm of snooker.
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