Five Ways To Snooker Someone In A Game Of Snooker

Knowledge of Angles

A good knowledge of snooker table angles is imperative in laying (and escaping from) snookers and such knowledge can only be gained by experience. A helpful practice routine is to set the balls up as at the start of a frame, place the cue-ball touching the green and try to hit the pack of reds, using a 4-cushion escape, striking the side cushion (behind the yellow) about a foot behind the baulk line. Studying the route of the cue-ball will improve angle recognition. Practice from behind yellow and brown, too.

Safety near the Baulk Cushion

In order to lay snookers successfully, a player must be able to judge the thickness of contact and pace of shot required to strike the pack of reds and return the cue-ball to safety in the baulk area. At worst, an opponent will be left with a tricky shot from long range or a snooker behind the baulk colours.

Positional Play

The value of a straightforward pot should never be underestimated, as it allows concentration on the positional aspect. Practicing simple pots and playing position with screw, side, stun and top will enable a player to send the cue-ball to any point on the table. This will allow continuation of a break or laying a difficult snooker. Recognition of certain angles will become automatic, as will memory as to how to strike the cue-ball correctly, enabling complicated positional shots (including snookers) to be readily achieved.

Shots to Nothing

The "shot to nothing," involves the combination of an attempted pot and safety. Often, when the reds are tightly grouped, there is an odd ball towards the bottom of the pack that will pot into a corner pocket. Novice players instinctively tend to play a thin contact on a red, returning the cue-ball to safety at the baulk end, with no thought of a pot. However, the shot to nothing approach is to attempt to pot the ball, whilst still attaining safety, or a snooker behind the baulk colours. The advantages of this type of shot are three-fold; if the pot is successful, it may be the start of a break or leave a simple snooker behind a baulk colour. If the pot misses, the opponent is left safe or snookered. Furthermore, the only ball that can possibly be left on is the one played. This more attacking approach to safety play / snookering often pays dividends.

"Chinese" Snookers

Assume that from a widely spread pack of reds, a player has potted one, but the cue ball has come to rest in the area of "no man's land" between the blue and pink. In this situation, a so-called "Chinese" snooker may create severe problems for an opponent. This "snooker" can be achieved by gently rolling up to the blue, leaving the cue-ball as close as possible. The opponent will need to use the "spider" to play over the blue. Striking down on the white makes clipping off a red difficult and any attempt at potting a red equally tricky.

The critical point to remember when attempting to lay a snooker is that the opponent's task should be as difficult as possible. 

Read more tips on Pool Table World

Image Credit: Khino Pizzato

Ten Common Misconceptions In The Rules Of Pool

Many of the misconceptions about pool rules arise from the different sets of rules used by the UK's largest pool associations, the British Association of Pool Table Operators (BAPTO) and the English Pool Association (EPA). The former, which organises many competitions and leagues, uses the rules of the Europe and United Kingdom Pool Federation, often known as BAPTO rules. The EPA switched to the rules of the World Eight-Ball Pool Federation, commonly known as "World" rules, in 1998. However, the situation is further confused by some leagues using the "old" EPA rules.

Breaking Off

In World rules, the break shot is fair if four object balls hit a cushion or an object ball is potted. In BAPTO rules, two balls must come back past the middle pockets, or a ball must be potted. In both sets of rules, a foul break results in the balls being re-racked, with the opponent awarded two shots (see below). Similarly, if the black is potted from the break, the balls are re-racked and the same player breaks again, with no penalty.

Foul Strokes

In World rules, a foul results in an opponent being awarded 2 shots and being allowed to play the cue ball from any point behind the baulk line. The 2 shots "carry over," so if a player pots a ball with his or her first stroke, they still have 2 shots remaining. BAPTO rules, in addition to an extra visit, allow a player to place the cue ball in the "D" and legally play any ball. However, the extra visit does not "carry over," so a ball potted on the first visit leaves just one remaining.

Choice of Colours

In World rules, a ball or balls potted from the break allow a player to nominate either colour. However, a ball of that colour must be potted in order for the player to be "on" that colour. If no balls are potted from the break, the table remains "open" until a ball is fairly potted, the player then being "on" that colour. In BAPTO rules, after a fair break, the player nominates his or her colour, regardless as to the balls potted and is then "on" that colour.

Definition of a Legal Shot

BAPTO rules decree that the cue ball must merely strike a ball "on." This is also the case in World rules, although a ball must also strike a cushion or be legally potted. The exception is when snookered, in which case a legal shot is for a player to merely strike a ball "on."

Deliberate Fouls

In World rules, deliberate foul strokes are allowed and players often use such a stroke to clear a pocket obstructed by an opponent's ball. However, in BAPTO rules, deliberately playing an opponent's ball means immediate loss of frame.

Shooting Backwards

There is also variation in the handling of "shooting backwards" (behind the baulk line, after the cue ball is respotted after being potted. Possibilities here include: a player may not hit a ball that is on or behind the baulk line without first hitting another ball or cushion; may not shoot backwards from the baulk line, but may shoot at balls behind the line provided that the direction of motion of the cue ball is forward; or may simply be allowed to shoot backwards.

Image Credit: Theonlyone

How To Play Three Person Pool

Pool is generally regarded as a game for 2 players or 2 pairs to play on pool tables. When there are 3 players wishing to play, the result is usually a pair playing a standard game against the single player. However, "Cutthroat" pool is a far more interesting game for 3 players. It is played using a set of "traditional" pool balls, numbered 1-15, with each player being assigned a set of 5 balls; the "low" balls, numbered 1-5, the "mid" balls, numbered 6-10 or the "high" balls, numbered 11-15. The object of the game is to be the last player with at least one ball remaining on the table.

Game Play

At the start of a game, the 1-ball is placed at the apex of the triangle, with the 6-ball and 11-ball at the other points of the triangle. Assignment of each set of balls varies by region. Most commonly, the first player has balls 1-5, the second 6-10 and the third 11-15. In another variation, "ownership" of each set of balls is determined by early game play. For example, a player potting the 1-ball and 12-ball would "own" the mid balls, having potted a low ball and a high ball. The remaining 2 players would not have ownership of a set of balls, until potting balls to gain ownership of a set. A player continues his or her turn until failing to pot a ball. In a situation known as "cutting one's own throat," a player may pot one of their own balls, in order to continue a turn, although having weakened their game position.

One idiosyncrasy of "Cutthroat" pool is the consequence of a foul shot, such as going in-off (potting the cue ball). The opponents have one of their already-potted balls respotted back on the table. If a foul occurs following the potting of an opponent's ball, only one ball per opponent is respotted, as the unaffected 3rd player may be placed at a disadvantage. Following a foul stroke, opponents may select any ball to be returned to the table. Some variations allow the subsequent player to have the cue ball "in hand." If the last shot of the game leaves only the cue ball on the table, a player having potted his or her opponent's ball and inadvertently their own in the same shot, one ball of each set is placed at the break mark and the player continues the turn. When the game is played on a coin-operated table, balls cannot be respotted. However, fairness is maintained by the player committing the foul stroke selecting one of their own set of balls to be removed from the table, thus rewarding the opponents.

Winning

The object is to be the last player with at least one ball on the table. When a player has no balls remaining, he or she is said to be "out" and takes no further part in the game. Under rules where balls are retrieved after a foul, if one of the remaining players commits a foul stroke, the "out" player can recover a ball and return to the game.

Image Credit: A&A Design Build