Section 1: Introduction
Snooker is a cue sport played on a large rectangular table lined with six pockets, in which players use a cue-ball to pot 15 Red object balls and 6 coloured object balls in a prescribed sequence to accumulate points. The sport traces its origins to 1875, when Lieutenant Neville Chamberlain, a British Army officer, is credited with creating the game at the Officers' Mess in Jubbulpore, India. Organized governance of the sport developed through The Billiards Association (established 1885) and The Billiards Control Club (established 1908), which amalgamated in 1919 to form The Billiards Association and Control Council. That body was renamed The Billiards and Snooker Control Council in 1971, and in 1992 all rights to the rules were purchased by and transferred to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), which had itself been established in 1968.
The WPBSA is recognised as the World Governing Body of Snooker and English Billiards. Under the current governance structure, the WPBSA sits alongside affiliated bodies including the World Snooker Tour (WST), the World Snooker Federation (WSF), World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS), World Women's Snooker (WWS), World Billiards, and World Seniors Snooker, with the WPBSA's Rules of the Game applied globally across all of these disciplines.
This rulebook is sourced from the Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards, published by the WPBSA (75 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2NT, England). The current edition is stated on its copyright page as "Official World Rules Revised; September 2024." The document instructs that "the download link on this page will always provide the most up-to-date Rules," with the WPBSA's next scheduled printed revision to follow the conclusion of the World Snooker Tour 2025/2026 season. All rule citations in this rulebook (e.g., "Section 2, Rule 17") refer to the Rules of the Game of Snooker portion of that document (pages 4–41 of the published edition), which is organized into five numbered Sections: Equipment, Definitions, The Game, The Players, and The Officials.
Section 2: Equipment
The Table (Section 1, Rule 1). The standard snooker table's playing area — measured within the cushion faces — shall be 11 ft 8½ in by 5 ft 10 in (3569 mm × 1778 mm), with a permitted tolerance of ±½ in (13 mm) on both dimensions. The height from the floor to the top of the cushion rail shall be 2 ft 10 in (864 mm), with a tolerance of ±½ in (13 mm). The two shorter sides of the table are the Bottom Cushion (also called Baulk) and the Top Cushion; where the cloth has a nap, it must run from the Bottom Cushion toward the Top Cushion.
Balls (Section 1, Rule 2). A full set of balls comprises 15 Red balls and one each of six coloured balls — Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, and Black — together with a White cue-ball, for 22 balls in total. Balls must be of an approved composition and shall each have a diameter of 52.5 mm, with a manufacturing tolerance of ±0.05 mm. Balls must be of equal weight so far as possible; the tolerance between the heaviest and lightest ball in a set must not exceed 3 g. A ball or set of balls may be changed only by agreement between the players or by decision of the referee.
Cue (Section 1, Rule 3). A cue shall be not less than 3 ft (914 mm) in length and must show no departure from the traditional tapered shape and form, with a tip secured to its thinner end used to strike the cue-ball. Playing a stroke with a cue that does not meet this standard is itself a listed foul under Section 3, Rule 11(a)(xi) ("playing with a non-standard cue").
Ancillary Equipment (Section 1, Rule 4). Players may use cue rests, long cues, extensions, and adaptors, whether these form part of the equipment normally found at the table or are introduced by a player or the referee. Section 3, Rule 20 places responsibility for all such equipment on the striker bringing or using it — they will be penalised for any foul caused by its use — and requires that any extension, adaptor, or sighting aid receive prior approval from the relevant governing body before use.
Section 3: Playing Area
The Baulk-line and Baulk. A straight line is drawn 29 in (737 mm) from the face of the Bottom Cushion, running parallel to it from side cushion to side cushion; this is the Baulk-line, and the intervening space nearer the Bottom Cushion is termed Baulk (Section 1, Rule 1(d)).
The "D". A semi-circle is marked within Baulk, with the centre of its straight section at the middle of the Baulk-line and a radius of 11½ in (292 mm) (Section 1, Rule 1(e)). At the start of each frame, and whenever the cue-ball is "in-hand," it must be played from a position on or within the lines of the D (Section 3, Rule 5).
Spots. Marked at each corner of the D, the spot on the right (viewed from the Baulk end) is the Yellow Spot and the one on the left is the Green Spot. Four further spots sit on the table's centre longitudinal line: the Brown Spot, in the middle of the Baulk-line; the Blue Spot, midway between the points on the Top and Bottom Cushions perpendicular to it; the Pink Spot, midway between the Blue Spot and the point on the Top Cushion perpendicular to it; and the Black Spot, 12¾ in (324 mm) from the point on the Top Cushion perpendicular to it (Section 1, Rule 1(f)).
Pockets. There is a pocket opening at each of the four corners of the table and one at the middle of each of the two longer sides, giving six pockets in total (Section 1, Rule 1(g)).
Setup. At the start of each frame, per Section 3, Rule 2(a), the 15 Reds are positioned in a tightly-packed equilateral triangle with the apex Red set above the Pink Spot, as close to the Pink Spot as possible without touching it, and the base of the triangle parallel to the Top Cushion. The six colours are placed on their designated spots as described above.
Section 4: Players & Officials
The Striker and Turn (Section 2, Rule 5). The player about to play, or in the act of playing, is the "striker," and it remains their turn until a stroke is played without scoring, a foul is committed and all balls have come to rest, the opponent is asked to play again following a foul, the frame is claimed, or the final Black is potted and the cue-ball comes to rest.
Unsporting Conduct (Section 4, Rule 1). A referee will Warn a player for offensive language or gestures, wilfully or persistently unsporting conduct, any other conduct the referee considers amounts to Unsporting Conduct, or a refusal to continue the current frame. If the player commits further Unsporting Conduct after being Warned, the referee shall award the frame to their opponent; a further instance after a frame has already been awarded results in the game being awarded to the opponent. Where conduct is, in the referee's opinion, sufficiently serious, the referee may award the frame or game to the opponent even without a prior Warning having been issued. Any such decision by the referee is final and is not subject to appeal.
Four-handed Snooker (Section 3, Rule 18). In a four-handed game, each side of two players alternates frames, with each side's internal order of play determined — and, once set, maintained — at the start of each frame. Partners may confer during a frame but not while one of them is the striker and has approached the table until their turn has ended; if a striker's partner commits an infringement, the striker is treated as the offender.
Officials. Section 5 of the Rules establishes the officiating roles of the Referee, the Marker, and the Stroke Recorder, together with provisions for Assistance by Officials. Consistent with the striker/officiating duties evidenced throughout Sections 2 and 3, the referee is the sole judge of fact during play: the referee calls FOUL and TOUCHING BALL, determines whether the cue-ball is snookered, adjudicates whether a stroke constitutes a Miss, oversees the correct spotting of colours, and rules on the value and application of penalty points. Where no referee is present, Section 3, Rule 21(b) provides that the opposing player or side is regarded as fulfilling that role for the purposes of the Rules.
Section 5: Rules of Play
Description of the Game (Section 3, Rule 1). Each player uses the same White cue-ball; there are 21 object balls — 15 Reds, each valued 1 point, and 6 colours (Yellow 2, Green 3, Brown 4, Blue 5, Pink 6, Black 7). For the first stroke of each turn, while Reds remain on the table, Red is the ball on, and Reds and colours are potted alternately: after a Red is potted the same player continues and may pot a colour of their choice, which is then scored and re-spotted, after which the next Red becomes on. This alternation continues until all Reds are off the table, whereupon the six colours become on in the ascending order of their value — Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black — and, once potted, remain off the table for the remainder of the frame (Section 3, Rule 1(b)–(h); Section 2, Rule 10).
Mode of Play (Section 3, Rule 3). The order of play is determined by lot or mutual agreement, with the winner choosing who plays first; that order must remain unaltered throughout the frame except that a player may be asked to play again by their opponent following any foul. The player or side who plays first must alternate for each frame during a game.
Playing from In-hand (Section 3, Rule 5; Section 2, Rule 9). The cue-ball is "in-hand" before the start of each frame, whenever it has been potted, forced off the table, or when the Black is re-spotted under the tied-frame procedure. While in-hand, the cue-ball must be contacted by the tip of the cue from a position on or within the lines of the D, though it may then be played in any direction.
Snookers and the Free Ball (Section 2, Rule 17; Section 3, Rule 12). The cue-ball is "snookered" when a direct stroke in a straight line to every ball on is wholly or partially obstructed by a ball, or balls, not on. If, after a foul, the cue-ball is snookered, the referee calls FREE BALL: the non-offending player may then nominate any ball as the ball on, and that nominated "free ball" acquires the value of the actual ball on if potted.
Foul and a Miss (Section 3, Rule 14). The striker must, to the best of their ability, endeavour to hit the ball on (or a ball that could be on) after a potted Red or nominated free ball. If the referee considers this obligation was not met, they call FOUL AND A MISS, and the non-offending player may require the offender to replay the shot from the original position, or may play on from the position left by the failed attempt.
Play Again (Section 3, Rule 13). Once a player has requested that their opponent play again following a foul, or a Miss, that request cannot be withdrawn; the offender, asked to play again, may change their mind about which stroke to play and which ball on to attempt, and scores any balls they legally pot.
Jump Shots and Push Strokes (Section 2, Rules 19–20). A push stroke — where the cue tip remains in contact with the cue-ball after it has begun moving, or momentarily contacts it as it contacts an object ball — is a foul, as is a jump shot in which the cue-ball passes over any part of an object ball other than in specified legal circumstances (e.g., legitimately jumping after first hitting a touching ball).
Stalemate (Section 3, Rule 17). Where the referee considers, or either player indicates, that a position of stalemate exists, the referee offers the players the option to re-rack. If no player objects, play continues with the proviso that the position must change within a stated period (commonly three strokes per side); if it does not, the referee nullifies the frame's scores and resets the balls.
Variants. Section 3, Rule 19 provides for "Six Reds Snooker," a shortened variant played under the standard Rules with modifications including a maximum of five consecutive FOUL AND A MISS calls before a Warning is issued.
Section 6: Scoring
Point Values (Section 3, Rule 1(a)). Object balls carry the following values: Red — 1 point; Yellow — 2; Green — 3; Brown — 4; Blue — 5; Pink — 6; Black — 7. Points scored from legal potting strokes are added to the striker's score, while penalty points awarded for infringements are added to the non-offending opponent's score (Section 3, Rule 1(c)–(d); Section 2, Rule 16).
Maximum Break. Based on the point values fixed in Section 3, Rule 1(a), the highest score obtainable in a single uninterrupted visit — a "break," per Section 2, Rule 8 — is 147 points: each of the 15 Reds (1 point) is paired with a potted Black (7 points) for 8 points per pair, totalling 120, followed by the six colours potted in ascending order (2+3+4+5+6+7 = 27), for a maximum of 147.
End of Frame, Game or Match (Section 3, Rule 4). Once Black is the only object ball remaining on the table, the first pot or foul ends the frame — unless the scores are then equal, in which case the Black is re-spotted, the players draw lots for choice of playing, the next player plays from in-hand, and the first pot or foul thereafter ends the frame. A game is won by the player or side winning the agreed or stipulated number of frames, or, where aggregate points are relevant, by the greatest total; a match is won by the player or side winning the most games.
Conceding and Claiming. A frame's winner is the player or side with the higher score, to whom the frame is conceded, or to whom it is awarded under the disciplinary or procedural provisions of Section 3, Rule 14(d)(ii) or Section 4, Rule 1(b), 1(d), 3(b), or 3(c) (Section 3, Rule 1(f)).
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Fouls Generally (Section 3, Rule 10). When a foul is committed, the referee immediately calls FOUL. If the striker has not made a stroke, their turn ends and the referee announces the penalty; if a stroke has been made, the referee waits until the stroke is completed before announcing the penalty. The next stroke is played from wherever the cue-ball comes to rest, or from in-hand if the cue-ball is not in play.
Standard Penalty (Section 3, Rule 11). The default penalty for a foul is four points, awarded to the non-offender, unless a higher value applies. Listed four-point (or higher) fouls include: striking before the referee has completed spotting a colour taken as a free ball; striking the cue-ball more than once in a stroke; having both feet off the floor while striking; playing out of turn in Four-handed Snooker; playing improperly from in-hand; causing the cue-ball to fail to contact any object ball; causing the cue-ball to be pocketed or snookered by the nominated free ball or, in Six Reds Snooker, the nominated ball; playing a jump shot; playing with a non-standard cue; and conferring or communicating with a partner contrary to Section 3, Rule 18(e).
Higher-Value Fouls. Where the ball on, or the ball concerned, has a higher point value than 4, that higher value becomes the penalty — for example, for causing the cue-ball to first strike a ball not on, for making a push stroke, for contacting a ball in play with any part of the player's person, attire, or equipment, or for causing a ball to be forced off the table (Section 3, Rule 11(b)).
Seven-Point Fouls (Section 3, Rule 11(d)). A flat penalty of seven points applies where the striker: uses a ball off the table for any purpose; uses any object to measure gaps or distance; plays at Reds, or a nominated free ball followed by a Red, in successive strokes; uses any ball other than White as the cue-ball after the frame has started; fails to declare which ball they are on when requested by the referee; or, after potting a Red (or a free ball nominated as a Red), commits a foul before a colour has been nominated.
Multiple Fouls and Unsporting Conduct (Section 3, Rule 10(g); Section 4, Rule 1). Where more than one foul is committed in the same stroke, only the highest-value penalty is incurred. Independently of scoring penalties, offensive conduct or persistent unsporting behaviour is addressed under Section 4, Rule 1, which escalates from a formal Warning to awarding the frame, and ultimately the game, to the offending player's opponent.
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Snooker is a low-contact, non-collision cue sport, and the WPBSA's Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards is chiefly a code of fair play and equipment integrity rather than a personal-injury safety manual. Even so, several provisions of the Rules exist to protect the fairness and physical safety of play at the table.
Equipment integrity. The requirement that a cue show no departure from "the traditional tapered shape and form" (Section 1, Rule 3), and that playing with a non-standard cue is itself a foul (Section 3, Rule 11(a)(xi)), guards against the use of implements that could behave unpredictably or unsafely. Section 3, Rule 20 places responsibility for any rest, extension, or adaptor brought to the table on the striker using it, and requires that such devices receive prior approval from the relevant governing body — preventing unvetted equipment from being introduced to a match in progress.
Table and ball condition. The tight manufacturing tolerances on ball diameter (±0.05 mm) and inter-ball weight (no more than 3 g difference across a set), set out in Section 1, Rule 2, keep the balls' behaviour consistent and predictable for both players. Section 3, Rule 11(b)(ix) makes it a foul to strike before any balls removed for cleaning have been returned to the table, ensuring the playing surface is fully reset — and therefore safe and fair to play on — before the next stroke.
Controlled handling of the cue-ball. The prohibition on push strokes (Section 2, Rule 19) and on the striker having both feet off the floor during a stroke (Section 3, Rule 11(a)(iii)) both constrain how forcefully and from what body position a player may strike the cue-ball, reducing the risk of an uncontrolled or mis-cued shot.
Conduct at the table. The Unsporting Conduct provisions of Section 4, Rule 1 — covering offensive gestures and wilfully disruptive behaviour — together with the referee's standing authority to intervene under Sections 2 and 3, maintain a controlled competitive environment. Broader player discipline and conduct matters are governed by the WPBSA's separately published Conduct Regulations and Members Rules, which sit outside the scope of the Rules of the Game itself and are not reproduced in this summary.
