SNOOKER – Nowhere to hide!

Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Graeme Dott, Shaun Murphy and Australia’s Neil Robertson have all raised the World Snooker Championship trophy over the past decade

Australia’s Neil Robertson

They are household names and have done well out of the sport due to the game’s heavy Television broadcast schedule.

It is for this reason the game of Snooker enjoys such a high profile despite Snooker itself not being played at the grassroots level as much as eight or nine ball.

The skills and tactics of Snooker are undeniable and as a general belief if you are good at Snooker you should do okay at any of the other cue sports games.

Like Billiards, not to be mistaken with American Billiards, you can’t hide in a game of Snooker – poor play will be exposed.

Watching two low-skilled players play Snooker is painful, particularly if you’re playing next as it will be a long wait.

That said watching the highly skilled is very awesome and it is why the game is covered extensively on Television.

When staged on a full size table of 12’x6’ or 10’x5’, Snooker is played with 22 balls which is made up of one white cue-ball, ten red balls and one yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black ball.

Ten red balls are used on smaller tables.

The red balls are racked in the triangle and placed behind the spot at the foot of the table.

The coloured balls are placed on the various spots on the table as seen in the diagram below.

• BROWN ball placed on CENTRE of string line
• YELLOW ball placed on spot to the RIGHT
• GREEN ball placed on spot to the LEFT
• BLUE ball placed on spot at CENTRE of table
• PINK ball placed at APEX of pyramid
• BLACK ball placed HALF WAY between pyramid base & back cushion

The object of the game is simple. Sink a red ball then sink a coloured ball and try and continue this scenario as many times as possible. So in other words, sending a red ball into a pocket allows you to shoot for a coloured ball.

While a red ball is one point the coloured balls have different values which are:

• BROWN – 4 points
• YELLOW – 2 points
• GREEN- 3 points
• BLUE – 5 points
• PINK -6 points
• BLACK – 7 points

The 10-times women’s world champion Reanne Evans

You can pocket any coloured ball after pocketing a red. If you sink the lowest valued colour ball on the table it is taken out of the game however if it is not the lowest valued coloured ball on the table it is immediately replaced to its original position on the Table. If the spot is occupied the ball is placed on the nearest vacant spot. Once reds balls are pocketed they remain there.

Once all the red balls have been pocketed you must then sink the remaining coloured balls in order from lowest to highest (points).

And to make it a challenge you must nominate which coloured ball you are aiming for during all stages of the game. This means if you accidently sink a coloured ball that wasn’t nominated it is returned to the table and a penalty applies to the shooter.

Penalties apply to the following if:

• A player loses four points if they aim for a red ball and misses or if the white cue ball goes into the pocket.
• A player aims for a coloured ball and misses he loses the value of the ball missed except for the Yellow and Green balls which then carry the minimum penalty which is 4 points.
• A player hits a different coloured ball than the one aimed at they lose the value of the highest number ball involved. The same penalty applies to pocketing a wrong ball even if the right ball is hit first.
• If the player “on” Black misses and no other ball is hit – penalty seven points
• Player “on” Yellow strikes Black and Yellow simultaneously – penalty seven because the highest numerical forfeit applies.
• When all balls are off the Table the player with the highest score wins.

In consideration of all the rules, the biggest secret of the game lies in the name – SNOOKER. A snooker is when you deprive your opponent of a clear shot or even better a shot that has no alternative but to foul. So if you are playing Snooker – try and snooker your opponent as many times as possible but make sure you do it without detracting from sinking balls and scoring shots.

However if you absolutely snooker your opponent from a foul stroke they can claim a “free ball”- that is choose any colour he chooses to serve as a red ball. However, the coloured ball will count as 1one and must be re-spotted.

It is a fun game but if you and your opponent is new to the game, it is not a bad idea to have a list of the value of each balls on hand and where they are placed on the table.

There is a Billiard and Snooker club in just about every Metropolitan and Regional centre in Australia and their websites are a great reference on which club to join, upcoming tournaments and lessons.

For tables, accessories or even reclothing your Snooker table, Billiard Shop in Townsville, Mackay, Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Bundall on the Gold Coast, Macgregor and Aspley in Brisbane and Toowoomba have the complete service to make the good times roll.

THE BRILLIANCE OF BILLIARDS

Mark Twain

You can’t hide in the game of Billiards. It requires much more than exquisite touch and visionary precision and it is why Mark Twain bestowed on the world in a speech on April 24th1906 “The game of billiards has destroyed my naturally sweet disposition.”

It can be a frustrating game but therein lies its addictive nature which makes Billiards exhilarating!

Traditionally the game has three balls, the cue ball and two object balls which traditionally were two white balls.

To distinguish between the two white coloured balls one is marked with a black spot at opposite extremities and called Spot while the other white ball is called, plain. Each player uses either white ball which is determined before the game starts.

However more recently one of the white balls has been swapped for a yellow ball which makes the game more easy to follow when broadcast on television. Billiard Shop sells Billiards packs containing a white, yellow and red.

As Billiards is a scoring game the player that scores the most points wins and there are three ways in which to score, by cannons, losing hazards and winning hazards.

Cannons: A cannon is made by causing the cue ball to contact the two object balls in succession. Two points are scored by a cannon whether it is from white to red, or red to white.

Losing Hazards: A losing hazard is when you sink your cue ball after contact with one of the two object balls. A losing hazard off the red is rewarded three points and off the white (or yellow) is two. This play is referred to as a “Loser”

Winning Hazards: A winning hazard or Pot is made by pocketing one or both of the object balls. Potting the red ball scores 3 points and potting the white (or yellow) two.

The real skill of the game is making combinations shots and is such scenarios the following points apply:

• When a losing hazard and cannon are made in the one stroke, the player scores two points for the cannon and two for the hazard. If the white ball (or yellow) is struck first it is two points for the cannon and if the red is struck first it is three points for the hazard.
• If both object-balls are struck simultaneously and a hazard is made as well, two points are scored for the cannon and two for the hazard.
• If more than one hazard or a combination of hazards and cannons are made in the same stroke, all are scored.

So with that knowledge it is time to play! And just how long you play for is determined by whether you compete over a predetermined number of points (eg 100, 250 or 500) or to a predetermined time (e.g 1 hour or 2 hours).

Starting the game is done by a heads or tails coin toss with the winner earning the choice of either the spot or the plain white ball, playing first or second.

The other way is to String. Here each player hits a white ball (or yellow) from the baulk line with the winner being the one whose ball comes to rest nearest the bottom cushion whether it rebounds or not.

At the commencement of the game the red ball is placed on the billiard spot and the opponent’s ball is “in hand”, that is not on the table. The player starting the game places his ball in the “D” and must direct it out of the baulk area.

The opening stroke is to connect with the red ball. The ideal scenario is to send the red to either the right or left hand pocket in the baulk and bring the cue ball to the side of the table. When confronted with this situation the reply is generally to attempt the cannon from white (or yellow) on to red. If it is missed the opening player has the red to play at for a loser or pot.

When a ball is forced off the table, the balls are then spotted, the red is placed on the billiard spot and the object ball on the centre spot. Every time the cue ball enters a pocket the player must then play form the “D”.

The object white ball (or yellow) stays in the pocket if potted until the opponents turn arrives. A player fails to score and gives way to his opponents if his stroke does not result in a cannon, a losing hazard or a winning hazard.

While the player continues to score he remains at the table, and only after missing a stroke does their turn end.

The purpose of the game is, as implied above, to perform as many sequences of cannons, losing and winning hazards as possible. The key to this is to bring the balls to rest with another scoring opportunity. If you do this more than your opponent then you will win, or at least you should.

The tactics are immense and you have to be alert and respond to all possibilities.

The most important tactical area on the Billiards table is the baulk area which is the area on the table between the baulk line and the bottom cushion.  In numerous game situations you are confronted with playing out of the baulk area, in otherwords it is a no-shooting-backwards zone.

You must play out of the baulk area when the cue-ball has entered a pocket as the result of a losing hazard or your opponent has pitted your cue ball from the break.

You may place the cue-ball anywhere in the “D” space, including the semi-circular line and the part of the baulk-line which forms the straight part of the “D”. If you place the ball on this line then it must be exactly on it, which means half in and half out.

When forced to play out of the baulk when the object balls are behind the baulk line your natural options are to either try a screw-back, use the cushions or other object balls to find your target.

Sending both object-balls into baulk is called a double-baulk while sending one ball into baulk is a single-baulk. They are both considered safe shots.

It’s why scoring off a double-baulk is difficult and why the baulk area is an important part of safety or defensive play.

The amazing thing about playing Billiards is that you are in a constant state of learning. It’s been this way for more than a hundred years with the current rules largely the ones adopted by the games governing body in England in 1899

It is one of the oldest sporting world championships, dating back to 1869.

But when you do play remember to keep your sense of humour so as not to destroy your naturally sweet disposition. So let the good times roll!

10-BALL - A COMING OF AGE!

We all love a challenge! Don’t we! When things become a bit predictable it seems to be human nature to want something a bit tougher.

This explains why the game of 10-Ball is coming on strong in the face of the nine-ball onslaught.

Some professionals simply think 10-ball is more of a challenge than nine-ball which they consider to predictable off the break.

So the cue-sport game is in a constant state of flux which fits in nicely with Greek philosopher Heraclitus who around 500BC pondered that all things pass and nothing stays. To explain this theory he said you could not step twice into the same river.

Applying this theory to cue-sport you have a much lesser chance of playing the same game twice in 10-ball as you would in nine-ball.

Here’s why.

10-Ball uses ten balls instead of nine and the Blue Number 10 ball is, to put it into eight-ball terms, the black ball – the money ball!

And here’s why the professionals have a greater liking for the game - all shots must be called and you have to pocket the balls in numerical order. You only call one-ball at a time but if there is any confusion about your shot you must nominate the pocket. If your intention is not to sink the object ball you can call a safety. A safety is called when you see no hope in sinking the object ball.

Any additional balls pocketed from a legal shot remain pocketed.

Like standard pool, all ten balls are racked as a triangle but the ten-ball is in the middle of the rack, the one-ball is at the top of the track with all the other balls are placed randomly.

From the break the opening shot must hit the lowest numbered ball first, which is why the one-ball is at the top. At least one ball must hit any rubber.

If the 10 ball is pocketed on the break you don’t win. It has to be spotted on the foot spot but you are not penalised and continue on with your turn.

However if you pocket the wrong ball or hit the nominated ball into the wrong pocket, the ball stays down. The applied penalty for doing this is your opponents can either take the shot as it lies or pass.

For a standard foul, play passes to your opponent who can place the cue-ball anywhere on the table.

If several fouls occurs in one shot, the most serious one is enforced. If a foul goes unnoticed before the next shot – you’ve got away with it.

The following is a list of what constitutes a standard foul by the World Pool-Billiard Association:

Cue Ball Scratch or off the Table: If the cue ball is pocketed or driven off the table, the shot is a foul.

Wrong Ball First: In those games which require the first object ball struck to be a particular ball or one of a group of balls, it is a foul for the cue ball to first contact any other ball.

No Rail after Contact: If no ball is pocketed on a shot, the cue ball must contact an object ball, and after that contact at least one ball (cue ball or any object ball) must be driven to a rail, or the shot is a foul.

No Foot on Floor: If the shooter does not have at least one foot touching the floor at the instant the tip contacts the cue ball, the shot is a foul.

Ball Driven off the Table: It is a foul to drive an object ball off the table. Whether that ball is spotted depends on the rules of the game.

Touched Ball: It is a foul to touch, move or change the path of any object ball except by the normal ball-to-ball contacts during shots. It is a foul to touch, move or change the path of the cue ball except when it is in hand or by the normal tip-to-ball forward stroke contact of a shot. The shooter is responsible for the equipment he controls at the table, such as chalk, bridges, clothing, his hair, parts of his body, and the cue ball when it is in hand, that may be involved in such fouls. If such a foul is accidental, it is a standard foul, but if it is intentional, it is Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

Double Hit / Frozen Balls: If the cue stick contacts the cue ball more than once on a shot, the shot is a foul. If the cue ball is close to but not touching an object ball and the cue tip is still on the cue ball when the cue ball contacts that object ball, the shot is a foul. If the cue ball is very close to an object ball, and the shooter barely grazes that object ball on the shot, the shot is assumed not to violate the first paragraph of this rule, even though the tip is arguably still on the cue ball when ball-ball contact is made. However, if the cue ball is touching an object ball at the start of the shot, it is legal to shoot towards or partly into that ball (provided it is a legal target within the rules of the game) and if the object ball is moved by such a shot, it is considered to have been contacted by the cue ball. (Even though it may be legal to shoot towards such a touching or “frozen” ball, care must be taken not to violate the rules in the first paragraph if there are additional balls close by.)  The cue ball is assumed not to be touching any ball unless it is declared touching by the referee or opponent. It is the shooter’s responsibility to get the declaration before the shot. Playing away from a frozen ball does not constitute having hit that ball unless specified in the rules of the game.

Push Shot: It is a foul to prolong tip-to-cue-ball contact beyond that seen in normal shots.

Balls Still Moving: It is a foul to begin a shot while any ball in play is moving or spinning.

Bad Cue Ball Placement: When the cue ball is in hand and restricted to the area behind the head string, it is a foul to play the cue ball from on or below the head string. If the shooter is uncertain whether the cue ball has been placed behind the head string, he may ask the referee for a determination.

Bad Play from Behind the Head String: When the cue ball is in hand behind the head string, and the first ball the cue ball contacts is also behind the head string, the shot is a foul unless the cue ball crosses the head string before that contact. If such a shot is intentional, it is unsportsmanlike conduct. The cue ball must either cross the head string or contact a ball in front of or on the head string or the shot is a foul, and the cue ball is in hand for the following player according to the rules of the specific game.

Cue Stick on the Table: If the shooter uses his cue stick in order to align a shot by placing it on the table without having a hand on the stick, it is a foul.

Playing out of Turn: It is a standard foul to unintentionally play out of turn. Normally, the balls will be played from the position left by the mistaken play. If a player intentionally plays out of turn, it should be treated like 6.16 Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

Three Consecutive Fouls: If a player fouls three times without making an intervening legal shot, it is a serious foul. In games scored by the rack, such as nine ball, the fouls must be in a single rack. Some games such as eight ball do not include this rule. The referee must warn a shooter who is on two fouls when he comes to the table that he is on two fouls. Otherwise a possible third foul will be considered to be only the second.

Slow Play: If the referee feels that a player is playing too slowly, he may advise that player to speed up his play. If the player does not speed up, the referee may impose a shot clock on that match that applies to both players. If the shooter exceeds the time limit specified for the tournament, a standard foul will be called and the incoming player is rewarded according to the rules applicable to the game being played. (Unsportsmanlike Conduct may also apply.)

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: The normal penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is the same as for a serious foul, but the referee may impose a penalty depending on his judgment of the conduct. Among other penalties possible are a warning; a standard-foul penalty, which will count as part of a three-foul sequence if applicable; a serious-foul penalty; loss of a rack, set or match; ejection from the competition possibly with forfeiture of all prizes, trophies and standings points. Unsportsmanlike conduct is any intentional behaviour that brings disrepute to the sport or which disrupts or changes the game to the extent that it cannot be played fairly. It includes

(a) distracting the opponent;

(b) changing the position of the balls in play other than by a shot;

(c) playing a shot by intentionally miscuing;

(d) continuing to play after a foul has been called or play has been suspended;

(e) practicing during a match;

(f) marking the table;

(g) delay of the game; and

(h) using equipment inappropriately.

Taiwan's Ko Pin Yi wins his first ever world title by capturing the 2015 World 10 Ball Championship with a dramatic 11-9 win over the Philippines Carlo Biado.

Why the fouls may seem a lot to deal with the game is really very easy to pick up. If you like a challenge and are looking for a change from whatever form of cue-sport, 10-ball is a fantastic alternative.

It is a longer game than eight or nine-ball and forces you to play a more tactical game.

Ten-ball does bring family and friends together so let the good times roll!

In 2013 Filipina Rubilen Amit became the first ever Two times World 10-Ball Champion for men or women