Rules of Snookerpool

Author: Adam Michael DeWitt

Date: 30 November 2022

Introduction

Snookerpool is a discipline of the cue sport snooker. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side. Using a cue stick, players take turns striking the white cue ball to pot (legally pocket) other balls in a predefined sequence, accumulating points for each potted ball and for each time the opposing player commits a foul. An individual frame is won by having the most points when it ends. Games are usually played as a race to a set number of frames, with the player who reaches the set number winning the game.

The balls are grouped into two groups: solids (numbered 1-8) and stripes (numbered 9-15).

Setup

Each frame begins with the solids being racked in a tightly packed sideways diamond shape, with the 14-ball in the center and situated on the foot spot. The 14-ball may be racked together with the solids to make this process easier.

The stripes are then placed as follows, from the perspective of the head rail. The head string is denominated by the diamonds halfway between the head corner pockets and side pockets, and the foot string is denominated by the diamonds halfway between the foot corner pockets and side pockets. The head and foot spots their corresponding string’s centers.

• The 9-ball is placed at the point on the head string midway between the head spot and a point perpendicularly below the face of the right long rail
• The 10-ball is placed at the point on the head string midway between the head spot and a point perpendicularly below the face of the left long rail
• The 11-ball is placed on the head spot
• The 12-ball is placed in the center of the table
• The 13-ball is placed at the point midway between the foot spot and the center of the table
• The 14-ball is placed on the foot spot
• The 15-ball is placed at the point midway between the foot spot and the point perpendicularly below the face of the foot cushion that is closest to the foot spot

Reduced setups

• Six solids – The farleft and far rightsolids are removedfrom the diamondrack, forming ahexagon rack

• Three solids – Thefar left and far rightsolids as well as thethree solids closest tothe foot rail areremoved from thediamond rack,forming a miniature diamond rack

Deciding who breaks

To determine the order of play, the players compete in a lag. During the lag, the players each near simultaneously shoot a ball from the kitchen (the area between the head rail and the head string) to the foot rail and back toward the head rail. The shooter whose ball comes to rest closest to the head rail wins the initial break.

Players may also decide who moves first through a game of chance or via mutual agreement.

Breaking

Before breaking, the player may place the ball anywhere within the kitchen. The break consists of hitting a solid first. If a foul occurs on the break shot, the frame is not restarted; play simply continues from the resulting position.

Gameplay

The aim of the game is to have the most points at the end of the frame. To that end, players attempt to pot balls in a predetermined sequence, scoring points when a ball is potted or the opponent commits a foul (see Scoring). Each frame consists of two phases. The first phase, in which players alternate potting solids and stripes, lasts as long as there are solids on the table. The second phase, in which the stripes are potted in ascending order, begins after the last solid is potted and the following shot is finished, or if no solids are left on the table after a foul.

The ball or balls that can be hit first by the cue ball or potted are called the ball(s) “on” for that particular shot, and all other balls are “not-on.” The ball(s) “on” differ from shot to shot. If there are solids on the table, all solids are “on” at the start of the turn, and for each shot in the turn, the balls “on” alternate between the solids and one stripe of the player’s choice (either by first contact with the cue ball or explicit nomination beforehand) until the turn ends or the second phase starts. Once the second phase starts, the lowest valued stripe on the table is “on” for all subsequent shots in the frame.

A player’s turn continues as long as a ball “on” is contacted first by the cue ball, and any ball “on” is potted in any of the six pockets with no foul being committed. When the table passes to another player, they must play from where the balls were last positioned, except if the prior turn ended in a foul. In that case, the incoming player has the cue ball in hand, anywhere on the table.

Scoring

Whenever a ball is potted, the player earns points as outlined by the following table:

Ball	Solids (1-8)	9-ball	10-ball	11-ball	12-ball	13-ball	14-ball	15-ball
Value	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8

Depending on the situation, these balls will either remain off the table or be returned to their original spots (see Spotting).

No points are scored for balls pocketed as the result of a foul. If a foul occurs, the non-offender is awarded penalty points (see Penalty Values).

Spotting

Whenever a stripe enters a pocket, if a solid was potted on the previous shot or a foul occurs, the stripe is placed back on the spot it started the game on (see Setup). This is known as spotting the stripe. If the stripe’s own spot is occupied (that is, if the ball cannot be placed on it without touching another ball), then the ball is placed on the spot of the highest valued stripe that is unoccupied. If all spots are occupied, it is placed as close to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the foot rail, without touching another ball. If there is no room this side of the spot, it will be placed as close to the spot as possible in a straight line towards the head rail, without touching another ball.

If multiple stripes need spotted, any balls which can be are placed on their own spot first. Any remaining stripes are spotted in descending order using the above procedures.

Stripes are the only balls that can be spotted in this manner. Solids are never spotted, except when restoring a position (see Restoring a position). Failing to spot all balls that need spotted before taking the next shot results in a foul if noticed immediately.

Restoring a position

When it becomes necessary to restore a position (i.e., the balls need cleaned, or are disturbed by the players or outside interference), all disturbed balls must be placed as close as possible to the positions they were in prior to the disturbance occurred before taking the next shot. If the balls cannot be restored to their original positions, then the situation is handled like a stalemate (see Stalemate).

Stalemate

If both players are unable or unwilling to make any progress, the frame is restarted, both scores are reset, and the original breaker will break again.

Fouls

A foul is any action that is against the rules of the game. The list of fouls is as follows:

• The cue ball is pocketed or is forced off the table (a.k.a. scratch)
• First hitting a ball “not-on” with the cue ball
• Hitting two balls simultaneously, except for two solids
• Pocketing a ball “not-on”
• Pocketing multiple balls in one shot, if at least one of them is “not-on” (i.e., a solid and a stripe, or two different stripes)
• Not hitting any balls with the cue ball
• Hitting the cue ball more than once on the same shot
• Touching the cue ball with anything other than the tip of the cue, except for balls in hand, which may be touched by anything except the tip of the cue
• Causing any object ball on the table to touch anything that is not the table or another ball, including the cue ball when it is in hand
• Causing any ball to be forced off the table
• Failing to spot all balls that need spotted before taking the next shot (see Spotting)
• Shooting with no feet on the floor (you must always have at least one foot on the floor when shooting)
• Playing a push shot (the cue tip maintains contact with the ball longer than the split-second allowed for a normal shot)
• Slow play
• Shooting when the balls are still moving (You must wait until all balls have stopped moving before taking your next shot)
• Intentionally interfering with normal play
• Playing out of turn
• Using a ball off the table for any purpose
• Using any object to measure gaps or distance
• Any other action that is against the rules of the game
  

If the player commits one or more of these fouls during play, their turn ends immediately, the non-offender is awarded penalty points (see Penalty Values), and the incoming player has the cue ball in hand, anywhere on the table.

Penalty Values

All fouls award the non-offender penalty points equal to four points, the value of the ball “on,” or the highest value of all balls involved in the foul, whichever is highest, with one exception.
If, after potting a solid, a foul is committed before a stripe has been nominated, eight penalty points are awarded.

If multiple fouls are committed in the same shot, only the highest valued penalty is awarded.

Concession

If a player is too far behind to have a realistic chance of winning, that player may offer to concede the frame to their opponent. The offer remains valid until the opponent accepts or chooses to continue playing.

End of frame

A frame ends when one of the following occurs:

• When the 15-ball is the only object ball left:
  o It is potted
  o A foul occurs
• A concession is accepted
  

If a tie occurs when the frame ends, the players compete in a lag or game of chance (see Deciding who breaks) to determine who takes the next shot. After deciding who will take the next shot, the 15-ball is spotted, and the winner of the lag may place the ball anywhere within the kitchen. Play continues normally until the scores are no longer equal.

You can download the Official Rules of Snookerpool in PDF format from this link:

Official Rules of Snookerpool. By Adam Michael DeWitt. 30 November 2022