Easy Steps to Playing Pool and Snooker

Pool is a game of precision and good judgement. The aim in pool is to pocket balls the right way. There are many ways of playing pool but "8-ball" is the most popular.

The Kit

• In pool, there are two sets of seven balls. One set is red, the is other yellow. There's also a white cue ball and a black "8" ball.
• The coloured "object" balls are arranged in a triangle, with the base parallel with the end of the table.
• The black must be in the centre of the third row, and positioned over the spot on the table.
• The cue ball is placed on a point behind what is called the “baulk” line at the end f the table.

The Rules

• You break the triangle of balls by striking the cue ball from a point behind the "baulk" line.
• If you pot one or more balls after the break, you nominate which colour you want to play.
• The first shot after this determines which colour you are on.
• If you don’t pot anything, your opponent takes a shot.
• If you’re the first to pot all you seven balls and the black, you’re the winner!
• Remember, never pot the black before you’re meant to – at the end of the game. If you do this, you lose automatically.

You need a lot of skill and a good eye to play Snooker. You use a cue and a white ball to steer coloured balls around the table and into the pots. To play Snooker well, you have to think ahead and map out all of the possible shots on the table.

The Kit

There are 15 red balls each worth one point: six coloured balls: yellow (two points), green (three), brown (four), blue (five), pink (six) and black (seven).

The game begins with the balls arranged as shown.

The Rules

You score points by “potting’ six balls into the pots around the table. There is a strict sequence to how your’ meant to pot balls in order to score.

You have to first pot a red, then a colour and keep alternating. If you pot a colour after a red, you place it back on its starting spot. If you fail to make a pot, your opponent takes over and tries to pot any available red. Once you and your opponent have potted all of the reds, you start on the colours in the order of their value.The player with the most points by the time the black is potted wins the "frame". If there isn't a clear scoring opportunity, you can position the cue ball so your opponent doesn't have a direct shot and has to use the angles of the table to hit a ball. This set up is called a "snooker". If a player doesn’t escape, they get a 4-point penalty.

Pool and Snooker are both games that require strategic thinking, a steady arm and a good eye. They are social games too so you can make friends with other players and always have someone to play with when you head out.