Snooker Rules and Scoring for Beginners.
A frame of snooker is a contest to score more points than your opponent. You build a break by potting the correct balls in one visit to the table. Here is the sequence to learn before your first frame.
What each ball is worth
| Ball | Points |
|---|---|
| Red | 1 |
| Yellow | 2 |
| Green | 3 |
| Brown | 4 |
| Blue | 5 |
| Pink | 6 |
| Black | 7 |
First a red, then a colour
While reds remain, a normal scoring visit alternates a red with a colour. A legally potted red stays off the table. A colour potted at this stage is put back on its spot. After the last red, you can still pot one colour before starting the final colour clearance.
For example, red, black, red, blue scores 1 + 7 + 1 + 5 = 14. Your visit continues if each pot is legal. It ends when you fail to make a legal pot or commit a foul.
The final six colours
After the reds and the following colour, the order is yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, then black. These colours stay off when legally potted in order. Together they are worth 27 points. If the final black leaves the scores tied, a re-spotted black decides the frame.
Common fouls to recognise
Potting the white, missing every object ball, or hitting a ball that is not on first are common fouls. The opponent receives penalty points, normally at least four and sometimes more depending on the balls involved. A foul is a scoring event for the opponent, even if no ball goes into a pocket.
Suppose you are playing a red and strike the blue first. The blue is worth five, so the usual penalty is five points. Learn to check which ball is on before aiming. More complicated situations, including free balls and foul-and-a-miss decisions, need the full rules.
What “needing snookers” means
If you trail by more than the points normally available on the table, ordinary pots will not be enough to catch up. You need penalty points as well. A safety can leave the opponent an awkward route to the ball on and create a chance of a foul. The scoreboard and the balls remaining both matter when choosing your next shot.
A first-frame routine
- Check the ball on and the current score.
- Choose a pot you can make and think about where the white should finish.
- After a red, choose a colour that leaves a useful next shot.
- When a pot is too difficult, consider a safety instead.
Snooker Rivals provides aiming, power and spin controls. Use the game controls guide to learn the interface, then try a free practice table from Play. The game is in alpha and its handling of unusual rule situations is still being refined.
For the complete sport rules and current updates, see the WPBSA official rules. This page is a beginner introduction, not a substitute for the rulebook.