The Game
The word ‘snooker’ is derived from military origins, being a slang term for first-year rooky cadets, and proved to be a popular activity amongst British Army Officers stationed in India. The game evolved from the original game of Billiards simply by adding extra colours to the table. Sportsmanship is essential; it’s no place for cads, cheats or sneaks. It is played on a regulation (full-size) table that is 12 ft × 6 ft (3.6 m x 1.8 m).
The Object
Score more points than the opponent by potting the red and coloured balls in the predefined order. It simply goes: red then any colour, red then any colour and so on and on, until all the reds have gone! Then it’s Yellow, Green & Brown followed by the blue, the pink and finally the black.
Racking the balls
The reds should be ‘racked’ using a wooden triangle. The table is marked with a number of spots to place the coloured balls. The black sits halfway between the reds and the cushion. The pink sits close to but not touching the point of the racked reds. Blue is placed at the centre, with the remaining three colours sitting on the ‘baulk line’. Looking down the table towards the reds, position the balls as green, brown and then yellow. (God, Bless, You again.)