Snooker is a free online snooker game that runs in your browser with no download and no account. It is a full frame on a full-size table: fifteen reds, six colours, six pockets and the alternation that makes the game what it is — a red, then a colour, then a red, with every colour going back on its spot until the reds are finished. Only then are the colours taken in order, yellow through black, and left down. Aim by pointing anywhere on the cloth, set the pace on the power bar and strike; the balls run on a proper physics table with cushions, cannons and cut angles, so a thin cut down the rail is a real shot and so is leaving yourself nothing. Fouls work as they should: miss the ball you are on, go in off, or pot something that was not on, and the four points — or more, if a dearer ball was involved — go to the other player. Six opponents take the table from a club player who only sees the ball in front of them to one that reads the whole table and plays for position, and the difference between them was measured by having them play, not written into a stat block. The frame ends when the table is cleared or when the points left on it can no longer catch the leader, which is exactly when a real one does — and a level frame goes to a respotted black rather than being handed to anybody.
How to play Snooker
- You break first. Point anywhere on the cloth to aim the cue ball at it — the dashed line shows where the cue ball will go and the cue pulls back as you add power.
- Set the pace on the power bar, then press Strike. On a keyboard, the left and right arrows turn the aim about two degrees a press, up and down set the power, and space strikes.
- Pot a red to score one, and you stay at the table. You are then on a colour — any colour you like, which is the whole reason a break is worth planning.
- A potted colour scores its own value: yellow two, green three, brown four, blue five, pink six, black seven. While reds remain it goes straight back on its spot.
- After a colour you are back on the reds. Red, colour, red, colour, until the last red has gone.
- The colour you take straight after the last red still comes back up. From the shot after that the colours are taken in order — yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black — and this time they stay down.
- Miss the ball you are on, hit the wrong one first, or go in off, and it is a foul: four points to your opponent, or the value of the ball involved if that is higher.
- Potting a ball that was not on is also a foul, and the ball goes back on its spot. Two reds in one shot, on the other hand, is perfectly legal and scores two.
- The frame is over when the table is cleared, or sooner if the points still on it cannot catch the leader. If the scores are level when the last black goes down, the black is respotted and it is played off.
- Win a frame to unlock the next opponent. Your progress is kept in your own browser.
Tips
- Think about where the cue ball finishes, not just whether the red goes in. Potting is the easy half; being on a colour afterwards is the half that makes a break.
- The black is worth seven and sits at the far end with a spot of its own, so a break built on reds near the black is worth far more than the same reds near the yellow.
- Use less power than feels right. A hard shot that pots leaves the cue ball three cushions away with nothing on; a gentle one leaves you where you were.
- When nothing is on, hit the ball you are on anyway. A missed pot costs you the table; a miss that touches nothing costs four points as well.
- A cut past about seventy degrees is not a pot however hard you hit it — that is the cloth, not the opponent, and it was measured by sweeping the angle rather than assumed.
- The later opponents are not just more accurate — they see more of the table. The club player only looks at the three balls nearest the cue ball; the last one considers twelve, which is why it finds pots you did not know were there.
- A frame can be over before the balls are: once what is left on the table cannot catch the leader, it ends. Watch the gap when the reds run low.
FAQ
Is Snooker free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no plugin, no sign-up and nothing to buy. The first opponent is open straight away and the rest unlock by winning frames.
How is this different from the pool game here?
Almost everything. The table is longer and slower, there are twenty-two balls instead of sixteen, and the scoring is snooker scoring — a red, then a colour, then a red, with colours respotted until the reds are gone.
What am I allowed to hit?
Whatever you are on, which the board tells you at all times. Reds while any red is on the table, then any colour you choose, then reds again. Once the reds are finished the colours must be taken in order from yellow to black.
What counts as a foul?
Hitting nothing, hitting the wrong ball first, potting a ball that was not on, potting a red and a colour together, or going in off. It costs four points, or the value of the ball involved if that is more, and your opponent comes to the table.
Do the colours come back after they are potted?
While any red is left, yes — every colour goes back on its own spot, or the highest spot still free if its own is taken. Once the reds are gone the colours are taken in order and stay down.
How good are the opponents?
It is measured rather than declared. Each one picks its shot by actually playing out the candidates on the same table you are playing on, so what it sees is what happens. Over eighty shots each they pot 19, 21, 26, 30, 48 and 49 percent of the time going up the ladder, and they make a legal contact on at least 93 percent of shots.
Can I play it without a mouse?
Yes. The left and right arrow keys turn the aim about two degrees a press, up and down set the power, and the space bar strikes. The power slider keeps its own arrow keys when it has focus.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Drag anywhere on the cloth to aim, set the power bar and tap Strike. The table keeps its proportions on any screen, so a portrait phone shows the same full-size table as a desktop.