• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Snookerfans?

Martin

Martin

Active Member
I've been watching the Snooker World Championship, in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, for a couple of days now, and it seems that, as the years progress, I get more and more interested in this line of sport.

I find it absolutely riveting.

Any Snookerfans here who are also watching the WC?

Cheers
 
I sometimes watch it, prefer the darts. Snooker and darts are one of those sports you find yourself enjoying more when you play than when you simply watch.
 
ok...I'm going to show my american again....

Can you kinda explain snooker? Is that sort of like pool, or biliards?
 
Explain Snooker, eh?

Boiled down to its basics: 15 red balls (1 point), one yellow (2 pts), one green (3 pts), one brown (4 pts), one blue (5 pts), one pink (6 pts) and one black ball (7 pts) are layed out on a snookertable (a pooltable, but much larger) like this.

4jku0y

How to play: The idea is to pot a red ball, followed by a socalled coloured ball (anything but red), then a red ball again, a coloured ball, etc. Everytime a coloured ball is potted, it is put back on its original spot, until all the red balls have been potted. Then you are supposed to pot the coloured balls in a particular order (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black). At that stage the coloured balls are not put back.

The objective: Clear the table, or score enough points so that your opponent can't overtake you anymore.

However, there is a way of scoring points without potting a ball. If you leave the cueball (white ball) in such a place that your opponent can't reach the objectball, and he therefore misses the shot, you receive 4 points; this is called a 'Snooker'. At that point you can have the cueball respotted, so that your opponent will have to try again. The record for consecutive misses is 11 in a row; that means 44 points without a ball being potted. In other words, scoring points until your opponent can't overtake you anymore will not guarantee a win.

The highest amount of points a player can get is the fabled 147; 15 red balls coupled with 15 black balls makes 15 x 8 = 120. Add to this all 6 colours, which add up to 27, and you get a socalled one four seven. If you do this in one go, clearing the table without letting the opponent play, you will have made the highest possible break, and you'll earn bucketloads of cash. Very few have done this.

I could go on and on and on...

Cheers
 
Did the "pool" that I know, with multicolored balls (15 I believe), 7 solid colors, and 7 with stripes plus the black "8" ball come from snooker, or did snooker come from "pool"?

Which came first? The snooker or the pool?

By the way, thanks for that very informative explanation. Best one I've got to date in TBF.

You Da Man!!!! Martin.
 
There are many more rules than I explained above, but that's the basics of it.

Some history (I had to look this up):

Apparently, the first clues about a game resembling billiard were found in the 5th century BC. It wasn't until the 19th century that the entire concept of holes in the table was introduced to the game. Pool was born. It was at about the same time that a Brit, Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain of the British Army garrisons of India, invented Snooker to pass the time in the dusty colonel's office.

In short, I'd say they came about almost simultaniously.

By the way, you should read this - It's a thread I started a year ago, I think. It's all about asking me anything you want, and I'll try to look it up for you as best I can. It ran for seven months and got almost a thousand replies, before I grew tired of it and closed it. I'm thinking of reopening it.

Cheers
 
I very much like snooker. My favourite had always been Mr Prodigy Stephen Hendry, but of course he's a little older now and his eyes weren't what they used to be. All those trophies must have blinded him somewhat.

And Ronny Sullivan is brilliant - super fast!

A comment: whenever a player is contemplating a move, the commentators will start talking about what this chap should do, how the cue ball must hit the cushion here and richochet off there and potting balls here and there - before the player actually plays the shot. And he'd do the exact same thing as what the commentator said. I find this fascinating, and I can never for the life of me predict the play. But then I suck at snooker.

Hmm... lemme check up some info on the Crucible...

ds
 
A comment: whenever a player is contemplating a move, the commentators will start talking about what this chap should do, how the cue ball must hit the cushion here and richochet off there and potting balls here and there - before the player actually plays the shot. And he'd do the exact same thing as what the commentator said. I find this fascinating, and I can never for the life of me predict the play. But then I suck at snooker.
Click to expand...
Watching the BBC, I presume? The BBC have Snooker legends as their commentators, such as Dennis Taylor, Johm Parrot, Steve Davis, and a few I can't remember. If those chaps can't predict the game, no one can.

I like Ronnie, too. Tony Drago's a pleasure to watch, simply because he's so incredibly fast. Steve Davis will always remain to be one of my faves, also. Can't stand Peter Ebdon, nor Stephen Hendry.

Oh, and Michaela Tabb can referee every single damn game, if you ask me.

Cheers
 
Martin said:
Watching the BBC, I presume?
Click to expand...
Not exactly. I didn't know the Crucible was on until I saw your thread.

Personally I hate to see Steve get upstaged by young hotshots in the pool circuit where he's spending some of his time nowadays. Do they even know they are playing a legend?

I just love it when the game goes down the wire, and both players want to secure that last frame. Gets the blood pumping. :)

Oh, I also like John Higgins. And Marco Fu.

Is Micheala Tabb in some short skirt or something?

ds
 
I just love it when the game goes down the wire, and both players want to secure that last frame. Gets the blood pumping.
Click to expand...
Yes! A black ball game in the last frame of a match is the single most exciting bit of sports on telly. No matter who's playing, no matter what round or tournament.

John Higgins is excellent, yes. One of the (if not the) best breakbuilders out there. Paul Hunter is a fave of mine, also - terrible what's happened to him, healthwise.

Speaking of getting the blood pumping:

Is Micheala Tabb in some short skirt or something?
Click to expand...
That'd be the day.

Cheers
 
The highest amount of points a player can get is the fabled 147; 15 red balls coupled with 15 black balls makes 15 x 8 = 120. Add to this all 6 colours, which add up to 27, and you get a socalled one four seven. If you do this in one go, clearing the table without letting the opponent play, you will have made the highest possible break, and you'll earn bucketloads of cash. Very few have done this.
Click to expand...
To exemplify - Mark Williams scored a 147 today, and received a standing ovation. Besides that, he will also receive a cheque for somewhere around 160.000 pounds. There's only one person in the entire tournament that will earn more money than he already has. Who's that, you say? The winner.

That should give you a clue as to how rare such a 'One Four Seven' is.

Cheers
 
I have to admit I am a self-confessed snooker addict. I could watch it morning , noon and night - and sometimes do. I know for example what I will be doing this weekend.

Mark Williams is my favourite player (i like his sense of humour) and I was transfixed when he did his 147 the other day. Another favourite would be Ronnie - he is the most exciting to watch.

I have watched the final of every major championship for the past few years and I get so upset when the match finishes prematurely due to one player white-washing the other.

:(
 
No, there are no women in Snooker - well, there's one, but she's a referee; Michaela Tabb. A former professional poolplayer, if my memory serves my right.

Hubba hubba indeed.

I could watch it morning , noon and night - and sometimes do.
Click to expand...
You and me both, my friend. I have the disadvantage that I live in Holland, so not every match is televised, but I watch almost everything that is televised.

My favourite sport to watch, I think.

Cheers
 
I love Jeannette Lee... especially when she doesn't do up her hair and let it all loose. When aims to shoot, and her hair fans out... hmm... :)

ds
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top