Why Not Try Snooker Instead?

How about a game of snooker? A surprisingly high number of people in North America have not heard of or played this great billards variation. In the rest of the world, most people choose to play snooker in billiards rooms and pool halls. And in terms of televised sports in England, snooker is one of the most highly viewed programs. It's time snooker got more applause in North America, too.

Snooker began as a simple variation of the game of pool. It was originally called "pyramid pool", and was merely a different version of "life" or "black" games already in use. In 1875, Sir Neville Chamberlain modified the game, and it took off in popularity. English soldiers loved to play the new game, and it enjoyed a steady increase in popularity up to the present day's peak in modern England.

Learning to play snooker can seem complex to beginners, but the basic rules are fairly simple. The most complicated step is setting the table:

* Snooker requires a standard, full-size billiards table that measures 12 feet by 6 feet.

* Snooker balls come in standard sets of 22 balls. Each includes a white "cue" ball, and one each of green, black, blue, brown, yellow, and pink. Finally, there are 15 red balls in each set.

* The green, brown, yellow balls are placed at one end of the table, with a 6 inch gap between them. The blue ball goes in the dead center of the table. Pink splits the distance between the blue ball and the end of the table cushion on the far side. The black ball gets its own special spot, marked about 13 inches from the far cushion.

* The fifteen red balls are set in the triangle rack and placed immediately behind the pink ball. The apex ('point') of the red triangle should come as close as possible to the pink ball, without actually touching it.

Once the balls are properly set, the game can begin. The breaking player strikes the triangle of red balls. When a player sinks a red ball, he or she is then free to shoot and sink any one of the six colored balls. The yellow ball is worth two points, the green is worth three, the brown ball is worth four, the blue is five, the pink is six, and the black is worth seven points. When a colored ball has been sunk, the point is scored and the ball is retrieved and re-spotted on the table.

There are also varieties of snooker that you can try out after you have mastered the basic game. As you can see, snooker is not terribly complex, but it can still be a drag on the fun part of the game for newcomers trying too remember all the rules, so it is best to have an experienced player explain the snooker rules to you.

For more than a century, snooker has been a beloved sport in England and many other countries. And with good reason! It is fun, easy to play, and yet demanding of skills as one progresses. If you already own a regulation sized pool table, why not get a set of snooker balls, and add a new game to your repertoire?

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

Author Barbara Miller loves writing for a variety of Internet sites, on travel tips and fishing sports recreation subjects.
Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the snooker Articles Submission Service

If You want to use this article on your website then select COPY THIS ARTICLE in the Menu on the right side!

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated