Things I dont understand about snooker.
- Thread starter alphadog
- Start date
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#free_ball
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#miss
"If a player is called for a miss three times in a single visit while not snookered, he forfeits the frame; to avoid this, players almost always play an easy hit on their third attempt, even if it is likely to leave a chance for the opponent."
That wasn't too hard, was it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#miss
"If a player is called for a miss three times in a single visit while not snookered, he forfeits the frame; to avoid this, players almost always play an easy hit on their third attempt, even if it is likely to leave a chance for the opponent."
That wasn't too hard, was it?
So what determines "snookered"? That is a huge question for me. Not so simple afterall.
You are snookered if you can't hit both extreme edges of a ball on.
There are some details.
You are not snookered on the first shot of the game (the break off) even though you cannot hit both edges of any red ball. That's because a ball on cannot snooker you. If the intervening reds were removed, you could hit the corner reds from some part of the D.
You cannot be snookered by the cushion. If you are corner hooked, tough tittie.
Here is the actual text:
17. Snookered
The cue-ball is said to be snookered when a direct stroke in a straight line to
every ball on is wholly or partially obstructed by a ball or balls not on. If one or
more balls on can be struck at both extreme edges free of obstruction by any
ball not on, the cue-ball is not snookered.
(a) If in-hand, the cue-ball is snookered if it is obstructed as described above
from all possible positions on or within the lines of the “D”.
(b) If the cue-ball is so obstructed from hitting a ball on by more than one ball
not on:
(i) the ball nearest to the cue-ball is considered to be the effective
snookering ball; and
(ii) should more than one obstructing ball be equidistant from the cueball,
all such balls will be considered to be effective snookering balls.
(c) When Red is the ball on, if the cue-ball is obstructed from hitting different
Reds by different balls not on, there is no effective snookering ball.
(d) The striker is said to be snookered when the cue-ball is snookered as
above.
(e) The cue-ball cannot be snookered by a cushion. If the curved face of a
cushion obstructs the cue-ball and is closer to the cue-ball than any
obstructing ball not on, the cue-ball is not snookered.
The cue-ball is said to be snookered when a direct stroke in a straight line to
every ball on is wholly or partially obstructed by a ball or balls not on. If one or
more balls on can be struck at both extreme edges free of obstruction by any
ball not on, the cue-ball is not snookered.
(a) If in-hand, the cue-ball is snookered if it is obstructed as described above
from all possible positions on or within the lines of the “D”.
(b) If the cue-ball is so obstructed from hitting a ball on by more than one ball
not on:
(i) the ball nearest to the cue-ball is considered to be the effective
snookering ball; and
(ii) should more than one obstructing ball be equidistant from the cueball,
all such balls will be considered to be effective snookering balls.
(c) When Red is the ball on, if the cue-ball is obstructed from hitting different
Reds by different balls not on, there is no effective snookering ball.
(d) The striker is said to be snookered when the cue-ball is snookered as
above.
(e) The cue-ball cannot be snookered by a cushion. If the curved face of a
cushion obstructs the cue-ball and is closer to the cue-ball than any
obstructing ball not on, the cue-ball is not snookered.
I assume you already knew that "on" means "a legal target at this point in the game". Complete official rules with definitions:
https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/official-rules-of-the-game.pdf
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(The snooker people tend to call them by their colors rather than their numbers.)
That would be a foul and a miss and a free ball. The opponent could nominate any color to be the green, or require the fouler to shoot again, or have the cue ball replaced. It would not be the first of 3.
There is a special rule for the 3-foul-loss-of-frame situation. In that case, you only lose the frame if "there was a clear path in a straight line from the cue-ball to a ball that was on or could have been on, such that central, full ball, contact was available".
This is different from being snookered and can be a little hard to judge if there is maybe a window between intervening balls. In this case I think the jaw would prevent a "clear path" to hit a full ball.
So, if you can just see the edge of the last red because it is mostly behind a color, and you miss it, trying to get a very thin hit, the foul is not the first of three.
Thank you sir!