US Snooker Rules

R

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have recently started playing a little snooker at a local room, yet they play quite differently than the Europeans. For example, they play no "free ball" situations, in fact they say they have never heard of it. They also play all fouls at 7 points instead of the point structure in the rules. I don't know why they do this.

I have read about the free ball rule in the BCA Snooker rules and it just says it's not used for BCA play.

So, my question to American snooker players here is, what is the norm for American snooker where you play?
 
Sounds to me like you are playing with some uneducated Snooker players. No disrespect meant of course...........regardless if you are playing Snooker in England or the US, the rules are the rules.

Good luck!

Mike
 
I agree completely with playing by the rules, which is why I have absolutely no interest in anything to do with league play. I don't know why there is an altered american set of rules for snooker, but since there is, it seems like americans would at least play by them. It's like playing barbox 8 ball or 9 ball I guess, every house has it's own rules. I think thats why I have played one pocket and 14-1 all these years, generally anybody that's likes to play those games also likes to play by THE RULES.
 
Renegade_56 said:
I don't know why there is an altered american set of rules for snooker.
Click to expand...

Tut tut tut, Aint you ever read the Constitution ? ;)


I'm sure somewhere it says...

And from this day forth we the undersigned tax dodging rebel colonialists will be know as great men, the forefathers of generations to come of gun weilding coke sniffing citizens of this vast country we have stolen from the native indian. Generations of world champions shall stem from our seeds even if it means changing the rules of every god dammed game or sport ever invented so that only we participate. etc, etc, etc.
 
tksix said:
Sounds to me like you are playing with some uneducated Snooker players. No disrespect meant of course...........regardless if you are playing Snooker in England or the US, the rules are the rules.

Good luck!

Mike
Click to expand...

I've played a lot of snooker under both sets of rules.
I much prefer American snooker rules.
Please examine these rules...I'm interested in your response.

regards pt
 
pt............my confusion. I thought he was playing on an "English" table with some fabricated house rules. I have played "American" snooker on a 5 x 10 by the American rules as well.

I would say my preference is English Snooker. However, as long as I am playing some type of cue sport I am happy!!

Mike
 
Yes there are American Snooker rules, there is no free ball and it is 7 points per foul. I have no idea why this is the case when the rest of the World plays to the 'normal' snooker rules. I don't think it makes much difference either way both players play to the same set of rules!

Wity thats a bit strong dude and incorrect,of course the drug of choice here is still weed, but methamphetamine is rising fast:frown:
 
Where I grew up, a foul was 4 unless the foul was committed on a ball larger than the brown, then it was the value of the ball.

No frozen ball rule, a rail must be contacted after the cue ball strikes the object ball, and breaks (initial shot, not a run) were often open. We also did not rack the balls in accordance with international standards but that didn't seem to bother anyone. Snooker was very popular here until the mid to late 70s - then just died off.

It really doesn't matter as anyone adept at playing the game could switch to another set of rules quite easily. Some of the local towns played the 7 point foul rule but otherwise were the same. What matters is loving the game in any of its variations.

Since there are basically no snooker tables to be found in this area (where there once were MANY), it hardly makes a difference. :(
 
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I'd rather play 7 points a foul and whatever else you guts do rather than them micky mouse set of rules the idiots have come up with over here for "power snooker".
 
Wity said:
I'd rather play 7 points a foul and whatever else you guts do rather than them micky mouse set of rules the idiots have come up with over here for "power snooker".
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Wity that is so true, it's a joke and it's certainly not 'Snooker'. They can call it what they like but please remove Snooker from the title, why not just have the guys move to playing 9 ball or 10 ball if they wanted a change and something faster?
 
I've played it three ways:

1. THE RULES. We adhere to the proper rules in the Snooker Ladder for New England.
[For Wity's benefit, insert joke here about New England vs. Old England]

2. SOMETHING LIKE THE RULES. Except in egregious cases of the cue whacking a few balls or rearranging the reds, when my buddies and I are playing we don't count touch fouls. Losing four points because your sleeve brushed a ball can get tedious if someone's going for a really interesting shot. Screw it, I want to see if he can make the shot.

Besides, rather than accept points for a foul I'd rather be able to make fun of someone: "Yeah, move that ball wherever you'd like, we all want you to be comfortable on this shot, that's what's important."

3. POOL / SNOOKER HOUSE RULES. Basically, whatever everyone agrees to. For those who drink while playing, it can help to stick with rules that are more easily remembered. Freeze the rack of reds to the pink for the break? Sure. All fouls four or seven points? Whatever. Have to hit a rail after contact? Okay.

The first time a pool player approaches the table tentatively and asks, "What the hell is this?" I try to lure him or her a bit closer, maybe let the person take some practice shots, and then play a frame or two to try to set the hook and reel them in.

Once they're hooked, reinforce the standard rules. It's worked so far.

Generations of world champions shall stem from our seeds even if it means changing the rules of every god dammed game or sport ever invented so that only we participate. etc, etc, etc.
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But changing the rules is a game all in itself. Someone, somewhere is probably playing a game that involves kicking a basketball into a hockey net that has a wicket in the middle protected by a female goalie wearing her beach volleyball "uniform".

I might actually start watching TV if that game were on.
 
Rethunk said:
But changing the rules is a game all in itself. Someone, somewhere is probably playing a game that involves kicking a basketball into a hockey net that has a wicket in the middle protected by a female goalie wearing her beach volleyball "uniform".

I might actually start watching TV if that game were on.
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Move over on that sofa and pass me a beer. :D


Come to think of it the first time i ever saw a pool table was in a pub here in Wolverhampton around 1972. It was a full sized american table and me and my mates (i was 14 or 15 then) had no idea how to play. The landlord told us each player picked either the left or righ hand side to which his balls must be potted and the winner was the one whose potted balls added up to the most.

Reckon he had no clue either even I know the stripes are worth 3.832 times the value of the spots.:D
 
I've seen people playing all kinds of screwed up rules. Black worth 8. Strike the pink off the break. Some crazy crap. I don't care what the game is, I'd rather play by the correct rules. But that's me, I'm a rule follower.
 
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Renegade_56 said:
I have recently started playing a little snooker at a local room, yet they play quite differently than the Europeans. For example, they play no "free ball" situations, in fact they say they have never heard of it. They also play all fouls at 7 points instead of the point structure in the rules. I don't know why they do this.

I have read about the free ball rule in the BCA Snooker rules and it just says it's not used for BCA play.

So, my question to American snooker players here is, what is the norm for American snooker where you play?
Click to expand...

The United States Snooker Association doesn't recognize the rules of "American Snooker", as we adhere to the international rules of snooker laid down by the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association and the International Billiards & Snooker Federation.

http://www.snookerusa.com/aboutsnooker/rules.php

Best wishes.

Alan.
 
Alan Morris said:
The United States Snooker Association doesn't recognize the rules of "American Snooker", as we adhere to the international rules of snooker laid down by the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association and the International Billiards & Snooker Federation.

http://www.snookerusa.com/aboutsnooker/rules.php

Best wishes.

Alan.
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That is true Alan. But you are playing English Snooker in America, not
American Snooker.

Granted, the "no two consecutive fouls" rule seems bizare, even to me.
But wouldn't you agree the ball-to-a-rail<like in pool> makes for a more
demanding game.
Let alone the significantly increased dificulty of pocketing balls<potting>
on an American table?

Dale
 
pdcue said:
That is true Alan. But you are playing English Snooker in America, not
American Snooker.

Granted, the "no two consecutive fouls" rule seems bizare, even to me.
But wouldn't you agree the ball-to-a-rail<like in pool> makes for a more
demanding game.
Let alone the significantly increased dificulty of pocketing balls<potting>
on an American table?

Dale
Click to expand...

OK, now this response raises yet another question, being,,,,,,

Is it harder to pot American Snooker balls on an American Snooker table, than it is to pot English Snooker Balls on an English Snooker table?

Do most american snooker table/rooms, use 2 1/8" balls, instead of the smaller 2 1/16"balls the english use, therefore making the pockets effectively 1/16" tighter?
 
pdcue said:
That is true Alan. But you are playing English Snooker in America, not
American Snooker.

Granted, the "no two consecutive fouls" rule seems bizare, even to me.
But wouldn't you agree the ball-to-a-rail<like in pool> makes for a more
demanding game.
Let alone the significantly increased dificulty of pocketing balls<potting>
on an American table?

Dale
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting, but it isn't snooker. And I think given the size of the table etc. it's demanding enough already considering the decline of snooker compared to pool is broadly believed to be due to the level of difficulty of the game.
 
Renegade_56 said:
OK, now this response raises yet another question, being,,,,,,

Is it harder to pot American Snooker balls on an American Snooker table, than it is to pot English Snooker Balls on an English Snooker table?

Do most american snooker table/rooms, use 2 1/8" balls, instead of the smaller 2 1/16"balls the english use, therefore making the pockets effectively 1/16" tighter?
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, and it's a lot more than 1/16" tighter.

Some clairification(s).

The English/International game is played on a "Billiard" table.
Unless things have changed for the worse, only us colonials use the term
"Snooker table" to describe the table Snooker is played on.

American tables do have smaller pockets, but it is the severe rounding
of the cushions to form the opening that makes all the difference.
As a rule of thumb, with no actual hard data to back it up, consider a typical shot,
shooting the Black<7 ball> off its spot from a comfortable
distance at an angle requiring the infamous half-ball-hit.

Factoring in the effective pocket size, larger ball, and pocket geometry,
That pot on an American 5 x 10 is about twice as difficult as on
an English 6 x 12. Just for fun, think about how hard the game was
when there were many 6 x 12 American style tables in the larger cities
of America. Shooting the Pink<6 ball> off its spot from within the D,
roughly equivalent to a 'spot shot' in pool, was enough to make a strong man weep.

Sadly, the strictly American version of the game has all but disapeared.
A distressingly high percentage of the tables available for public use
have been bastardized to 2 1/4 inch corner pockets to play
the vile "golf" and/or "indemnity/insurance". An act that IMHO should
be a felony.

Dale
 
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rebound said:
Sounds interesting, but it isn't snooker. And I think given the size of the table etc. it's demanding enough already considering the decline of snooker compared to pool is broadly believed to be due to the level of difficulty of the game.
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I beg to differ. Saying American Snooker is not Snooker makes no more
sense than saying Balkline isn't Billiards because you don't have to hit
3 cushions. At the end of the day, there is very little difference in the
play of one version vs the other.

They say the same thing about the decline of Straight Pool - too difficult
for bangers. IMNSHO it is much more to do with the decline
of the 'Poolroom' culture that is the true cause.
One Pocket, which is by far the most complex game of all, and is the most
demanding to acheive an accomplished level of play, is much more popular
than ever.

Dale
 
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