Is Pool Easier Than Snooker? – Global Sports Planet

At first glance, pool and snooker may look similar, but distinct differences set them apart. On closer inspection, pool and snooker differ from the size of the table, pockets, and balls to the rules and penalties of the game. Considering the differences, is pool easier to play than snooker?

The rules of an 8-ball pool game are more straightforward. Pool balls are slightly bigger and heavier than snooker balls, making them easier to control when playing a shot. Pool is easier to play because the table is smaller and the pockets larger, making it easier to line up and sink a ball.

The availability of pool tables makes the game far more accessible to the average person, but does this mean pool is easier to play? Pool tables are far more common and found in most bars, games rooms, malls, and bowling alleys. In contrast, snooker tables are located in venues specializing in billiards games.

Is Pool An Easier Game Than Snooker?

Snooker’s most obvious variation from the pool is using 15 red balls and six additional colored balls with increasing numerical value. The basic setup of the table is different from the pool, with the addition of penalizable obstacles added to the game.

Pool, on the other hand, only has 15 balls. The numbered solid and striped balls range from 1 – 14. Seven are solid colors, and seven are colored balls with a thick white stripe in the middle. The black ball is the 15th, commonly known as the 8 ball.

Pool, as we know it today, came about after snooker and is a game that is much quicker to finish compared to snooker.

The game of snooker and its rules were established in the late 1800s by members of the British Army. These games were initially played on a large flat table without pockets, using rules similar to pool.

A few factors make the pool easier to play than snooker. Although the basic mechanics of the two games are almost identical, the equipment’s physical characteristics make it easier to sink a shot playing pool than playing snooker.

Equipment That Makes Pool Easier Than Snooker

Both pool and snooker are played on a slate, felt-covered table with a cue and balls. However, each sport’s equipment differs slightly from the size of the balls to the table’s design.

These variations make pool balls easier to control, speeding up play and allowing for more pool games to be completed compared to finishing one round of snooker. So, what are these differences, and how do they affect the game?

Pool Tables Are Smaller Than Snooker Tables

Technically all cue and ball sports are played on billiards tables. The table is an essential piece of equipment for playing snooker or pool. All billiards tables must have a 2-to-1 ratio of length to width.

Professional snooker is played on a regulation-size table of 10 feet long by 5 feet wide, requiring a slate thickness of 1,77 inches thick. Tournament Pool table dimensions measure 9 feet in length and 4,5 feet wide and have a slate thickness of only 1 inch.

Pool tables can be as small as 7 feet by 3,5 feet, which is the standard size for most coin-operated tables in arcades, bowling alleys, and pool halls.

Pool Balls Are Bigger Than Snooker Balls

Not only is a pool table smaller than a snooker table, but the balls used are also marginally bigger. The size of a regulation pool ball is 2,42 inches in diameter, whereas the requirements for a snooker ball are that it is not bigger than 2,07 inches.

Pool balls being bigger means they are also heavier, with an average mass of 8,52 ounces compared to the 4,93 ounces of a snooker ball. A larger, heavier ball is much easier to control, allowing for more spin to be generated with the cue ball, creating more control over the shot.

With bigger balls and a smaller playing surface, the pockets on a pool table need to be bigger than their snooker counterparts. The pockets are nearly 1,5 inches wider on a pool table compared to a snooker table. The table design facilitates more angular play and allows pool players to hit the ball harder.

With these factors at play, an average game of pool lasts around 15 minutes, whereas a frame of snooker is more likely to last approximately 25 minutes, assuming the players are of reasonable and equal ability. As both games can include ten frames, the snooker rules require a higher concentration level in comparison.

What Are The Rules That Make Pool Easier Than Snooker?

American pool, which differs from the British pool, has 15 balls on the table, divided into solid color or striped pattern balls and the black 8 balls.

A player can sink a solid color ball or a striped patterned ball from the break. If they sink a solid color ball, they must sink all the solid color balls, while their opponent must sink the striped pattern balls. Playing and potting the wrong ball results in a penalty shot for their opponent.

Although the rules have nuances and variations, the game is simple. A player can continue to pot balls if they sink the previous shot. Once they have pocketed all seven, they must sink the black 8 ball to claim victory.

The rules of snooker are more involved, making it harder to play. Played with 15 unnumbered red balls racked in the pyramid frame, six colored balls set in a specific position on the table, and a cue ball, the skill required to play snooker differs from the pool.

A snooker player must sink a red ball before attempting to pot a numbered ball for points. Pocketed colored balls are returned to the table if red balls are still in play. Having sunk all the red balls, the players can focus solely on sinking the colored balls for extra points.

Colored balls remaining on the table can only be sunk in the standard sequence of the yellow ball, followed by green, brown, blue, pink, and black.

Point scoring is essential and must be kept track of in a snooker game, and there is little variation in the rules. In contrast, there is no point scoring in a game of pool unless players decide to play a point-allocated variation of the game.

Fewer rules to comply with and scores to consider makes pool a far more casual and more accessible game to play.

Conclusion

Although those who prefer playing snooker may argue the opposite, with fewer, larger, heavier balls played on a smaller table with bigger pockets, it would be logical to assume that pool is easier to play than snooker. Even with the many versions of pool, the simplified rules of pool are easier to track, making the game more accessible and enjoyable.