Pool VS Snooker: What’s the Difference?

When it comes to games, pool is a timeless classic. It is a game that people have been enjoying for many years, and it is still just as popular now as it was back when it first came around. Most pubs and venues that you go to these days will have a pool table. It is perfect for customers to socialise with friends and it is also a good attraction for the venue and keeps customers in there for longer, therefore bringing in more profits for your business.

Another game that is perceived as being similar to pool and that is almost equally as popular, is snooker. However, a lot of people get mixed up between the two and don’t really know the difference. Furthermore, though a lot of people assume them to be similar, they are in fact two very different games. So, we thought we would break them down and tell you about the difference between pool and snooker in this blog.

Pool

Pool is arguably the more straightforward game of the two. It is quite simple, with a clear aim and a clear set of rules. Furthermore, it also tends to be a bit more popular than snooker. Ultimately, the aim of pool is to pot all of your balls before the opponent, and then pot the black ball once you have done this. It can be played with up to 15 balls and a white ball is used for aiming. To differentiate between each team, the balls are usually either spots or stripes.

To begin the game, the first player will break, and whichever ball they pot, whether this is spots or stripes, will determine which they are playing for. If both a spot and a stripe are potted upon the break, the player will have the option of which they would like. On the other hand, if no balls are potted on the break, it will come down to the first person who pots a ball as the game begins. The game is then pretty simple, as each player just has to pot all of their balls into the pockets on the table.

This is a very popular social game as it can be easily enjoyed between two people or it can be played in groups. Furthermore, there are also other variations of games if players do not wish to play a full game of pool.

Snooker

Snooker is a little bit more complex and complicated than pool. In snooker you have a points system, and the winner at the end goes off the total points scored throughout the game. To start with, there are a total of 15 red balls which are all worth one point each when you pot them. There are also six different coloured balls on the table each with a points value of between two and seven when these are potted.

During the game, players must alternate between scoring the red balls and the coloured balls in order to pick up points. The game is also divided into frames, and it is the person with the most frames at the end that is the winner overall.

As you can see, there is quite a significant difference in the way these two games are played. Snooker is a little more complicated unless you are familiar with it, which is why you tend to see more pool tables in social areas and venues. However, both are a great attraction for social clubs and pubs, and we would recommend hiring one for your venue to attract more customers, keep them entertained, and also keep them in your venue for longer.

If you would like to know more or are interested in hiring a pool table for your venue, simply get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.