The objective of the game is to score more points than one's opponent by potting object balls in the correct order.
At the start of a frame, the balls are positioned as shown in the first image, and the players then take turns hitting shots by striking the cue ball with the tip of the cue, their aim being to pot one of the red balls into a pocket and thereby score a point.
Failure to make contact with the red ball constitutes a foul shot.
If the striker pots a red ball, he or she must then pot one of the six "colours".
If the player successfully pots a colour, the value of that ball is added to the player's score, and the ball is returned to its starting position on the table.
After that, the player must pot another red ball, then another colour, in sequence.
This process continues until the striker fails to pot the desired ball, at which point the opponent comes to the table to play the next shot.
The act of scoring sequentially in this manner is to make a break (see scoring below).

The game continues in this manner until all the reds are potted and only the six colours are left on the table.
At this point the colours must be potted in the order from least to most valuable ball, as per the table to the right.
The shots are: yellow first (two points), then green (three points), brown (four points), blue (five points), pink (six points) and black (seven points), the balls not being returned to play.
When the final ball is potted, the player with more points wins.
If the scores are equal when all the balls have been potted, the black is placed back on its spot as a tiebreaker.
In this situation, called re-spotted black, the black ball is placed on its designated spot and the cue ball is played as ball in hand.
The referee then tosses a coin and the winner decides which player goes first.
The frame continues until one of the players pots the black ball or commits a foul.
A player may also concede a frame while on strike if he or she thinks there are not enough points available on the table to beat the opponent's score.
In professional snooker this is a common occurrence.

Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee.
The referee also replaces the colours on the table when necessary and calls out how many points the player has scored during a break.
Professional players usually play the game in a sporting manner, declaring fouls which they have committed but the referee has missed, acknowledging good shots from their opponent, and holding up a hand to apologise for fortunate shots, known as "flukes".
The objective of the game is to score more points than one's opponent by potting object balls in the correct order. At the start of a frame, the balls are positioned as shown in the first image, and the players then take turns hitting shots by striking the cue ball with the tip of the cue, their aim being to pot one of the red balls into a pocket and thereby score a point. Failure to make contact with the red ball constitutes a foul shot. If the striker pots a red ball, he or she must then pot one of the six "colours". If the player successfully pots a colour, the value of that ball is added to the player's score, and the ball is returned to its starting position on the table. After that, the player must pot another red ball, then another colour, in sequence. This process continues until the striker fails to pot the desired ball, at which point the opponent comes to the table to play the next shot. The act of scoring sequentially in this manner is to make a break (see scoring below).
The game continues in this manner until all the reds are potted and only the six colours are left on the table. At this point the colours must be potted in the order from least to most valuable ball, as per the table to the right. The shots are: yellow first (two points), then green (three points), brown (four points), blue (five points), pink (six points) and black (seven points), the balls not being returned to play. When the final ball is potted, the player with more points wins. If the scores are equal when all the balls have been potted, the black is placed back on its spot as a tiebreaker. In this situation, called re-spotted black, the black ball is placed on its designated spot and the cue ball is played as ball in hand. The referee then tosses a coin and the winner decides which player goes first. The frame continues until one of the players pots the black ball or commits a foul. A player may also concede a frame while on strike if he or she thinks there are not enough points available on the table to beat the opponent's score. In professional snooker this is a common occurrence.
Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee. The referee also replaces the colours on the table when necessary and calls out how many points the player has scored during a break. Professional players usually play the game in a sporting manner, declaring fouls which they have committed but the referee has missed, acknowledging good shots from their opponent, and holding up a hand to apologise for fortunate shots, known as "flukes".
Snooker