Snooker Q&A for New Viewers • afterblue.

Overview

Snooker can be difficult to follow when you are new to the game, especially when commentators move quickly between scoring maths, foul options, and table-position rules. This guide records some of my questions: if you hear phrases such as “snookers required,” “free ball,” “put him back in,” “the white has gone in,” or “the pink will not go on its spot,” you can look them up here in plain language.

Quick lookup and glossary

Common commentary phrases:

If you hear…	It usually means…
“He’s over the line” / “snookers required”	The player behind cannot win by normal potting points alone; they need penalty points from fouls.
“He’ll put him back in”	After a foul, the non-offender is asking the fouling player to play again.
“Free ball”	After a foul, the incoming player is snookered and may nominate another ball as the target.
“The white has gone in”	The cue ball has been pocketed; this is an in-off foul.
“The pink will not go”	The pink spot is occupied, so the referee must place the pink somewhere else legally.

A few useful terms:

Term	Meaning
Cue ball / white (白球)	The white ball the striker hits. Commentators often just say “the white.”
Object ball (目标球)	Any ball other than the cue ball.
Ball on (目标球/活球)	The legal target ball, or group of target balls, for the current shot. For example, when reds are on, every red is a ball on.
Colour (彩球)	Yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, or black. The red balls and the cue ball are not “colours.”
In-hand (手中球)	The cue ball is placed by the incoming player, normally inside or on the line of the D.
D (D区)	The semicircle at the baulk end of the table, around the yellow, brown, and green spots.
Pot / pocket	In everyday speech, both mean a ball goes into a pocket. In official language, a legal one is potted; a ball entering a pocket during a foul stroke is pocketed.
FOUL AND A MISS	A specific referee call: a foul where the referee judges that the player did not make a good enough attempt to hit the ball on.

What does “over the winning line” / “snookers required” mean? How do I judge and calculate it quickly?

Short version: a player is over the winning line when their lead is greater than the normal points still available on the table. The opponent then needs penalty points (罚分) from one or more fouls; potting the remaining balls normally is no longer enough.

In Chinese broadcasts this is often called 超分. It does not mean the frame is absolutely over, because the trailing player can still lay snookers and force fouls.¹

The quick method is:

Lead − points remaining = safety margin

If the lead is greater than the points remaining, the opponent needs snookers. If the lead is equal to or less than the points remaining, the opponent can still win by potting balls normally.

Common fast counts:

Situation	Maximum normal points remaining
Reds still on, red is next ball on (目标球/活球)	`8 × number of reds + 27`
Reds still on, a colour is next after a red	`7 + 8 × number of reds + 27`
No reds left, before yellow	27
Before green	25
Before brown	22
Before blue	18
Before pink	13
Before black	7

Why 8 × reds + 27? Each remaining red can be followed by a black: 1 + 7 = 8, and the final colours add 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 27.²

The second row is for the common case where a player has just potted a red and is now on a colour. For maximum-count purposes, assume the black can be taken next: 7 now, then 8 × reds + 27 after that.

Example:

Player A leads by 38, with 5 reds left and red next. Points remaining = 8 × 5 + 27 = 67. A is not over; B can still win normally.
If A leads by 68 with the same balls left, A is 1 point over, so B needs foul points from snookers.

For “how far short of the line is the leader?”, use:

Margin shortfall = points remaining − current lead + 1

This is the extra safety margin needed, not always the exact number of points the leader must pot. When a player pots a ball that stays off the table, the remaining points also drop, so commentators recalculate after each pot.

One special case: when only the black remains, a lead of more than 7 is enough. A lead of exactly 7 is not fully safe, because potting the black can tie the frame and cause a re-spotted black (重置黑球).³

In commentary shorthand: “he needs snookers” means normal potting points are not enough; he must now win penalty points from fouls.

Why is the pink sometimes re-spotted in a different place? Can this happen to other colours?

Short version: the pink goes on the pink spot if possible. If the pink spot is blocked, the referee uses the highest-value available colour spot, often the black spot.

This is the rule of spotting colours (彩球复位 / 摆回置球点).

When a colour is potted during the red-colour phase, it is re-spotted before the next shot. The referee follows this order:⁴

Put the colour back on its own spot (置球点) if possible.
If that spot is occupied (被占位), put it on the highest-value available spot (最高分值的可用置球点).
If all colour spots are occupied, place it as near as possible to its own spot, toward the top cushion (顶库 / 黑球一侧库边), without touching another ball.
For pink and black, there is an extra centre-line solution if there is no space in that direction.

So if the pink spot (粉球点) is blocked by reds and the black spot is free, the pink goes on the black spot. If the black spot is not free, the referee looks for the next highest available colour spot.

This can happen to any colour ball (任意彩球): yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, or black. It is just especially noticeable with the pink because the pink spot is close to the red pack, so it is often blocked.

Reds are different: in normal play, reds are not usually replaced once potted, although there are specific exceptions such as ball replacement after a foul and a miss (犯规且未尽力击中 / “miss”后复位).⁵

In commentary shorthand: “the pink will not go” usually means the pink spot is occupied, so the referee must find the next legal place for it.

If a player escapes badly and the cue ball fails to hit the red, who plays next? How do the foul and replay rules work?

Short version: after a foul, the non-offender (非犯规方) controls the choice. The fouling player does not automatically play again, but the opponent may choose to put them back in.

If red is the ball on (目标球/活球) and the cue ball fails to hit any red first, that is a foul (犯规). More generally, if the cue ball fails to first contact the ball on, it is a foul and penalty points are awarded to the opponent.⁶

A separate referee call, FOUL AND A MISS, may also be made if the referee judges that the player did not make a good enough attempt to hit the ball on. In other words, “missed the ball” in ordinary speech and FOUL AND A MISS in the rules are related, but they are not exactly the same thing.⁷

After a foul, the practical choices are usually:

Situation	What the non-offender can usually do
Normal foul	Play the next shot themselves, or ask the offender to play again from the position left.
FOUL AND A MISS	Ask for the balls to be replaced and make the offender play again from the original position. They may also choose the normal foul options.
Cue ball pocketed or off the table	Whoever plays next plays from in-hand (手中球), normally from the D.

Penalty points:

Minimum foul penalty is normally 4 points.
If the ball on is blue, pink, or black, the penalty can be 5, 6, or 7.
If the cue ball first hits a wrong ball, the penalty is based on the higher of the ball on and the ball wrongly contacted, subject to the 4-point minimum.
If several fouls occur in one stroke, only the highest-value penalty is applied.⁶

So when you see “sometimes the same player keeps shooting, sometimes the other player shoots,” the key is this: the choice belongs to the non-offender (非犯规方选择权). They choose whatever is more advantageous: take the table, or send the offender back in.

In commentary shorthand: “he’ll put him back in” means the opponent is making the player who fouled take the next shot.

What is a re-spotted black?

Short version: a re-spotted black (重置黑球) is a sudden-death black used to decide a tied frame.

It is different from ordinary re-spotting during a break. During the red-colour phase, the black may be potted and put back many times. A re-spotted black is specifically a frame-deciding tie-break.

When black is the only object ball left, the first legal pot or foul normally ends the frame. The exception is when both conditions apply: the scores are then equal, and aggregate scores are not relevant. In that case, the black is placed back on its spot, the players draw lots for the choice of who plays next, and the next player plays the cue ball from in-hand (手中球), normally from the D. After that, the first pot or infringement ends the frame.⁸

Example: only the black remains and Player A leads by 7. Player B pots the black legally, so the scores become level. The black is re-spotted, and the next pot or foul decides the frame.

In commentary shorthand: once the black is re-spotted, it is sudden death. Pot it legally, or force a decisive foul, and the frame is won.

What is a free ball? When is it awarded, and what are the rules?

Short version: a free ball (自由球) is awarded only after a foul, when the incoming player is snookered from the real ball on. They may nominate another ball as if it were the ball on for that shot.⁹

The key trigger is not simply “the shot looks hard.” It must be all three:

The previous player has committed a foul.
After that foul, the cue ball is snookered (被障碍球遮挡) from every ball on.
The obstruction is caused by ball(s) not on (非目标球); a cushion alone does not count as snookering the cue ball.¹⁰

When those conditions are met, the referee calls FREE BALL. If the incoming player chooses to play the next shot, they may nominate a ball that is not naturally on. That nominated ball is then treated as the ball on for that shot and takes the value of the real ball on. If it is potted, it is re-spotted.¹¹

Example: reds are on, but after your opponent’s foul the blue blocks the path to both edges of every red. The referee calls FREE BALL. You may nominate the blue as a red. If you pot the blue, you score 1 point, the blue is spotted, and you continue by playing a colour. Although the blue is normally worth 5, here it scores only 1 because it has been nominated as a red.

Not a free ball: the shot is awkward and you are near a cushion, but you can still see a direct path to both edges of at least one red. That may be difficult, but difficulty alone does not make it a free ball.

Important free-ball rules:

You must hit the nominated free ball first, unless it is hit simultaneously with a real ball on.
If you pot only the nominated free ball, it scores the value of the real ball on and is spotted.
If both the nominated free ball and a real ball on are potted, only the real ball on is scored, except when red is the ball on; in that case, each ball potted is scored. The nominated free ball is still spotted.
If the non-offender asks the fouling player to play again, or asks for the balls to be replaced, the free-ball option disappears.¹²

Advanced point: after a non-scoring shot, you normally may not leave the cue ball snookered by the nominated free ball itself. There is a narrow exception when only two object balls remain, such as pink and black, or black and one other colour.

In commentary shorthand: a free ball is the referee saying, “because the foul unfairly left you snookered, you may temporarily turn another ball into the target ball.”

What happens if the wrong ball is potted? What are the possible outcomes?

Short version: if a ball that is not on goes into a pocket during a foul stroke, the striker scores nothing for that stroke, the opponent gets penalty points, colours usually come back, and reds usually stay off.

In official snooker language, a ball entering a pocket in a legal stroke is potted (合法进袋); a ball entering a pocket during a foul stroke is pocketed (犯规落袋).¹³ So what viewers often call “the wrong ball was potted” is usually better described as a ball not on was pocketed (非目标球犯规落袋).

The cue ball is also important. Commentators often call it the white (白球). If the white goes into a pocket, that is an in-off (白球落袋) foul, and whoever plays next is usually in-hand (手中球) from the D.¹⁴

The penalty is normally the higher of:

the value of the ball on (目标球/活球), and
the value of the ball concerned (相关球) that was wrongly pocketed,

with a normal minimum of 4 points.¹⁵

Common examples:

Situation	Result
Red on: pink goes in	Foul, usually 6 penalty points to the opponent; pink is spotted.
Yellow on: black goes in	Foul, 7 penalty points; black is spotted.
Colour on after a red: red goes in	Foul, at least 4 penalty points; the red usually stays off.
Red on: red + white go in	In-off foul, usually 4 penalty points; no red score; red usually stays off; next player is in-hand.
Red on: pink + white go in	Foul, usually 6 penalty points; pink is spotted; next player is in-hand.
Red on: two reds are potted	Not wrong; all reds are balls on, so both reds score.
A nominated free ball is potted	Not wrong; it scores the value of the ball on and is spotted.

A useful way to check a messy shot is:

What was the ball on?
What did the cue ball hit first?
Which object balls entered pockets?
Did the cue ball / white also go in?
Apply the highest relevant penalty only; do not add several fouls together.

A few important possibilities explain most table situations:

Wrong colour pocketed: the colour is normally spotted before the next stroke. This applies to colours that are potted, pocketed, or forced off the table until they are finally legally potted in the final colour sequence.¹⁶
Wrong red pocketed: reds are generally not replaced (不复位) once potted, pocketed, or forced off the table, even if the fouling player benefits from that. There are exceptions, especially when balls are replaced after certain fouls, a Foul and a Miss, or other special replacement situations.¹⁷
Ball on and wrong ball both go in: because the stroke is a foul, the striker scores nothing for that stroke. For example, if red is on and a red and the pink both enter pockets, the red does not score, the pink is spotted, and the red usually stays off. Points already made earlier in the break still count, but no points are scored for balls pocketed in the foul stroke.¹⁴
Cue ball also pocketed: this is an in-off (白球落袋) foul, even if a ball on also enters a pocket. The striker scores nothing, the highest applicable penalty is awarded, and whoever plays next plays from in-hand (手中球), normally from the D. For example, if red is on and both a red and the cue ball go in, it is usually a 4-point foul; the red usually stays off. If red is on and both the pink and the cue ball go in, it is usually a 6-point foul; the pink is spotted.¹⁴
Several fouls in one shot: only the highest-value penalty is applied. For example, if the cue ball first hits a wrong colour and another wrong colour is pocketed, the referee does not add the fouls together; the highest relevant penalty is used.¹⁴
Free-ball situations: a nominated free ball is not a “wrong ball.” It is treated as the ball on for that shot. If both the free ball and a real ball on are potted, the scoring depends on whether the real ball on was a red, as explained above.¹⁸
A ball drops on its own near a pocket: if a ball falls without being hit, there are separate ball on edge of pocket (袋口悬球) rules. Depending on whether it was part of the stroke and whether a foul occurred, the ball may be replaced, the stroke may be replayed, or the usual foul options may apply.¹⁹

In commentary shorthand: “wrong ball down” usually means no score for the striker, penalty to the opponent, colours come back, reds usually do not; if the white is down too, the next stroke is from in-hand.

What happens if the black and the cue ball are both pocketed after striking the black?

A. This is usually called potting the black and going in-off (黑球入袋同时白球落袋 / 摔袋). In snooker it is not a legal pot, because the cue ball has been pocketed. The stroke is a foul (犯规), the striker scores no points for the black, and the opponent receives penalty points.¹⁴

If the black is the ball on (黑球是目标球/活球), the penalty is 7 points. If the black was not the ball on, it is still normally a 7-point foul, because the black is the highest-value ball concerned.¹⁵

What happens next depends on the stage of the frame:

Situation	Outcome
Black is played during the red-colour phase, for example after a red	Foul, 7 penalty points to the opponent; black is re-spotted; the next player plays the cue ball from in-hand (手中球), usually from the D (开球区/D形区).¹⁶¹⁴
Black is not the ball on	Foul, normally 7 penalty points; black is re-spotted if the frame continues; cue ball is in-hand for whoever is made to play next.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁴
Only the final black remains	The foul normally ends the frame. Add 7 points to the opponent, then check the score. If the scores are equal, there is a re-spotted black (重置黑球); otherwise the player leading after the penalty wins the frame.⁸
Re-spotted black is being played	Same sudden-death principle: potting the black with the cue ball going in-off is a foul, so the opponent gets 7 points and wins the frame.⁸¹⁴

Example: If Player A leads by 7 with only the final black left, then pots the black but the cue ball also goes in, Player A does not get 7 for the black. Player B receives 7 penalty points, the frame becomes tied, and the black is re-spotted.

In commentary shorthand: black down plus white down = foul, no black points, 7 to the opponent; if it is the final black, the frame is decided unless the penalty creates a tie.

Footnotes

The WPBSA Rules page identifies the official rules and says the current rulebook was released in September 2024; the rulebook also explains that when a player needs more points than remain available, laying snookers to gain foul points becomes important. https://www.wpbsa.com/rules/ ↩
WPBSA lists the values as red 1, yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7, and describes scoring by alternating reds and colours, then colours in ascending order. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s frame-ending rules cover the “black only” situation and the re-spotted black procedure when scores are tied. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA defines an occupied spot and sets out the colour re-spotting order: own spot, highest-value available spot, then nearest legal placement if all spots are occupied. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA states that reds are not usually replaced once potted, pocketed, or forced off the table, subject to listed exceptions. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA defines fouls and penalty points, states that the fouler can be asked to play the next stroke, and lists penalty values including failing to contact any object ball and first hitting a ball not on. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩ ↩²
WPBSA’s Play Again and Foul and a Miss rules explain that, after a foul-and-miss call, the non-offender may ask the offender to play again from the position left or from the original position with balls replaced. https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
The WPBSA 2024–25 official rulebook states that when only the black remains, the first pot or foul ends the frame unless the scores are then equal and aggregate scores are not relevant; if so, the black is spotted, players draw lots for choice of playing next, the next player plays from in-hand, and the first pot or infringement ends the frame. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³
WPBSA defines a free ball as a ball other than the ball on which the striker nominates as the ball on when snookered after a foul; it also defines “ball on” and “nominated ball.” https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA defines when the cue ball is snookered, states that a cushion cannot snooker the cue ball, and says the referee calls FREE BALL after a foul if the cue ball is snookered. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s Snookered After a Foul rule says the next player may nominate a ball, that the nominated free ball acquires the value of the ball on, and that it is spotted if potted. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s free-ball rule covers failing to hit the nominated free ball first, snookering by the nominated free ball after a non-scoring stroke, combined pots of the free ball and a ball on, and the free-ball option becoming void if the offender is asked to play again or balls are replaced. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA distinguishes a legal pot from a ball entering a pocket during a foul stroke, which is pocketing. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s foul rules state that earlier points in the break count, no points are scored for any ball pocketed in a foul stroke, the next shot is played from where the cue ball rests or from in-hand if the cue ball is not in play, and multiple fouls incur only the highest-value penalty. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸
WPBSA’s penalty-value rules state that causing a ball not on to be pocketed is penalised by the value of the ball on or the ball concerned, whichever is higher, subject to the normal minimum. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³
WPBSA states that any colour potted, pocketed, or forced off the table is spotted before the next stroke until it is finally potted in the final colour sequence. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³
WPBSA states that reds are not usually replaced once potted, pocketed, or forced off the table, regardless of whether a player benefits from a foul, subject to listed exceptions. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s mode-of-play and free-ball rules explain that red or a free ball nominated as red is the ball on, that multiple reds/free balls as reds can score in the same stroke, and how scoring works when a nominated free ball and a ball on are both potted. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩
WPBSA’s Ball on Edge of Pocket rule sets out what happens when a ball falls into a pocket without being hit, including replacement, replaying the stroke, and foul consequences. https://www.wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2198_WPBSA-Rulebook-2024-25.pdf ↩