Snooker vs pool: what's the difference?

"Pool" covers two main games in this comparison: American pool, played around the world, and English pool, the pub game of Britain and Ireland.

The biggest difference is the size. A full-size snooker table is 12 × 6 ft, with a playing surface of 3,569 × 1,778 mm. That's about 40% longer than a 9 ft pool table and almost twice as long as a 7 ft English pool table.

The pockets are different too. Pool tables, especially American ones, have wide pockets with straight-cut jaws. Snooker pockets are narrow with rounded jaws, so a ball has to be struck precisely to drop, and a slightly thin pot will rattle in the jaws and stay out.

Snooker cloth also has a nap, a direction to the fibres that makes the ball drift slightly depending on which way it rolls. American pool cloth is a smooth, napless worsted cloth.

All that size needs space. A full-size snooker table needs a room of about 7.1 × 5.3 m, against about 6.1 × 4.8 m for a 9 ft pool table. Check any size in our table sizes & room size guide.

A snooker frame starts with 22 balls: 15 reds, six colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black) and the white cue ball. Pool uses 16: 15 object balls and the cue ball. In American pool they're numbered solids and stripes; in English pool, seven reds, seven yellows and the black.

Snooker balls are smaller than American pool balls, but not the smallest. English pool balls are smaller still.

Smaller balls on a bigger table with tighter pockets is the main reason snooker demands so much accuracy.

Snooker: points

In snooker you score points. You pot a red (1 point), then a colour of your choice (2 to 7 points), then another red, and so on. The colours go back on their spots while reds remain. Once the reds are gone, you pot the colours in order, from yellow to black. Fouls give your opponent penalty points. Whoever has more points at the end wins the frame, and the best possible break is 147. Full details are on our snooker rules page.

Pool: the last ball

Pool games are won by potting a deciding ball, not by points. In 8-ball, each player takes a group (solids or stripes, or reds or yellows), clears it, then pots the 8-ball to win. In 9-ball, you always hit the lowest ball first, and whoever pots the 9 wins. See the American pool rules and English pool rules.

So in snooker a player can be well behind and still win the frame by building a big break or laying snookers, while in pool one clean run of the table usually ends the game.

Most players say snooker is harder to master. The long table means long pots, the tight pockets punish small errors, and building a break means planning several shots ahead while controlling the cue ball over long distances.

Pool is quicker to pick up, and the wider American pockets forgive more. But top-level pool has its own demands: a powerful, controlled break, fast play, and in 9-ball and 10-ball, precise position play to get from ball to ball in order. Many snooker players who switch to pool find the heavier balls and the break the hardest parts to learn.

A fair summary: pool is easier to start, snooker is harder to master.

• Snooker cues are usually ash, about 57 to 58 in (145 to 147 cm), with a small 9 to 10 mm tip and a brass ferrule. Players use rests, spiders and extensions for long shots.
• American pool cues are usually maple, about 58 in (147 cm), with a larger 12 to 13 mm tip. Many players carry a separate break cue and a jump cue.
• English pool cues look like small snooker cues, with an 8 to 9 mm tip to suit the smaller balls.

You can play casual pool with a snooker cue, but a cue made for the right balls plays noticeably better.

Snooker is huge in the UK and Ireland, and China now has more players and clubs than anywhere else. It's also popular in Thailand, Hong Kong, Belgium, Germany and India. The pro game is run by the World Snooker Tour, and the World Championship has been held at the Crucible in Sheffield since 1977.

American pool is played in bars and pool halls on every continent, with big scenes in the United States, the Philippines, Taiwan and much of Europe. English pool is the pub game of Britain and Ireland, and is also played in Australia, France and Malta.

• Just want a fun game with friends? Start with pool. Almost every bar has a table, and you can learn 8-ball in minutes. Our how to play pool guide covers the basics.
• Love precision and long-term challenge? Try snooker at a club. Many clubs rent tables by the hour and the staff are happy to help beginners.
• Thinking about a table at home? A full-size snooker table needs a big room. A 7 or 8 ft pool table fits far more homes.