What is the Difference Between Billiards and Snooker?

The main differences between billiards and snooker lie in the number of balls, the type of table, and the rules of the game. Here are the key distinctions:

1. Number of Balls: Billiards is played with only three balls: one red, one white with a spot, and one white without a spot. In contrast, snooker uses 15 red balls, 6 numbered object balls, and one cue ball.
2. Table: Billiards is played on a table without pockets, while snooker is played on a table with pockets. Snooker tables are larger than pool tables, but their pockets are smaller.
3. Rules: In billiards, players must bounce the cue ball off the other two balls to score points. Snooker, on the other hand, is a game organized into frames, and players can win one by one by scoring the most points using the cue ball to pocket only the red balls. Once all the red balls have been pocketed, players can then pocket the remaining object balls (yellow, brown, blue, pink, black, and green) in a specific order.

In summary, billiards is played on a table without pockets and uses three balls, while snooker is played on a table with pockets and uses a total of 22 balls. The rules and gameplay objectives also differ significantly between the two games.

Comparative Table: Billiards vs Snooker

Here is a table comparing the differences between billiards and snooker:

While billiards and snooker are both cue sports played on a rectangular table, they have distinct differences in terms of table size, pockets, number of balls, ball size, and gameplay.