Snooker on TV is one of those games when you unintentionally flip onto a channel showing a tournament and decide to watch a couple of shots, you get hooked and end up watching it for hours.

The gentleman who sneezed before Steve Davis took his shot was none other than Eric Morcambe, a part of Morcambe and Wise comic team.

One of the most amazing things to see on video is to see a snooker table set up from scratch.. the heavy slate base. The leveling of the table and fitting of the green baize which is an art in itself

I enjoy watching snooker. It has an ASMR factor to it while also having some excitement and emotional roller coaster in it. Great for winding down properly in the evening when my mind is still racing instead of winding down getting ready for a good nichts sleep.

Some of the extra tools you can use at the table; cue extension is simply a little extra bit of cue which you can screw into the end of your cue to give an extra few inches. A “rest” which is the cross shaped cue which is usually used for a long range shot which gives the cue a higher angle. And the “spider” which acts like a bridge over other balls when there’s no room to do it with your offhand.

It's superb to see an American loving our beloved sport. As a 42 yo that been watching and playing since around the age of 7 - 8, I can tell you it still amazes me that things happen you've never seen before 🤯 Played pool all my life also, American 9 ball, English pool etc and honest to god trying to pot on a snooker table is a completely different matter lol I'd love to see your reaction when you get to see and play on one lol - massive! Them top pros are mind-blowing. Keep up the good content matey - TC 👍

You need to check out ‘Ronnie O’Sullivan American Hustle’. He went around the States learning about Pool but then also playing Pool legends at both Billiards and Pool, and visiting a few bars and hustling the locals 😂

If you're wondering why the players wear waistcoats, it's because it was an after-dinner game played by the upper classes (originally invented by army officers). They would still be dressed for dinner so they'd remove their dinner-jackets in order to play. This would leave them with black tie and waistcoat. It's still required dress in the big tournaments.

They guy who sneezed when his opponent was playing was not a snooker player he was probably the best loved comedian of all time in the UK

Snooker is a bit addictive, I have a feeling your gonna get hooked 😂

I dont think Mark Selby was starstruck Ian. He's a 4 time world champion himself 😂. These are all top players that have played eachother many times over the years. A Lot depends on form, even ronny has had losing streaks.

Judd Trump and Neil Robertson are two players I could watch all day. You might enjoy their highlight reels.

The helping tools are called the Rest, the Long Rest, the Spider, and the Swan. The normal Rest is used quite often, whereas the others are almost never used.

World championship coming in April. Will be televised from the usual place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

I love how quickly you've fallen in love with this game. Top level snooker really is a thing of beauty, and sometimes comedy.

one of the guys commentating there is John Virgo - a trickshot specialist, worth checking out some his stuff

Another great snooker video, Ian! It's so fantastic to be able to watch your journey, and descent into addiction, down the rabbit hole of our great sport. I've loved snooker since I was about 7 years old and some school mates introduced me to the sport one rainy lunchtime in school when we weren't allowed to go outside. We had a tiny little table, maybe only a couple of feet long, in the classroom and after playing for maybe only half an hour I was hooked. 23 years later, coming up on my 30th birthday and I absolutely live for snooker, it is one of the most important things in my life and it puts such a big smile on my face to see someone else discovering it's brilliance! Keep the snooker videos coming mate! 👍

I'm watching snooker quite often on Europsport. I like it, it's interisting sport.

Watching the bit of the player using the rest with his leg up on the table reminds me of a classic remark from the commentator. The player in question was Fred Davis by then in his 70s and who was a right handed player. The commentator said “ Fred is getting on a bit so finds it difficult to get his leg over so is using his left hand instead.”

If the cueball leaves the table, it's a foul, giving the other player the appropriate number of points. In accidentally chipping the white off, Ronnie O'Sullivan left himself more points behind than he could score, thus losing the frame.

I have to recommend some matches from the last World Championship in April. The things Brecel, current champion, did was wild. And he has a very fast and risky playstyle!

The last game with the white going in was currently 4 frames (games) each in a best of nine (the scoreboard shows the frames each has won and the total frames to play in brackets), so he didn't just lose the game, but the match too.

I am old enough to remember when snooker first started to be televised in the UK... and most people back then did not have colour TVs! Colour TV broadcasts had only been introduced less than 2 years previously, so the commentators had to say what colour the snooker balls were. The idea for the show, btw, was by one David Attenborough (yes, he of the famous nature programs). Ironically, the show was called "Pot Black".

Ronnie has more than a few quirks. In his match today all he had to do was roll a black in to win the decider, but because that would have left him snookered on the next ball (yellow), he chose to blast it and missed. He has a purity and mastery he wants to win by, and just rolling it in and being snookered wouldn't fit that in his mind. He doesn't put players back into snookered positions when it's obviously the best thing to do to win a frame. He wants to win in a certain way that satisfies himself. So against D.Dale the embarrassed reaction of fluking such position to win the frame annoyed him so he played the final pot emotionally. It's what makes him so exhilarating to watch. A true one-off for his sport.

Ronnie's known for doing things like that, he once walk out of a match half way through when he was getting battered of Stephen hendry, look it up the look on hendry face is priceless.

I cannot recall any other Americans reacting to snooker and embracing the game (sport) with such enthusiasm & appreciation of the difficulty of what these top pros are doing.

Ian, the snooker world championship is from 20 April to 6 May 2024 - it's worth watching. Also I believe there are several places in Chicago with snooker tables - you really need to try it out and appreciate the 12 foot table.

2:29 that's not a real game - it's a comedy sketch with Morecambe (the other player) and Wise (the umpire)

"You've been snookered" is a popular phrase in Oz to describe someone who is cornered. "Tonald Drump has snookered himself with the law", to put it into an American idiom.

Because snooker tables are so large, and the pockets so small, your cue action needs to be perfect. The amount of spin the pros put on the cue ball to set up for the next shot is amazing.

ronnie o'sullivan look was like " sit back down son i aint finished yet "

The man who sneezed was Eric Morcambe, and it wasn't a real snooker game but a comedy sketch as part of the Morcambe and Wise Show.

' When Snooker Ruled The World.' Is worth watching...

The thing you need to remember about Snooker is that these games go on for hours. The mental resilience these players have when they have to concentrate for such long periods is immense.

Extension rest very difficult to handle

Lovin the snooker content mate

There are numerous 4-point penalties in snooker, stuff like: Missing Potting the cue ball Cue ball leaving the table The tool he rests on is just called the "rest".

seems like the only sport where your opponant will be glad to see u do well

2 things, I wouldn't really call this a highlight video. There are a lot more flukes than actual highlights here. Also, the most important thing to do, watch the cue ball. That's how you can tell a fluke or not. The cue ball control is the biggest thing.

The shootout as you mentioned is ten minutes per frame but also for the first five minutes the players get 15 seconds for each shot which is then reduced to 10 seconds for the second half, plus the audience are allowed to shout out at the players during the frame.

There is a rule that only comes into play when there is only the black ball left (and the frame score is such that either player can win by potting the black). At this point, any foul on the black, such as forcing the white off the table results in instant loss of frame. That was the situation between O’Sullivan and Dale.

Does anyone remember back in the days of black and white TV? The programme was 'Pot Black'.

Made me laugh when you said Selby must be star struck by Ronnie. You would not be Marks mate right now. His response would start and finish with an f.

5:36 - When you get snookered by a fluke, you get flookered. :)

7:29 He is using a rest. Not only is he using a rest but both the rest and que have an extension on them for max reach.

Another player that would be interesting is Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins from Northern Ireland. He was a professional from 1971 to 1997, he died in 2010. He was the most exciting player in the world of snooker in his prime and was World Champion twice. There was always an element of self-destruction about him, what with smoking very heavily, drinking bouts and sometimes chaotic personal life, but he was thrilling to watch at his best and a great crowd favourite.

well selby and higgins are legends also, selby is an unlikely safety master and higgins is a bit of both safety and shooter like ronnie. so they are not star struck at all.

Your enthusiasm for snooker is amazing. Snooker is also one of the few top sports that is still available to watch live on terrestrial UK TV

love that you got the comedy sketch in there, @ 2.30

The deliberate cough came from Eric Morecambe from the British comedy team, Morecambe and Wise, LOL!

If you do intend watching a tournament, your timing is immense. The World Snooker Championship starts on April 20th and finishes on May 6th. It is a fantastic watch. Matches are long and played over morning, afternoon and evening sessions (if you watch you'll pick up the format easily). The standard is usually very high. I watch snooker all year round but I get giddy thinking about the 'big one'. Like a child on xmas eve! It has everything and the venue makes it. It's fairly small. The crowd are on top of the players. The atmosphere is electric and the tension is palpable. I have attended a few matches there but only the early rounds. How a player can hold a cue in that setting with the world watching, not too mind play as well as they do is beyond me! Some of the best entertainment is in deciding frames, like say when the score is 12-12 first to 13. Because it means so much to them, both players get nervous and start missing easy shots. Which builds the tension further casing more mistakes. It's just wonderful but I'd imagine it's torture for the players. Do everything in your power to watch it. I guarantee you'll love it. By the time the final rolls around you will be hooked for life.

So many things to say, most of these shots are flukes so in the grand scheme of things they are not that impressive. The long 'rake' is typically called the long rest, long tackle, extended bridge. Most cues have an extension tool that fits into the but-joint or over the butt of the cue and that tool has a telescoping option which can be stretched out to elongate the cue while maintaining the same tip that he/she has been using and do not, to a great degree, affect the balance of the cue. Wait until you see an extended spider bridge. That one is a hoot to use. I've made a few suggestions in your other posts about games to watch. Here's another; "Required 4 Snookers!!! Tactical Battle." While this isn't the knock-out in 10 seconds variety it is a decent example of the safety game in action. I really hope that you will find a 12' table to play on so you can really appreciate what you are watching in terms of how difficult the tables are. I'm enjoying all of these posts LWrocker, not just snooker, your inquisitiveness is really commendable. Thanks.

Love your deep dive into snooker, mate.! Superb to see.

The rest shots are very difficult. That's why Ronnie O had a great advantage being able to play with either hand. He rarely took a rest and just changed angle from the opposite side with his left hand.

The long cue stick is called "a rest". There's two varieties of them as well. There's one with an X shape at the end, and you rest your cue in the top "V" part of the rest, acting like your fingers when you cue normally. But then there's the "spider rest" and that one's real interesting because it's a half circle with places to rest the cue on the upper edge. The idea with the "spider" is that if you've got to place the rest next to a ball, to cue over the top of it, then the half circle keeps off the table as much as possible, so you don't hit that ball (which would be a foul). If you're cracking out "the spider" then you've got to be real precise to not accidentally bump those balls - and you've seen how long these rest can be, so it's far too easy to swing it about and accidentally hit other balls on the table and foul. The other thing with these long shots and using the rest is the important rule: You've got to have one foot on the ground. You can lift one leg up and lean over the table, but you can't have both feet off the ground. One foot must be in contact with the floor when you make the shot, or it's a foul. Also, it's often real hard to make these shots, simply because you're not allowed to touch any of the balls - that's a foul - so you want to lean over, but there's balls in the way and you can see players arching and contorting themselves to reach over but not touch anything. Oh, and the other thing - as the video shows - is getting the rest off the table fast. Because if the balls rebound and hit the rest, that's also a foul. So once you take that shot, you want to rapidly pull the rest off the table, before any balls smack into it.

Just a couple of explanations to the points raised. The tool used to support the cue is called a rest and there are different ones available. A player cannot climb onto the table as one foot must stay in contact with the floor! A ‘snooker’ is where a player does not have a direct shot at any ball he is required to play next. The term ‘snookered’ has crept into general use for other situations where someone is in a difficult situation, such as cars being parked too close in front and behind so you can’t get yours out!

Funny because you have no idea who the others are, when you talked about o Sullivan being dominant, he was playing selby, who dominated the game for a good number of years. Also John Higgins who was on this started professionally the same year (1992) as O'Sullivan and between the 2 of them they dominated the sport for most of their careers and are still playing at the top 32 years later. Selby was one of only a few players who really broke that dominance.

Two world class players in this video, Steve Davis defending champion playing Dennis Taylor. Taylor had his glasses specially made upside down to help his sighting the ball. This is a black ball shootout for the world championship.

5:31 Selby was definitely not star stuck here 😂. Also he slowly taps the table with his hand twice, this and a double tap of the cue is essentially saying to your opponent, sorry I hit that amazing shot by fluke or accident

The tool for supporting the cue on those long shots is called a bridge or a rest

Ronnie OSullivans hardest opponent is always himself

The thing you were asking about for awkward shots is called a "long rest", accompanied by the long cue. Nice to see you enjoying snooker so much.

It's so awesome seeing someone find a new passion

At 3:45, any pro would have just tapped the ball in just to make sure it goes in. But from what I remember, Ronnie said in an interview after that sometimes you just feel like smashing it in when it seems so easy and unmissable. He fancied it. He didn't expect to miss.

@4:55 the reason for the "velocity" of the shot was in case he missed. The cue ball was stroked so as to leave it at the bottom of the table. If he missed the shot, he wanted the red ball to be hit hard enough to send it up to the top of the table.

In the times of when we still had black and white television, snooker commentator Ted Lowe famously said” For those watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green “😊

Ronnine playig remarkably well with both hands is pretty special. Means his rest work (playing using the rest or the "spider" like on the clip here) is minimal

The last one even was a little more, (Judd) Trump already needed a succesfull Snooker, so by potting the cueball by his opponent got him extra 5 points (a foul with involvement with the blue ball) to get the needed extra points for a win of the frame. Trump was 20 points behind, but there where only 18 points left on the table.

the long pole that the player is using at 7;33 is called as RESTt as he is resting the cue on it to gain stability but also in crease his reach to take the shot

the tool used for cueing long distance is called a rest. there are 3 types - Rest is used for the basic X shaped rest for normal cueing, the Bridge or Arch has 3 cueing points, one centre and one either side and is designed for putting spin on the cue ball. the third rest is called the Spider or Swan. it's like the Arch but has one cue point extended about 4 or 5 inches beyond the stand. it's used for cueing over other balls that are close to the cue ball.

the last clip was also match point which makes it even more painful 😆

The tools to support the cue stick on long shots is called a rest, he also uses and extension for his cue

Talking about the size of snooker tables it's always fun after playing snooker to have a game of pool the pool table feels tiny after a couple of hours playing snooker

Loving the snooker videos bud., total rabbit hole

The 3rd clip with the sneezing wasn't a real game. It's a comedy sketch from legendary Morecambe & Wise Show.

I’ve loved watching you get into snooker! It seems like you genuinely like it!

There was a long running joke about Snooker Commentators growing up who would say trying to tell viewers where certain balls were on the table. *For those of you watching on black & white tv's the red ball is the one behind the pink* On old black & white tv's watching Snooker all the balls looked black apart from the white cue ball. To really learn and remember the order of potting all the coloured balls in correct order after all the reds have gone in, there is a comedy song by a Cockney group called Chas n Dave which was released when I was 15. It is called *Snooker Loopy* It has a chorus and comedic verses talking about famous Snooker players of the day. *Snooker Loopy nuts are we, me and him and them and me. We'll show you what we can do with a load of balls and a snooker cue. Pot the reds then screw back for the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black. Snooker Loopy nuts are we, we're all Snooker Loopy!*

These players play against each other so many times. They are not star struck, but they do respect each others' talent.

My all time favourite game ever is the 1982 semi final of the world championship between Alex "the Hurricane" Higgins and Jimmy "the Whirlwind " White. Epic match between an experienced but maverick Pro and a talented unorthodox young gun. You'd love it

This guy is legend. We should all donate and buy him a proper table and get it sent over to him. Go Fund Me for this genuinely nice American DUDE.

the long stick with a bracket on the end is called a Rest and is in two sizes, also a player must always have one foot on the floor when playing a shot

5:05 Higgins gave that cueball a right-backward effet to make the red's rebound angle sharper. He also decided to hit the red directly in the center.

The implement they use (the one that look like an 'X' on the end) is called a 'Cross-Headed Rest' though simply calling it a rest is fine. There are different types of rest for different situations, two common types being the 'Spider' and the 'Swan' which are both used to cue over other balls. You will also note that rests come in various lengths so that you can reach the end of the table from its opposite side, when using a long rest, you will find that the player will need to add an extension to his cue as well to give it extra length.

That was Eric Morcambe.Morcamed and wise.the oldie with Steve Davies.The sneeze, for comedy!

Ronnie O‘Sullivan may be the best ever but he’s still underachieved considering his raw talent. Imagine being cursed to be the best of all time at something you actually dislike. (He claims to love Snooker but craps on it every chance he gets.) If a player with real passion for this game like Alan McManus or Joe Perry had this guy’s natural gift they would have won at least 3-4 World Championships more. His attitude often gets the better of him. He can be the best sportsman in one match and a real prick in the next one. Still many of the top players are not „star struck“ when they play him. To them it’s the biggest challenge in the game so most of them enjoy it. The guy at 6:00 for example is Mark Selby, arguably O’Sullivan‘s toughest rival for the last 10 years. He certainly isn’t impressed by Ronnie’s fluke after he himself fluked a snooker. He’s pissed, and with good reason. 😂 The two have a quite a rivalry going. If you like Snooker, do not only look at O‘ Sullivan but also at other current top players like Selby (4x World Champion), Higgins (4x WC), M. Williams (3x WC), Judd Trump (1x WC), Neil Robertson (1x WC and best ever non-Brit), Ding Junhui (best chinese player ever), Shaun Murphy (1x WC) and many others, including legends of the game like Hendry, Davis, A. Higgins, Jimmy White or Paul Hunter. 👍

Generally speaking, those long cue-supports are called rests or bridges. There are ones with X-shaped ends (called cross rests) and ones shaped like an arched bridge with several prongs on the top (called spider rests) there's also a third type that's very rarely used called a swan neck rest.

When you play a few games on a snooker table and then go straight onto a pool table afterward, pool seems so easy.

Love the videos, this seemed to be a mix of fails/unorthodox moments. I think you'd really like watching a best shots compilation.

It's just called an extension, and players only usually play on if they are needing a couple of snookers and mainly but not always if there is still a red on the table, but it depends on the frame.

The sticks that are like cues that are used for long range shots are called rests. The most common is the cross-headed one but there are also types called the spider and the swan. Occasionally you will see very long versions of these rests. Their length used to require you use a very long cue that was shared but now players will have a screw-on or lock-on extension for their own cues.

For me, the best moments in snooker are when there are fewer points on table then is the difference between scores and the one losing has to force the other make fouls

Snooker and indeed darts are quite unique British TV staples. If you fancy a new rabbit hole that is uniquely British, and not without controversy. Take a look at The Grand National. The race takes place once a year in England since 1839 and has been televised since 1960. It creates huge public interest but also a lot of controversy as many horses have been killed in the race. Today the race is greatly modified to try and make it safer but is still quite unique. If going to look at one, I'd suggest looking up 1967 [I won't say what happens in that one and keep it as a surprise] 1973 [when one horse jumps the fences like they were tiny] 1977 the only time a horse won the race for the third time. or 2001, when only two horses completed the course.

you can probably find a 12' table if you call around enough local pool halls, they are not common but they're not europe exclusive

that shot at about 6:30 is what we call a smile wiper

To truly appreciate snooker you must play at least once on a full size table. It then shjowd you how incredibly hard the game is. You can't compare it to playing on a pool table. I hope you get to experience one day. It's great fun

What's really hard to grasp from seeing it on video is the sheer size of the things, especially if you're used to playing on a pool table. They're enormous. I can hold my own at pool in the pub but I'm utterly hopeless on a snooker table. 7:11 yep lol, get yourself to a snooker hall it'll blow your mind

Snooker tables are huge.

"There's six pockets on the table, there's six pockets on the TABLE!" What a great call.

mark allen using the rest, plus extensions on the end of the cue. at club level there is a full length single piece cue and rest. those thing wobble like jelly when you play

Glad you're doing snooker reactions. It's a great game.