How snooker scoring works: a complete guide

Last updated: March 2026

Snooker scoring is not complicated once you understand the underlying logic, but it does have a few quirks that confuse new players. The rotating sequence of reds and colours, the concept of a "break", the way fouls are calculated — these make the game feel more opaque than it actually is. Once the structure clicks, reading a snooker scoreboard becomes completely intuitive.

Here is everything you need to know.

The ball values

Every ball in snooker has a fixed point value:

Ball	Points
Red	1
Yellow	2
Green	3
Brown	4
Blue	5
Pink	6
Black	7

These values do not change at any point during the frame. A black is always worth 7 points, whether it is the first ball potted or the last.

How a frame progresses

A frame of snooker is played in two distinct phases.

Phase 1: Reds and colours

While any red balls remain on the table, players must alternate between potting reds and potting colours. The sequence works like this:

The player pots a red (1 point)
The player then nominates and pots a colour (2-7 points)
The colour is returned to its spot on the table
The player pots another red (1 point)
And so on

This continues until all 15 reds are off the table. In this phase, potted colours are always respotted — they do not stay off the table.

Phase 2: The colours in sequence

Once all 15 reds have been potted, the colours must be potted in ascending order of value: yellow (2), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), black (7). Colours are not respotted in this phase — each one stays off the table after being potted.

The frame ends when the last colour is potted, or when one player has built an insurmountable lead and concedes.

What is a break?

A break is the total number of points scored by a player in a single visit to the table — in other words, during one continuous sequence of potted balls before missing a shot or committing a foul.

If I pot a red (1), then a black (7), then another red (1), then a pink (6), and then miss — I have made a break of 15. The score updates once, at the end of that visit, to add 15 to my running total.

The maximum break in snooker is 147, achieved by potting all 15 reds each with a black (15 + 105 = 120 points) and then all six colours in sequence (2+3+4+5+6+7 = 27 points). Professional players celebrate centuries and the rare maximum with such intensity because the odds against running that sequence without a miss are enormous.

Most amateur frames never see either player score above 50-60 points in a single visit. A break above 100 is considered genuinely exceptional at club level.

Reading the scoreboard

A traditional wall mounted snooker scoreboard has two sliding marker rails per player, one for units (0-9) and one for tens (0-9 or 0-19, depending on the board's range). The combination of the two gives the total score: a tens marker at 7 and a units marker at 3 means the player is on 73.

Some boards use a single continuous numbered rail from 0 to 99 or 0 to 100, where one marker slides along the entire scale. Others use the units/tens split for more precision.

What the numbers mean:

The score shown is the total points accumulated in the current frame
It includes points from potted balls and points won from opponent fouls
It does not show breaks individually — only the running total

If a 4-player board is in use, two of the tracks typically show the current frame scores, and the other two show the frame count across a session (e.g., "Player A has won 3 frames, Player B has won 2").

Fouls and penalty points

When a player commits a foul, their opponent receives penalty points added directly to their score. The minimum foul penalty is 4 points. The actual penalty equals the value of the "ball on" at the time of the foul, or the ball that was contacted or potted incorrectly, whichever is higher.

In practice:

Foul on a red: 4 points (minimum applies, since red = 1 point)
Foul on the yellow: 4 points (minimum applies, since yellow = 2 points)
Foul on the green: 4 points (minimum applies, since green = 3 points)
Foul on the brown: 4 points (brown's value equals the minimum penalty)
Foul on the blue: 5 points
Foul on the pink: 6 points
Foul on the black: 7 points

The non-offending player may also ask the offending player to play the shot again rather than playing themselves — this is the standard option after any foul. If the cue ball is left snookered by the foul, the referee may award a "free ball": the non-offending player nominates any ball as a substitute for the ball on and plays it as though it were the ball on.

Fouls are recorded on the scoreboard by sliding the non-offending player's marker up by the penalty amount. The scoreboard does not distinguish between potted points and penalty points — the total is simply the total.

The frame score vs the match score

It is worth being clear about the difference between two things that newcomers sometimes confuse.

The frame score is the running total within the current frame. This is what the two main scoring tracks on the scoreboard display.

The match score is the count of frames won. This is typically tracked on the additional tracks available on a 4-player scoreboard, or kept separately. A match might be a best-of-9 frames, with the winner being the first player to win 5. The frame score resets to 0:0 at the start of each new frame; the match score accumulates.

Common scoring scenarios

Scenario 1: Simple red-black sequence Player pots red (1), black (7), red (1), black (7), then misses. Break = 16 points. Score updates by 16.

Scenario 2: Foul during reds Player pots the white (cue ball scratch) while reds are on the table. Minimum foul = 4 points go to the opponent.

Scenario 3: Foul on the black Player strikes the wrong ball when black is on. Opponent receives 7 points.

Scenario 4: End of frame Player A has 56 points, Player B has 43. There are only 27 points remaining on the table (all six colours: 2+3+4+5+6+7 = 27, which means the reds phase has ended). Player B cannot win. Player B concedes. Player A wins the frame 56-43.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum score in a frame of snooker?

The maximum score in a single frame is 147, achieved by potting all 15 reds each with a black (15 + 105 = 120 points) plus all six colours in sequence (27 points). This is called a maximum break or simply "a 147".

How many points is a foul in snooker?

A foul awards the opponent a minimum of 4 points. The actual penalty is the value of the ball on or the ball incorrectly contacted, whichever is higher. A foul on the black costs 7 points.

What does "ball on" mean in snooker?

The "ball on" is the ball the player is required to strike with the cue ball. When reds remain, the ball on is always a red. After potting a red, the player nominates a colour as their ball on. Once all reds are gone, the colours must be potted in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.

How do you read a snooker scoreboard?

A traditional snooker scoreboard has two sliding marker rails per player. One rail shows units (0-9) and the other shows tens (0-9 or 0-10). The combined reading gives the total frame score. For example, tens on 7 and units on 3 means 73 points. On a 4-player board, the extra two tracks typically count frames won in a session.

Bottom line

Snooker scoring follows a clear structure once you understand the phase change from reds-and-colours to colours-only, the break concept, and the minimum foul penalty. The scoreboard simply reflects the running total — one number per player, updated at the end of each visit to the table.

If you are setting up a snooker room and need a scoreboard, see our guide to the best snooker scoreboards available in the UK. To understand the difference between snooker and pool scoring systems, our snooker scoreboard vs pool scoreboard comparison explains why the boards differ. For budget-friendly options suited to home players, see our snooker scoreboard for home guide.

This article is intended as a guide to snooker scoring for home players and newcomers. The official rules are maintained by the World Snooker Federation.