Snooker World Championship Favourite?

Hmm...I have always been a Hendry fan, but he seems off his game the last little while...Higgins maybe this time....

I'd like Higgins to win too. I haven't seen Mark Williams playing yet, but he is usually excellent, I wouldn't be surprised if he won.

Snooker, another sport I don't understand. Cricket was number one. Then I saw bits of this championship on TV and couldn't grasp a thing.

Oh yes, cricket is just mad! But watch a few games of snooker and you will soon pick it up and discover the addictive quality

Found this thread a bit late, but just thought I'd pop in to let everyone know that the UK Open Championship 2004 was won last night by Scotland's Steven Macguire, beating England's David Gray 10-1. No players in the top 8 reached the quarter-finals.

If anyone would like an explanation of the basic rules of snooker, I'd be more than happy to assist. Snooker is a wonderful game, and I'd like to see it at the Olympics. Any thoughts on this from anyone?

GD, yes, for the punters, I think it would be great to explain the rules of snooker. I've loved the game, and played it amateurishly for years. Go for it!

Snooker is definitely one of those sports where you can't appreciate how difficult it is until you try it for yourself. What sort of breaks do you get, Cav? To be frank, I'm pretty crap, and a break of 3 balls or above is a very good score for me. My all time highest break is 24 - (red - black x3). Usually, I'm happy just to get a pot, never mind a break!

(Very) Basic Rules of Snooker

Players take it in turns to pot the balls. Each ball potted scores points as follows:

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

Players must pot a red first, then a colour, then another red, etc.

If there are reds remaining on the table, then a potted colour is returned to its spot. If there are no reds remaining, then it stays in the pocket.

Once the reds have gone, the colours are potted in ascending order, yellow to black.

This continues until the player misses a pot, fouls, or there are no balls left.

The 'break' is the number of points scored in a single visit to the table. The maximum possible break is 147, which is a very impressive sight.

Fouls can include the following. There is usually no 'free-ball' like in Pool, but points are awarded to the opponent as follows, and he will usually take the next shot:

Potting the cue ball - 4 pts
Not hitting any other ball with the cue ball - 4 pts
Hitting a colour first or potting a colour when going for a red - min 4 pts, but 5, 6 or 7 for hitting/potting blue, pink or black.
Potting the wrong colour - 4 pts (or 5-7 as above)
Touching any ball with the hand/body - 4 pts and above

I love playing snooker and will give GD a game any time !!

The only problem I have with snooker

1. Remembering the sequence of the colored balls
2. Bending down for my shots due to my slightly inflexible tummy (though one would have thought I would have been pretty good at it )

Duke, I really suck at snooker. I'd be surprised if I ever got a break higher than 6. I'm a small guy, not too tall, and have trouble with the giant tables. I do much better with 8 or 9 ball. I particularily enjoy 9 ball, cutthroat game.

G - Do you know "Snooker Loopy", by Chas n' Dave? It was a mid-80's hit song about snooker. No, really. Here's the lyrics:

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.

Now old Meo, we all know's got loads of dapper suits,
London-bred and he keeps his head, though he's got Italian roots,
Emotional when he keeps his cool till he reaches the final,
But whether he wins he whether he don't:
Tony Meo: I always bite me eyeballs.

And our man Den, hours he's spent down the snooker hall,
On the old green baize, his mates seem amazed with his skills with a snooker ball,
But them long shots he never ever got, why, the old mind boggles,
But nowadays he pots the lot: Dennis Taylor: 'Cos I wear these goggles.

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.

Now Terry the Taff was born in a gaff in the valleys of the land of song,
And as the reds he puts to bed, he likes to sing along, "If I win," he says with a grin, "it can only help me, can't it?"
I'll celebrate and buy another eight Terry Griffiths: Hairbrushes for me barnet."

But old Willie Thorne, his hair's all gone, and his mates all take the rise,
His opponent said "Cover up his head, 'cos it's shining in my eyes,"
When the light shines down on his bare crown, it's a cert he's gonna walk it,
But it's just fair giving off that glare: Willie Thorne: Perhaps I ought to chalk it.

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.

Steve last year come very near to winning the snooker crown,
But he never got to put it on his ginger nut 'cos the black ball wouldn't go down,
His manager and all said "S*d that ball" but it helped him make his mind up,
Now he don't care who wins next year: Steve Davis: 'Cos he's got the rest of us signed up.

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.

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,

Snooker loopy, nuts are we, We're all snooker loopy,
Snooker loopy, nuts are we... We're all snooker loopy!

The line I highlighted runs through my head whenever I have to work out whether green or brown is 3 or 4 points. I still get confused when setting the table out with the baulk colours - yellow, brown, green - but after I was told to use (G)od (B)less (Y)ou, as you look down the table at the reds, I have had fewer problems.

G - I'm down in Essex next week on Monday & Tuesday night. Let me know if you fancy meeting up in London on either night - maybe for a game of snooker! Or at least pool.

Cav - I hear you on the pool vs snooker choice. I do find that playing a couple of frames of snooker then moving onto pool can turn me into a much better player temporarily. The pockets seem so close together, how can you miss? But of course, I can always miss...

The cool thing is all in analyzing the angles, but as I just play for fun, doing it on a smaller table is easier. Side pockets are a specialty. I spent some time studying that.

GD mate, next Monday and Tuesday is a bit difficult, as I would have just joined my new job, so not sure how soon I can leave work....