What is the "ball on" in snooker?
B · Beginner · The game · 2 of 5The ball on is the ball the cue ball may legally hit first. At the start of each turn it is any red. After a red is potted it is a colour of the striker's choice, which the referee may ask them to name. Once the reds are gone, the colours become on one at a time, from yellow up to black.
How it works
- First stroke of a turn: any red is on while reds remain.
- After a red: the striker may play any colour, and the referee may ask which one.
- Declaring: a nominated ball is the one the striker says, or makes clear, they mean to hit first.
- Failing to declare when asked: a seven-point foul.
- After the last red: the striker may play one colour, then the colours become on in order.
- The order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black; they stay off once potted.
- Two reds at once: may be hit together when red is on; two other balls may not be hit simultaneously.
- Breaks: points from successive pots in one turn make the break.
The glossary has the ball on, the red balls, the coloured balls, the break, the striker and the pot.
Tricky cases
The striker pots a red and then hits the pink and the black together. Is that a foul?
Yes. Two balls other than two reds may not be hit simultaneously. The penalty is the higher of the two balls, so seven.
The last red goes in. Must the striker take the yellow next?
No. After the last red, the striker may play any colour first. Only after that do the colours come on in order.
The striker pots a red and then commits a foul before naming a colour. What is the penalty?
Seven points, because no colour had been nominated.
The striker plays at a red and then at another red in the next stroke. Is that allowed?
No. Playing at reds in successive strokes is a seven-point foul.
Why the rule exists
The ball on decides what counts as a fair shot and what counts as a foul. Asking the player to name a colour when it is not obvious lets the referee judge the stroke without guessing.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ball on | Defined as the ball that may be legally hit first | WPBSA Snooker 2.11 |
| Nominated ball | Declared on request | WPBSA Snooker 2.12 |
| Reds in successive strokes | Seven-point foul | WPBSA Snooker 3.11(d)(iii) |
| Free ball | Another ball nominated as the ball on | WPBSA Snooker 3.12 |
From the rule book
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards (May 2022 update), snooker part, Section 2 Rules 8, 11 and 12 and Section 3 Rules 3(g), 3(h), 6 and 11(d). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the association's rule book, which covers snooker and English billiards together.