When is a player snookered?
I · Intermediate · Fouls and penalties · 3 of 5The cue ball is snookered when a straight path to every ball on is blocked, wholly or partly, by a ball not on. If the striker can hit both edges of at least one ball on, they are not snookered. A cushion can never snooker the cue ball, and from in-hand the whole D counts.
How it works
- The test: a straight-line shot to every ball on is wholly or partly blocked by a ball not on.
- Both edges: if both extreme edges of any ball on can be hit freely, the cue ball is not snookered.
- In-hand: snookered only if blocked from every possible position on or within the D.
- More than one blocking ball: the nearest to the cue ball is the effective snookering ball; equally near balls all count.
- Reds blocked by different balls: no effective snookering ball.
- Cushions: a cushion cannot snooker the cue ball.
- Why it matters: only a snooker after a foul gives a free ball.
The glossary has the snooker, the ball on, the cue ball, the free ball, the in-hand and the safety shot.
Tricky cases
The white is in the jaws of a pocket and cannot reach a red in a straight line. Is it snookered?
No. A cushion cannot snooker the cue ball, so the striker must play off the cushion.
The striker can see half of one red but not the edges of any. Snookered?
Yes. The cue ball is snookered unless both edges of some ball on can be hit.
Two colours each hide some reds. Which is the snookering ball?
When different reds are blocked by different balls, there is no effective snookering ball.
Does it matter whether a snooker was deliberate?
No. The test is the position after the stroke, not the intention.
Why the rule exists
A clear test of what counts as snookered decides when a free ball is due. Counting a partly hidden ball as blocked gives the benefit of the doubt to the player who did not foul.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Snookered | Defined by the blocked edges | WPBSA Snooker 2.17 |
| From in-hand | The whole D counts | WPBSA Snooker 2.17(a) |
| Six-reds snooker | Leaving the opponent snookered behind the nominated colour is a foul | WPBSA Snooker 3.19(d), 3.11(a)(ix) |
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 Rule 17 and Section 3 Rule 12. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the association's rule book, which covers snooker and English billiards together.