Snooker is a game involving both skill and strategy.
It’s similar to pool and billiards but has its own set of rules and methods of scoring that define it.
Snooker got its start in the British military as many officers played it together.
It eventually made its way to civilian life and came overseas, too.
From being a social game to having a quick game time, here are a few reasons why snooker is so popular.
Why Is Snooker So Popular? (10 Reasons)
1. Social
A lot of games don’t allow you to speak with your opponent.
If you’re playing football, for example, you’re too busy focusing on plays.
You’re also pressed by a game clock to speed things along.
Unless you’re sitting on the sidelines, there isn’t any time to casually speak with your friends on the team.
This is true of many sports that are primarily physical.
However, less physical sports, like chess also don’t provide an ideal social environment.
Because you have to focus to win a game of chess, most players don’t socialize much until the game finishes.
They’re too busy concentrating on their strategies.
That isn’t the case for snooker.
Snooker is a great example of a game that has the perfect blend of physical and mental stimuli.
It requires both but not in great amounts.
That enables you to speak with whomever you’re playing against.
It’s a much more social game.
While the other person is taking their shot, you can hold a conversation with them.
That makes it a fun game to play with friends and strangers since it doesn’t get in the way of being social.
Snooker is popular because it’s a social game.
2. Accessible
Snooker is also accessible.
It doesn’t take too much effort to play the game.
Even if you don’t have a snooker table, you can easily modify an existing table.
You can even make a surface out of cardboard and cut some holes into the appropriate areas.
If you don’t have cue balls, you can always use something else that rolls well.
If you don’t have a cue stick, you can always use the end of a broom handle.
It’s a game that you can play almost anywhere.
Even those who experience handicaps can find a way to play a modified snooker game.
It’s because of its accessibility that it’s popular.
Since more people can approach it, it means more people can try it and come to find it an enjoyable game to play.
Snooker tables are also popular in some bars or restaurants.
Even some arcades have a snooker table.
That’s because the table used is the same type of table used in billiards.
A snooker table is a bit different than a pool table in size, however, but you can always use a pool table if you’re just playing for fun.
Only the rules separate snooker from the other types of cue-ball games.
Because of that, almost anyone can pick up a game and start learning provided somewhere close by has the right table.
Finally, snooker is both a recreational game and a competitive one.
If you want an easy game to play with your friends while you’re at the bar, snooker is an obvious choice.
Snooker is popular because it’s accessible.
3. Easy To Learn
Snooker is also easy to learn.
It doesn’t have too many rules.
At its very heart, the goal of snooker is to pocket the red and colorful balls.
The order in which you pocket them is important in snooker.
That makes it a bit different than other similar games.
To play snooker, you need to hit a red ball into a pocket.
Then you need to hit a color ball into a pocket.
If you fail to do so, your turn is over, and it’s the other player’s turn.
If you manage to pocket a ball, you earn a point.
All the red balls earn you one point while the colored balls can give you a different number of points.
As such, there’s some strategy involved in the game.
Fouls can occur, too.
If you hit a color ball into the pocket before a red ball, for example, that’s a foul.
You also can’t do jump shots.
That’s all you need to know to start playing snooker, however.
The fact that it’s light on rules makes it a very approachable game.
Even if you have never played a game before, you can easily grasp the rules in a single game.
That makes it popular because it means there’s a lower bar of entry.
Games with more advanced rules are harder to learn and take longer to learn as well.
Not everyone has the time to devote that much effort to a new game.
Because snooker is easy to learn, it’s easier for people to pick up quickly.
Snooker is popular because of how easy it is to learn the rules.
4. Indoor Game
Snooker is also an indoor game.
This makes it popular for a few reasons.
A lot of games require a certain type of weather to play it.
Football, for example, prefers dry and sunny days.
The same goes for soccer.
While you can certainly play those games outside when it’s raining, it’s not always safe to do so.
As soon as lightning appears, playing the game becomes unsafe.
If you live in an area that experiences snow and cold temperatures, few people want to play those games when winter hits.
The great thing about snooker is that it’s meant for indoor play.
The table usually uses an expensive type of velvet or other material for its surface.
It should never have exposure to rain.
As such, snooker games take place inside where it’s comfortable.
You can play snooker in the winter when it’s freezing outside.
You can play snooker when it’s raining outside.
You can even play snooker when it’s too hot outside.
It’s the perfect game to play year-round.
Since you can play it throughout the year, it makes the game more popular.
5. Combines Skill And Strategy
Some games lean on skill rather than strategy.
Other games are all about strategy rather than skill.
Snooker combines both.
Snooker requires you to hone your hand-eye coordination skills.
You won’t do well if you can’t get your striking accuracy better.
Otherwise, you’re going to miss the ball you’re aiming for and miss out on points.
Strategy is also important in snooker.
Because the colored balls each offer different point values, you may need to come up with a strategy that enables you to hit the balls with the highest points first.
That can potentially put you in a strong lead.
However, your opponent is going to be trying to do the same thing.
As such, you have to outmaneuver each other while also trying to hit the right balls yourself.
Because it combines both skill and strategy, it makes the game interesting to play and watch.
You can never be sure how a game is going to proceed.
It also means you have something to work toward.
Even after you learn all the strategies there is to know in snooker, you still have to work on your coordination skills.
It’s a game that stays interesting, and that makes it popular.
6. Competitive
While you can play snooker recreationally, there are also competitions across the world.
Because of how popular snooker is, more and more people are becoming interested in playing competitively.
Just like in any other sport, you have players who become quite famous.
Because of how accessible snooker is and how easy it is to learn, it means almost anyone has a chance of becoming a competitive player.
Going to tournaments and playing can be very fun for competitive people.
Those who love the game also find it entertaining and interesting to watch.
Airing the competitions on TV has also increased snooker popularity.
Because it introduced the game to more people, it means those people are more interested in trying out the game for themselves.
That leads to more competitors, more competition, and more coverage.
It also ensures that snooker remains interesting.
Even if you become tired of playing snooker with your friends, you can start challenging yourself.
You might start entering competitions to pit your skills against someone else.
That can quickly make the game far more interesting to you.
Snooker is popular because it can be a highly competitive game as much as it can be a recreational game.
7. There’s An Element Of Chance
Because snooker does require some skill to play, there is always an element of chance in each game.
There’s always a possibility that a player might miss a ball.
If he does, it means there’s a chance that the other player could catch up and win the game.
Fouls can also sometimes earn the other player points.
If something happens and a player commits a foul, they’re accidentally helping their opponent to win.
Fouls can occur due to mistakes and chance.
It might just be that a player hits a ball and the ball goes a bit harder than they had expected.
It might strike another ball at just the right angle to make it go into the pocket when it wasn’t supposed to.
As such, the game can change on a dime.
That makes the game very fun to play and watch.
No one knows exactly what’s going to happen until the game finishes.
Snooker is popular because chance and luck can make unexpected things happen.
8. Provides Plenty Of Opportunities To Make Bets And Wagers
One reason a lot of people like to play snooker is that it’s easy to make bets.
You can bet on the end result of a game.
For example, you can bet that one player is going to win over the other.
However, you can also make bets while the game is going on.
For example, you can bet someone that the player is going to hit two red balls into the pockets and two colored balls.
It makes the stakes of each turn even more exciting.
As such, a lot of gamblers tend to enjoy snooker.
It’s a fun way for them to earn or lose some money.
Even the players, themselves, might enter into a friendly wager in a more recreational setting.
Friends might bet on each other and whoever loses has to pay the bar tab for the night.
Snooker is an easy game to make wagers for, and because of this, it’s a popular game.
9. Fast-Paced Action
Another reason snooker is popular is that the rounds are relatively fast.
While it can take some time for players to orient themselves and take their shots, the action of the game is a bit faster than other games.
For example, in football, there’s a lot of stopping and starting.
Fans can sometimes feel as though they’re spending more time waiting for the players to make a play than actually watching a play.
Snooker fans can see the action occur a lot faster.
As soon as one player’s turn is over, it’s immediately the other player’s turn.
The two continue to switch until someone has enough points to win the game.
Because the turns are faster, it’s much more enjoyable to watch.
The action doesn’t quite ever stop.
Snooker is popular because each turn is relatively fast.
10. Games Are Quick
This also means that snooker games, themselves, don’t take that long to play.
This makes it popular for a few reasons.
The first is that, recreationally, it’s an ideal.
Friends don’t have to worry about spending all night playing snooker.
The game ends at a relatively quick time, and then they’re able to head home or start another game.
For fans, it means they don’t have to spend hours devoted to watching one game.
The game ends quickly, and they can continue with their day.
That makes snooker more enjoyable to watch since it requires less attention.
Football games, soccer games, and basketball games can last for hours.
It’s difficult for a fan to sit through that even if they enjoy the sport.
Snooker is popular because it has a short game duration.
Conclusion
Snooker is a popular sport that is only growing in popularity.
Its easy gameplay, fast-paced action, and its blend of skill and strategy make it an interesting game for all types of different people and players
