Snooker Tricks

Trick shots have their roots in billiards, not snooker. One key figure is François Mingaud, a master billiard player of the 19th Century. Some professional tournament snooker players also make flamboyant trick shot exhibitionists, borrowing shots from the game of billiards. The One for Seven, a new snooker tournament played over 147 minutes with eight players, opened in Cardiff, Wales, UK in December 2009. Attacking players were attracted to the fast and furious exhibition play style, with some borrowed 9 Ball rules. You are more likely to see amazing shot-making and tricks here rather than the traditional frame and set format.

  1. Trick Shots

    • Professional snooker players, outside the serious money business of tournaments, such as the Masters and the Embassy World Championships, treat crowds to exhibitions games. Notorious ones include those between Ronny, 'The Rocket' O'Sullivan, Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White and Alex 'Hurricane Higgins, regarded as three of the more exciting players to have graced the world snooker circuit. Exhibition games produce extraordinary shot-making and tricks. Former players and snooker commentators Dennis Taylor, Steve Davis and John Virgo are prominent trick shot exhibitionists.

    Curved Shots

    • This is the principle trick shot used in snooker. Examples in game play include the banana shot and the masse, which induce an unnatural swerve or curve in the ball; used to keep position or escape from snookers. The curved shot is used in a snookered situation. It's achieved by sharply striking down on the cue ball from an acute vertical angle. Striking the front of the ball produces extreme top spin and the back of the ball extreme backspin; striking left or right of center will also produce left and right spin respectively. The possibilities of the masse shot are therefore: right-hand top spin, left-hand top spin, right-hand back spin and left-hand back spin.