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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Introduction to snooker

A good, solid cue action stems from confidence. If you aren't confident then it means that you may be thinking negatively about the game and your own ability. It is important that you try and enjoy yourself each time you play - don't worry about not playing well and missing balls because this all creates negative signals to your brain that can affect your whole game. I would suggest you take things back to basics and attempt to work on a pre-shot routine.

Taking a snooker shot

Decide on the snooker shot you want to perform. Think about the way you want to play the snooker shot in terms of cue power, side/English applied, position for the next ball - all of these factors give you your first sense of wanting to achieve - you are programming your brain to imagine yourself playing the shot in your mind.

Difference between snooker and billiards

Pocket billiards or pool refers to a game played on a six pocket billiard table. It mainly consist of 15 object balls and a cue ball. Snooker on the other hand is played on a billiard table with 21 object balls and a cue ball. Carom billiards to a game played with 3 balls on a table and no pockets.

Snooker history

Snooker is a game that originated in Britain and came to be called “snooker,” it’s believed, after Neville Chamberlain referred to an army cadet as a snooker when his play wasn’t exactly up to snuff. “Snooker” by definition is a first year cadet; Chamberlain then referred to the rest of the men playing with him that they were all snookers. The name stuck to the game since then.

Snooker popularity

Snooker has never really caught fire in the United States but that doesn’t hold true for the United Kingdom. In fact, it is the most watched sporting event outside soccer, or football, as it’s known throughout most of the world. In 1985, one-third (18.5 million people) of the United Kingdom population plunked themselves in front of their television sets to watch Dennis Taylor win on the final shot—a performance that is remembered as one of the sport’s best moments.

CONCLUSION

Remember a billiard, pool or snooker table is a piece of furniture. If you opt for a fold away table it doesn't much matter, which you choose, as it folds away after use. In that case go for a functional table with as many features as you can afford, such as ball return etc.