Ask a room full of players whether snooker is harder than pool and you’ll start an argument. Snooker rules Britain, while 8-ball and 9-ball pool dominate North America and Asia, so most people only ever get good at one of them. Both games take years of practice to play at a professional level. Raw talent helps too.
Is Snooker Harder Than Pool?
Opinions vary, but most people consider snooker to be a more difficult game than “pool” as it is widely known. This is mainly attributed to the larger snooker table and the smaller size of the pockets. However, difficulty depends mainly on any given player’s ability and familiarity with the game.Many people consider snooker to be harder than regular 8 or 9-ball pool. And plenty of pool players say the same. But there’s no overall consensus. It’s one of those things where there seems to be just a slight majority in favor of snooker as the more challenging game.
Ball Size
Snooker balls are smaller than pool balls: 52.5 mm (about 2 1/16 inches) against the 2 1/4-inch balls used in American pool. That gives you a smaller contact area on every shot, and a slightly thin hit that a pool ball would forgive can send a snooker ball wide of the pocket.
Table Size
When people talk about snooker over other billiard games, they mention table size without fail. Snooker tables are rather large at 12-feet by 6-feet for a full-size table (10’ by 5’ in America). For comparison, full-size regulation pool tables are 9-feet by 4.5 feet. This size difference tends to make mistakes more apparent in snooker. The farther the ball has to travel, the more precision is required for the shot.
This size also means that you need to have a large area to put a table in if you want one at home. Unless you have plenty of room to spare, chances are you’ll opt for a smaller snooker table or a smaller pool table built for tight rooms. Either way, you’re not getting the experience of playing on a full-size table like those at the pro level do.
Pocket Size
Snooker pockets are tighter than pool pockets, and they’re shaped differently too. A pool table’s corner pockets open at roughly 4.5 to 5 inches, about twice the width of the ball. Snooker pockets measure closer to 3.5 inches at the fall, and their jaws are rounded, so a ball hit too firmly along the cushion gets spat back out instead of dropping.
If the pockets of a snooker table were the same size as those of a pool table, the smaller balls might be a slight advantage. Since the pockets are smaller too, there is no apparent advantage. Snooker pairs smaller balls and smaller pockets with a much larger table.
Why It’s Hard to Say Definitively Which Billiards Game is Hardest
There’s no doubt that becoming great at any billiard game is very difficult. Some players may have a leg up in their grasp of a game, or they may have grown up playing one game instead of the other.
It’s like comparing hiking 100 miles in the desert to hiking 100 miles in snowy mountains. The distance is the same and the equipment is similar, yet nobody would call them the same hike.
Player Perception
Like the hiking analogy above, whether snooker is more difficult than pool depends on any given player’s skill level. Someone who has been playing on a 9-foot pool table for years will likely have difficulty adjusting to the larger snooker table as well as the slightly smaller pockets and balls.
The same could be said for a player who is used to playing on a large snooker table. The dimensions alone could make one game harder than the other.
Popularity and Accessibility
For many pool players, especially those outside of England, snooker just isn’t a very accessible game. Since the tables are larger and it’s not as popular, many people simply don’t have the opportunity to play the game.
So, as you can imagine, those who have access to snooker and are able to play it often are likely to think that it’s an easier game. Whereas those that don’t are likely to consider that it’s harder. And, of course, we can’t forget about the ego. Many snooker and pool players will suggest that their game of choice is harder because it gives them a sense of fulfillment and bragging rights to do so.
Of course, mastering any type of billiard game (or anything, for that matter) is difficult. So, maybe both groups are right.
If trying snooker-style shots on a pool table left you wanting a straighter-hitting cue for those long-table angles, a low-deflection shaft is the first upgrade worth considering. We cover specific picks at every budget in our best pool cues for the money guide.
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For more on this topic, check out snooker vs pool, snooker cues for pool, history of billiards, billiard game types, and bumper pool.
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