American reacts to Snooker VS Pool : Which one is harder?

[@isnobodyreally102]

Anyone who has played pool and played snooker knows snooker is just the big boy adult version of pool.

[@mrfreeze2446]

Joker

[@gerghghherb880]

I absolutely suck at snooker, but after an evening of playing it and then going back to pool, it makes pool so much easier. You go down to hit a shot and you think "the pockets only like 2 feet away this shit is easy!"

[@rodpanhard]

Much like how American Baseball is just Rounders we played in primary school.

[@tuge666]

I have not played snooker, but its hard ass hell. Bigger table and smaller pockets

[@chrissmith8773]

Jump shots over an intervening ball are illegal in snooker. After contact with the object ball, balls are allowed to bounce over others, but this is not normally a shot you would try. The tactics and shot selection are very different between the sports. Bank shots and combos have a greater chance of going in in pool because the pockets are bigger. Safety play is very different because of the jump shot and the three foul rule

[@markjones127]

I've played American rack or rail rules pool in leagues and it makes for a very different tactical game, basically it means after every shot a ball has to either hit the cushion or go in the pocket, so you can't take the easy option of rolling the white up against a ball to snooker your opponent, which I like a lot!

[@CMc-v7z]

@@markjones127 more like old school billiards

[@Michael-yq2ut]

Lol I was just about to point this out, Ryan must have just read the top line of the ai answer. I'd LOVE to see Judd commit a couple of years to pool and see how he does.

[@dylanmoore9042]

Yes exactly! Really the only time you see balls leave the table in snooker is if they roll over the top of another ball due to immense top spin and power.

[@markjones127]

@@CMc-v7z I love Billiards, it isn't rack or rail though, you can do cannons in the middle of the table without potting a ball or touching a cushion

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

I used to play in pool competitions, always warmed up with a game of snooker first because it made pool seem like childs play on a small table with huge pockets. Did quite well with cash prizes.

[@ramadaxl]

Now lets see some pool players playing snooker players on a full size snooker table !

[@CMc-v7z]

Efren Reyes played Ronnie and said he got a decent break but Ronnie destroyed after that just with positioning and break building.

[@Alvin-jr9ot]

I’ve seen Reyes play snooker and yeh- he can pot a ball for sure but the rest of his game is lacking. He’s like an average club player who has a decent pot on him.

[@iano6944]

You took the words right out of my mouth.. snooker players have a fair chance playing pool, but not vice versa.. we've seen it multiple times pool players trying their hands at snooker and coming nowhere near to the standard.

[@CMc-v7z]

@@iano6944 I'm sure either one could become a decent player in the respective games with enough practice. Gotta be dedicated though.

[@multiversal2023]

​@@CMc-v7zronnie was also only 14 when he played him

[@dantastic6262]

Not only are snooker pockets smaller, but the angle of the jaw is tighter, making the ball less likely to go in off the jaw

[@FriarTuck-ew8ys]

Although snooker pockets have a rounded pocket jaw shape, especially the middle pockets. American pocket jaws are much sharper which closes off the pocket.

[@mariuscheek]

Also, as someone who played league pool in Cornwall briefly, I used to play snooker just for practice - it's sooo much harder on a 12'x6' table; and club tables have easier pockets than tournament tables, just so people can pot anything at all!! Never played a tournament table myself, but I can imagine they are much better cared for, so much more responsive to any sort of spin intentional or not.

[@mehallica666]

@@FriarTuck-ew8ys It does the opposite. The jaws on American tables act as a 'funnel' for the balls. You can bounce a shot down the cushion half way and it will still go in. That would never happen on a UK pool table nevermind a snooker table. You could pot a beach ball on American tables.

[@DJ-Eye]

@@mehallica666 well said. I have played on many table types, US pockets are like buckets compared to what is used on a league table in UK pool, and Snooker pockets are even less forgiving. Whenever I would play Snooker for an hour, I would clean up on a UK poool table shortly afterwards. And for those who think they are good playing pool at their pub. Those tables are not regulation, the pockets are often bigger and have more open jaws, as quicker games makes for more profit.

[@janhornbllhansen4903]

Lets forget the fact the snooker table is 2-3 times bigger, the balls and holes are smaller. To make a perfect game of 9 ball you need pocket 9 balls consecutively. A pefect game of snooker requires you pot 36 balls in a row.

[@markjones127]

In pubs maybe, but in a pool club you'll see full size pool tables which are 9' long, you can win a game of 9 ball off the break, it's called a golden break, you don't have to pot all 9 balls as long as you hit the object ball before potting the 9 ball, so a golden break is considered the perfect game of 9 ball.

[@jeschinstad]

@@markjones127 A snooker table is 78% larger than a regulation pool table.

[@markjones127]

@@jeschinstad So not 2 or 3 times larger, like I said, I had worked it out btw! 🤣

[@ryanwuzer]

why are we forgetting that lol? because of those differences, a perfect snooker game is FAR more rare than a perfect 9 ball game

[@jeschinstad]

@@ryanwuzer Why are you mentioning 9ball at all? That's a gamblers game, which is why 10-ball has pretty much replaced it. But in my opinion, 14.1 is the real game of pool. That requires extreme precision and strategy. The world record is a 714 ball run. That makes a snooker 147 extremely mundane since it has been done hundreds of times, while 714 has only been done once in over a hundred years.

[@Alvin-jr9ot]

There’s a reason why snooker players call pockets on a pool table “buckets”…

[@ryanwuzer]

hahahaha wow

[@CMc-v7z]

@@Alvin-jr9ot they are. I remember playing on an American table at my local pool hall. Could roll the balls down the cousin, they hit the knuckle, maybe bounced off the cushion a little and still went in.

[@mikesullivan3420]

Pool is a pastime for drunks, snooker requires skill and intelligence.

[@A15degreeperhourdrift]

Alex Higgins and Bill Werbeniuk beg to differ.

[@cindz4618]

Hurricane Higgins?

[@DJ-Eye]

@@cindz4618 Yes Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins.

[@DJ-Eye]

@@A15degreeperhourdrift ouch! - touche.

[@glosfishgb6267]

@@cindz4618 1st star of snooker

[@Polsnulspace]

A top pool player will beat a top snooker player at pool but a top snooker player would absolutely destroy a top pool player at snooker.

[@mehallica666]

Pool is a game for when you're too drunk to play snooker.

[@highjim7778]

lolol

[@panayotiscanellopoulos8696]

🙂

[@SocietyIsCollapsing]

Funny, yet totally accurate.

[@bmac7885]

List of your pool titles? it's so easy you should have had a great career surely?

[@mehallica666]

@@bmac7885 You mean people actually take pool seriously?

[@GazilionPT]

Another difference I notice: pool tables have white marks 2:21 around it, which help players making their calculations, while snooker tables 2:50 have no such markings. Pool tables look like they were made for children learning how to play snooker, like training wheels on kids bikes...

[@Castropc]

I was wondering what those marks were, I thought they were just hiding the bolts that hold the table together.

[@lsaria5998]

If snooker is Lego, pool is Duplo... :p

[@gavinwillis8247]

Watch snooker 900 they have a training white ball for that for tv viewers to see the spin on the ball

[@Phoenixillusion18]

@@Castropc they are mostly used in traning session , so that way you can have the exact setup every time . Or how I use them , when breaking to make sure I put the cue ball in the exact spot every time.

[@dresdyn100]

Snooker vs Pool = Chess vs Checkers. US competition pool tables have larger pockets AND balls (so sort of cancels itself out) than British and Australian pool table variants as well. The Brit and Aussie tables are also slightly smaller. I only worked this out as I've lived in all 3 countries and played a lot of pool. Snooker and billiards (two different games) are my first loves though.

[@StewedFishProductions]

And worth mentioning that a standard, 'full size' snooker table is 12 Ft. long X 6 Ft. wide.... Soooooo much larger than a pool table !

[@dresdyn100]

@@StewedFishProductions lol yeah but I think Ryan or the guy on the video he's reacting to mentions that.

[@StewedFishProductions]

@@dresdyn100 That's what happens when you start reading the comments section before watching the whole video... DuH! LOL! 😃

[@maartenvanderzwan8281]

Checkers is f*king hard Most checkers and up a draw fo the fact it's really hard to get a up on your opponent.

[@BBKing1977]

Larger balls can make pool easier though, as a slight difference in aim makes less difference to the direction of the object ball with larger balls. Accuracy has to be far better in Snooker.

[@barrygentry5364]

Snooker is like chess, with balls. The best players are thinking 3,4 or 5 shots ahead and the skill revolves around controlling the cue ball and getting it into position to pot the ball you have planned for, whilst missing up to 20 other balls on the table, assuming they have potted the first red.

[@SotonCueMan]

Jump shots are fouls in snooker - not sure where you looked that up but it's wrong! Same with UK pool [7ft table], the cue ball cannot jump over any part of another ball BEFORE making initial contact.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

He looked at the AI answer. Yes, there are videos of Snooker Trick shots, with cue ball jumps but they are not allowed in the proper game.

[@davidmccarthy6390]

Not only are the pockets smaller, they are cut differently. Snooker cushions curve into the pocket, pool cushions are square cut at a sharp angle. This has the effect of making shots into corner pockets much easier, but shots into middle pockets much harder as they have a 90 degree cut "blocker" tha is not present on a snooker table. And then there's the length: if a snooker table is full size, a 9 ball table is 3/4 or 2/3 size, and a bar pool table is half size. That means a bar pool table has only a 1/4 the table area of a snooker table, and a 3/4 size only has half the playing area.

[@montymonty78]

It's like comparing pitch and putt to golf.

[@jackabalas]

Great reaction. Really thought provoking in an interesting way.

[@happilyeggs4627]

Two female, British, snooker players made the transition to pool and won the women's championship and many other pool tournaments in the US. Alison Fisher and the other Fisher (can't remember her first name). At the World Team Pool Championships the European team have had a couple of top Brit snooker players play for them. They won their matches and the Championship. Steve Davis has played in a couple of Pool finals against Efren Reyes and another player who I don't recall. he did lose but played well, at the World Pool Championships in Cardiff.

[@BadgerBotherer1]

Kelly Fisher.

[@happilyeggs4627]

@@BadgerBotherer1 Yeah, thanks. I just couldn't remember.

[@gohumberto]

It actually baffles me, as an English person who played a lot of Pool and Snooker, how Judd Trump missed so many shots on a Pool table. Pool pockets and table size made it fairly easy for me, as a "Pub player", to clean-up a Pool table 50% of the time. Doubles are so much easier, and no pot is ever more than a couple of feet generally. HOWEVER ..... Playing snooker was (literally) a whole new ball game. Forget 147 Maximum breaks. I'd be really happy with 3 red & 3 blacks. My Pool-playing buddies would be equally impressed. I doubt I ever potted 10 balls in a row on a Snooker table. The level of difficulty is so great. The cue-ball control so crucial. The use of spin so delicate. I've seen people, who play a fairly poor game of Pool, play Snooker and not pot ONE single ball.

[@dangermouse8466]

Judd was going through a bad period at the time. He admitted he was partying too much after he became world snooker champion. As a result following this disastrous performance in pool, he had a very poor 2 years in snooker before he turned things around.

[@blechtic]

I think there is also a difference between pub tables and pro tables. Many pubs have smaller tables and they might also have bigger pockets. In snooker you often end up trying to pocket those long(er) shots (or you and your buddy end up using a lot of time and paying quite a bit for the privilege of nothing really happening on the table) with those small balls and naturally your angles for potting are going to be very slim. You almost end up wanting a scope on that cue.

[@acidxburn125]

I grew up playing UK 8 ball pool and wasn't half bad, When I 1st played snooker i couldn't adapt to the range/hit power difference, after a few games took way too long :) We went to the pub and played pool. OMG!!! I couldn't miss all night. it was like every angle was so much simpler :) Snooker is much more about direct shots, where pool often needs tighter doubles angles.

[@FB-FILMS]

You should watch a very young Ronnie O'sullivan vs Earl Strickland. When Strickland was in his prime.

[@truthsayerq7264]

Watch it where? The footage doesn't exist so what are you talking about?

[@FB-FILMS]

@truthsayerq7264 I saw it on KZbin a while ago. I don't know if it still exists or not

[@dantastic6262]

I’ll say this, I can clear a pool table from the break, on occasion… But I’ve never potted more than 6 balls in a row on a snooker table, and very rarely do I pot more than 3

[@CMc-v7z]

@@dantastic6262 you end up overthinking shots on a snooker table and putting unwanted side on. In pool, you tend to hit it harder more often and the side doesn't have as much of an effect.

[@dantastic6262]

@@CMc-v7z I can believe that

[@nathan_hassen]

Watch Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle

[@chassetterfield9559]

There's also Billiards, which is played on a standard snooker sized table, but uses one red, and two different cue balls, one for each player, and designated by one having one or more spots on. Points are scored for 'cannons' [ hitting both of the other balls, hitting the first and ricocheting the cue ball into the second ], potting either of the other balls, or actually potting your own cue ball, by ricocheting off another ball [ going 'in-off' ]. Balls that go into pockets are replaced on the table, in specific places. Very good billiards players can rack up shot after shot, & accumulating a score running into several hundred points. The game is generally decided by first to a set number of points. And then there's the version played in Belgium, for example, which is played on a standard sized snooker table, BUT WITHOUT POCKETS AT ALL. Points are scored purely by playing cannons

[@stevesoutar3405]

i like playing billiards - it's a great game to practice controlling the cue ball - it's fast and a lot of fun

[@MoodyMarco-vj3oe]

Billiards is not played on a snooker table. Snooker is played on a billiards table. Also 'billiards' has a different meaning in the USA than here in the UK.

[@chassetterfield9559]

@@MoodyMarco-vj3oe No, I said " snooker sized", to differentiate to an American that it was not a Pool sized, or any other variant table.

[@jca111]

I think the hardest part is not the game play difference., It's the ball sizes and weights. Snooker balls are smaller, but heavier. (52mm vs 57mm and 142g vs 156+g). This will change your cueing big time, and could take months if not years to get used to.

[@DougBrown-h1n]

I'll watch this, but I don't think I need to for an answer to the question. It's standard policy for the US to "simplify" great sports. Cricket vs Baseball, Rugby vs NFL, Snooker vs Pool. It offers a rather unfortunate clue to the American psyche.🤣

[@mehallica666]

They even did the same to the English language!

[@dangermouse8466]

@@mehallica666 That's so true. A pavement isn't a pavement there. The Americans get awfully confused by the word "pavement". They call it a sidewalk because they then understand that you walk on the side to get places. LOL

[@scottneil1187]

Baseball predates cricket and was invented by us Brits, the French invented billiards and an Irishman in America invented pool. Know your history. American football is far more complicated a sport than rugby too.

[@mehallica666]

@@dangermouse8466 Nuance is lost on them. They HAVE to be literal.

[@mehallica666]

@@scottneil1187 Baseball DOES NOT predate cricket. Cricket predates baseball in England by at least 200 YEARS, and by 300 years in the U.S. Ironic that you say "know your history" when you are objectively wrong!

[@stevieinselby]

I guess the difference is that a great snooker player needs to have a higher degree of _skill_ in terms of moving the balls around than a great pool player. There will be aspects of tactics that they may not be so familiar with but those are things they can easily learn (as well as making the most out of the greater degree of laxity on the table) ... whereas a pool player moving into snooker not only has to learn the more complicated rules and strategies but also has to hone the precision of their play as well.

[@BBKing1977]

I enjoy watching both top-level pool and snooker, but in different ways. Pool can be exciting and creative, but tends to lean into more action on the table. Snooker has those elements, but also adds more precision, finesse and strategy, and relies less on action. Both share some skills, but things like break-building and safety battles are far more integral to snooker, and lead to a different type of entertainment. When I see a great player in pool, I often say “Wow, that was cool!” When I see a great player in snooker, I often say “Holy sh*t, that’s incredible!”

[@lbewl7374]

Judd learned his trade in my hometown. The snooker club no longer exists but, everybody said he was a good, humble kid. Add to that, entering that tournament was for fun (his winnings from snooker are huge), you can see he's a chilled guy having fun.

[@CMc-v7z]

Snooker isn't just about "pocketing the balls really well", it's about thinking of your next shots and getting the position right. Pool isn't as tactical and you can cheat the pockets much easier due to the size of them.

[@jeschinstad]

Really? You don't think you have to play the pattern in pool? Then you're relying on luck. In 8-ball the rule is that you never pocket a ball until you can pocket them all. The most difficult is 15 ball rotation, where you have to pocket the balls in order. Good luck getting a 15 ball run there.

[@CMc-v7z]

@@jeschinstad that's great but the pockets, run of the table, snookering, escapes and fouls are a lot less forgiving in snooker. Good luck getting a century break.

[@mehallica666]

@@jeschinstad 15 balls? A full clearance in snooker is 36 BALLS.

[@jeschinstad]

@@mehallica666 Yes, but you can pick which ever you want. In that style of game, the record in pool is 714 balls. If you remove the coloreds from a snooker table and say that you have to pocket the reds in a predetermined order, it would be much more difficult.

[@dangermouse8466]

@@jeschinstad There's no "pattern" in pool. You do in pool that you do in snooker, ie play for position.

[@rikmoran3963]

When I was young I used to play pool most days of the week and wasn't too bad for an amateur player. I would usually clear the table most times I got to the table. I also used to enjoy playing snooker, but that was at most once a month. Pool was so easy compared to snooker. If you haven't played snooker for a while and you go into a club the size of the table can shock you! You forget just how big they are. On a pool table if you play a shot that is slightly off, it still stands a good chance of going into the (much larger) pockets regardless of the distance of the shot. On a snooker table the same type of shot could end up being a couple of inches wide of the pocket. I would say that snooker is much harder than pool, but that doesn't mean a snooker player would be a good pool player without putting in the effort to learn the differences.

[@dangermouse8466]

I fully agree with you. Snooker is the much harder game. Ronnie O'Sullivan said that he would clear up in pool if he practised it for a few months but he won't coz the money on offer is poor.

[@lovinpa8087]

However you don't see any pool players playing snooker

[@Lilly8Listens]

Because they know they wouldn't have a hope of winning.

[@lukebarton5075]

Exactly.

[@dasrogster]

There's a reason why it's impossible to find a professional pool player and a professional snooker player playing snooker video on KZbin... The American pool players don't want to be humiliated on film.

[@huntergray3985]

As with other British games, snooker is more subtle. When it comes to jump shots: "In snooker, a jump shot is when the cue ball jumps over an object ball, and it can be legal or illegal depending on the circumstances: Legal If the cue ball hits the object ball before jumping over another ball, it's legal. For example, Ronnie O'Sullivan used a jump shot to clear a pack of reds during the World Championship semi-final. Illegal If the jump is a miscue and happens while the cue ball is on its way to the ball, it's a foul. It's also illegal if the striker intentionally causes the cue ball to jump to clear an obstructing ball." In pool a jump shot is usually intended to clear an obstructing ball and so would be illegal in snooker.

[@user-jal99]

Both games have their place and both have very different approaches and rules. Really the only common thing is they are played on cushioned tables with balls, pockets and cues, all of which are different to suit each game! I’ve played both (poorly!) and enjoyed both. The fact is in either game it takes commitment and dedication to become a master

[@WolfHeathen]

Since the two sports are 98% the same, snooker players and pool players learn little "finger tip feeling" techniques that are generally unique to their sports. It's not just about using a stick to hit a ball into another ball and that means you're great at both. For example, Efren Reyes wouldn't do as well in snooker as most professional snooker players, and Ronnie O'Sullivan wouldn't do as well in pool as most professional pool players. They each lack those exclusive extra little things that the other player has learned.

[@stevenmclaren2730]

I don't think a pro pool player could even get close to a snooker tournament

[@celsus7979]

If pool matches lasted as long as snooker matches no snooker player would get close either. In snooker terms pool matches are best of threes. There are lots of pool players who can make 2 frame winning breaks, but the won't win a best of nine or more against a top 16 snooker player.

[@SocietyIsCollapsing]

@@celsus7979 If they played 1 frame of each, it would either be a draw or the snooker player would win.

[@Mike-James]

I have had days playing snooker where I never missed and the next day wished i never got out of bed.

[@matthewwalker5430]

Jayson Shaw, by the way, started off playing Snooker when he was young (never professionally, as far as I know) and switched to pool. I'm not stepping into the debate over whether Snooker is better/harder than pool as they're different games, but I'm not sure Jayson Shaw is the ideal person to use in order to prove a point in favour of pool. You COULD argue that the reason he is so good at pool is BECAUSE of his early days playing snooker. Again, I'm not actually arguing that, I'm just sort of pointing out the folly in this particular debate. If a pool player COULD switch to snooker, I'd wager Jayson Shaw would do OK even if he wouldn't be blitzing the World Championship.

[@dangermouse8466]

Eeerrrr no, he wouldn't even qualify.

[@dafergy]

He’s always had a pool background. His dad was a Scotland internationalist.

[@matthewwalker5430]

@@dafergy Yes, he has always had a pool background, but he literally worked in a snooker club when he was young.

[@matthewwalker5430]

@@dangermouse8466 for the World Championships? Yeah, of course he wouldn't qualify, lol - perhaps I didn't lace the word 'blitzing' with quite enough sarcasm. I've watched him play snooker though and whilst he isn't great, he isn't terrible. At least he has played the game, unlike many American Pool players.

[@dangermouse8466]

@@matthewwalker5430 Yeah, when I said, he wouldn't even qualify, I meant Shaw wouldn't even get a tour card to qualify. I was being far too diplomatic earlier.

[@SotonCueMan]

You need to consider the different characteristics of the pockets between snooker and 9 ball pool. Snooker pockets have curved cushions as the jaws and pool are points. This means that shots down the cushion [rail shots for the us] are so easy in pool and so difficult in snooker. In pool the ball can hit the side cushion inches away and still go in - in snooker that cannot happen as easily and accuracy has to be so much greater. That is the main reason why snooker players think it's so easy to pot in pool.

[@multiversal2023]

Snooker is harder, no question

[@celsus7979]

Potting a ball is harder. There is a lot more to the game.

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@celsus7979 Snooker is harder. Not just the potting, but building breaks.

[@bmac7885]

@@jens-kristiantofthansen9376 running consecutive racks is harder than building a break, if you miss in snooker you might lose the frame, you miss in pool you might lose the entire match. BOTH games are difficult in their own right

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@bmac7885 A decent amateur might have a shot at a best of 9 in pool against a pro. In snooker, not a chance. And even a single frame in snooker is pretty unlikely. You'll find lots of people at local pubs who have finished off a frame of pool in one visit at the table. The equivalent 'one winning break' in snooker is far rarer.

[@paulcowie7854]

Really good video again Ryan, im enjoying your snooker journey. Its great when someone takes a completely fresh look at a sport ive played for some 54 years ever since my dad bought me a 3ft table that i put on the dining table to play. Keep looking for a table in a club near you. I stayed in Raleigh NC once and searched and found 2 tables in the corner of a large pool hall.

[@noelplum99]

Having followed this debate (snooker vs pool) for a few years, one of the differences is not just that the pockets are smaller on a snooker table but that the angl of the mouth of the pocket is such that they are tighter (ie more deeply recessed) so that balls that waggle on the jaws are more likely to be spat out than catch the lip and drop in. That said, how "hard" a sport is is not so much dependent on the mechanics of the game but the skill of the opponent. With popular sports, they are all as difficult as each other: the fact it is easier to make runs in cricket and points in basketball than it is to score goals in (association) football and runs in baseball doesn't make the former two sports easier than the latter.

[@Castropc]

Mark Selby turned professional at Snooker in 1999. He's won just about every snooker tournament multiple times but in 2006 he was also the World Eight Ball Champion and in 2014 he was runner up at the Chinese 8 Ball World Championship making him the only man to be world Champion at Pool and Snooker.

[@fullu3]

It's not just the pockets that are smaller in snooker, but also the balls. The real snooker skill, however, is the art of 'snookering'... i.e., leaving the cue ball in a position where your opponent can't do anything with it. On a side note, there is also a multiplayer variation of snooker (it's actually a completely different game, played on the same table with pool balls) in which the aim is to pot your opponents' balls, while 'protecting' your own. It's a lot easier than snooker, and wildly popular in some parts of Europe. Here in Malta, we call it 'pula' (the equivalent of 'mini-pool')

[@peterjones6507]

Why do I never see pool players trying snooker?

[@CMc-v7z]

Mark Selby says hi.

[@mehallica666]

Earl Strickland entered the World Championship at the height of his fame, got humiliated in the first qualifying round 10 - 0 and scurried off back to the U.S never to return.

[@dangermouse8466]

@@CMc-v7z Selby was always first and foremost a snooker player. He made it big in pool first because snooker is a lot harder to master.

[@CMc-v7z]

@@dangermouse8466 yes but like he say, he made it in pool first before making it in snooker. Shows it can be done in both with enough commitment.

[@jusDau]

Its not just the size of the pockets that is different Ryanm its also the shape, Pool pockets are far easier to pot a ball, especially down the rail.

[@jeschinstad]

Yes and that's a problem for snooker players, because they know that shot can't be done, while a decent pool player knows it's extremely easy. This is why experience matters so much and snooker players will require a lot of training to think like a pool player.

[@dbasher9974]

I haven’t seen anyone mention it but Mark Selby is a four time snooker world champion but also a former 8 ball pool world champion. The only player (to my knowledge) that holds that accolade. For reference, 8 ball (or English 8 ball) is far more popular here in England as a form of pool than 9 ball. 9 ball is a bit more of a novelty. If you’re down the pub, you’d be playing English 8 ball (red vs yellows with a black ball at the end).

[@paolomargini7904]

I already advised you: if you get into snooker you'll become one of us, so following the last words of Hotel California: "You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave!"

[@johnmayhew9769]

Of course there are (some) snooker players and fans who point and laugh at pool, once commonly referred to as ‘pocket billiards’. Similarly, before the phenomenal rise of snooker, there were the purist billiards players, many of whom felt ‘snooker’ was a bit trivial. But they are essentially different games. I suspect that Efren Reyes at his best would edge out any snooker player at pool, though it might be close. I don’t imagine it would be so close in the reverse case. Obvs, a snooker table is a daunting prospect for a pooler!

[@chrisofnottingham]

Snooker players can always have a go at pool without embarrassing themselves but the games are different. I think that in snooker you have to deal with the big open spaces, whereas in pool you have to deal with a crowded table. And for this reason the equivalent standard players from pool vs snooker will usually win at their own game.

[@mariuscheek]

I can remember my first time looking down a full size 12'x6' snooker table - it's like looking into an abyss of space and time.

[@ClintWalker-p9c]

I think the pro pockets have a 2 3/8 inch opening but the drop is actually further back too. Which means unlike in pool, balls that catch any part of the cushion or even the jaws of the pocket will rarely go in!

[@CMc-v7z]

@@ClintWalker-p9c you have to play it extremely slow and hope for gravity.

[@dondatta13]

No, jump shots are illegal in snooker.

[@n0w3lly90]

Snooker. Bigger table, smaller pockets, greater distances between the balls meaning that cueing must be incredibly accurate, and break building and positioning are very difficult to master. The objective in Snooker is also to win by getting the most points, so, you have to be able to score as heavily as possible. The other thing is what they call "having a snooker brain", which includes having a lot of skill with pace, angles, side on the ball, being precise with position and being able to put your opponent into "snookers", which is not easy at all. However, it is true; they are different games entirely with different rules, different objectives

[@seanmc1351]

ryan when you talk about jump shots in snooker, made me think of something from back in the day, with the legend alex higgins, he could screw a ball back, it would leave the table, go all raound the car park, back on the table and pot the ball, the legend of jimmy white can do the same, both these two legends also did very well in america on pool, its suited there style of game back then,

[@ianmontgomery7534]

When I lived in China my girlfriend and I would sometimes play a couple of hours of snooker on full size tables and then go down to the bars and play pool and hold the table for most of the night. After playing on a snooker table most pub pool tables have pockets that seem to be like buckets. I think the angles of the cushions at the pockets may be different.

[@philrose6226]

Snooker is the hardest game to consistently pocket balls in, plus to make winning breaks the cue ball control has to be more accurate. In pool the margin of error is much larger, there's always plenty of options if you come bad on a ball, but in snooker you can end your visit just by coming straight in on a colour. What snooker players dont have, is the route planing and puźzle solving abilities that the pool players have. Snooker players only ever need to plan 2 or 3 shots ahead. Where as for pool especially 8 ball pool, if you dont have the ability to work out your entire route through the rack, you can come stuck very quickly.

[@DannyDierickx]

When Judd was loosing I bet he felt like "finally some competition". He seems to be a good sport.

[@Nevyn515]

I think most if not all of the animosity is from the fans. The professionals don’t have that, they’re aware that they’re different games played differently and not all habits learned for one will be useful for the other skillset.

[@kshgarg147]

Pool would have been a great game provided the pockets were tighter like a snooker table.

[@dfloriza]

All the differences I noticed in a snooker table vs a pool table: - the baize (cloth) of the table is carpeted, so it can be brushed in one direction or another, and can knock a ball off its intended path - despite the first point, the table is still insanely fast - balls can travel long distances with very little effort - there are no diamonds on the rails of a snooker table for measuring angles for bank shots and kick shots - the rubber the rails are made of is SUPER bouncy - the pockets are rounded, making the bouncy rails from the last point even more problematic, as it makes a lot of shots harder if they come in contact with the rail - the table is 6 feet x 12 feet - most tournament pool tables are 4.5 feet x 9 feet - it feels like playing on a football field - the cues, balls, and pockets in snooker are smaller - the table actually sits a little higher off the ground than a pool table, so it was uncomfortable to play on (for me) because it messed with how i set up my stance I play competitive pool in America, and a snooker table is easily the most humbling experience I've had. It takes a lot of adjustment to get used to it, and you do have to change your play style accordingly - pool is about moving the cue ball around the table for position, while snooker is trying to move the cue ball as little as needed. But it's SO much fun to play on a snooker table, as agonizing as it is, and you understand why snooker players are so good - the level of precision they need to make the shots they make is unreal.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

If you want to win at snooker, position is everything. _everything_ Every shot is about the next 4 or 5.

[@StewedFishProductions]

NEVER heard of 'pickleball', so had to look it up !

[@desperadox7565]

Same. I imagined something with throwing pickles. 😎

[@Thurgosh_OG]

So, it appears to be Table Tennis, using a little net on the ground and with the court being about 4 table tennis tables big.

[@blechtic]

At least it doesn't involve vinegar in private parts. I hope.

[@stirlingmoss4621]

Snooker table pocket openings were enlarged at the same time as the ball colours were enhanced for colour TV (1970s?) back when Snooker became a professional, monetary reward, game.

[@TheCuggsmeister]

I'm not going to ruffle any feathers by saying which game is the hardest but I will tell you this; I'm an average snooker player and my highest break is only 46. But a few years ago I was in a bar in Amsterdam and they had a full size American pool table. They were playing a 'winner stays on' scenario and the place was packed with about 30 people watching the game. It's the most people I've ever had watch me play. I managed to stay on the table for 4 hours and consecutively beat over 25 players. I eventually handed the cue over unbeaten to someone else. So make of that what you will.

[@andrewobrien6671]

Ronnie O'Sullivan made a RV prog where he went to the US and played the best pool players at pool. He literally wiped the floor with them.

[@lukebarton5075]

It was a funny watch. The dude with Ronnie seemed like he was his carer, taking Ronnie out for the day.

[@eddisstreet]

Literally wiped the floor with them. Literally. Really?

[@Showboat69]

I was in a few pool leagues and we used to warm up before a match playing snooker, it made the pool match like a kids game

[@panayotiscanellopoulos8696]

Snooker to Pool Rugby to "football" Kricket to baseball All American versions all simplified to original ones. And far more easier.

[@judsdragon]

the jaws on a pool pocket especially an American table are angle in towards the pocket to make it easier to pot them unlike a snooker tables pockets that have very little angle at all which means u need to get the shot almost straight on and why u see a lot of snooker shots rattle and go out not in like in pool

[@Phoenixillusion18]

The local i usually go to play pool has one snooker table and the table / pocket size is notacebly different. I never played snooker but I have this feeling that I need to master pool first to even start it.

[@Mokrator]

after playing some snooker (2 hrs) it's suddenly so easy to play pool XD. Actually there is also Pyramide (russian pool) that is played by some ukrainian players here in germany, the rules are very simplified - 12ft table, so the balls are larger than with 8ball pool and the pockets are just 2-4 mm (0.15 inches) larger than the balls. But Pyramide is in lag of any strategy (you can play any ball into any pocket and the first to put in 8 balls won - so very rare to have to do some strategic planning)

[@davidlatham6410]

look at the bottom pockets on snooker you can go in off the cushion on pool snooker you need thread the needle coz the pocket arks away from the cushion

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

American pool and British pool are different as well. The balls are smaller and pockets are smaller in British pool. We normally use slightly smaller tipped cues, similar to snooker cues as well. I use an 8 millimetre tip, which is smaller than most use in my league. But yeah. Of course the best pool players in the world are going to beat the best snooker players at pool.....it's a different game. Pool is easier, but that doesn't instantly mean you can go from one to the other and instantly be a champion. But you are definitely going to be better than a hell of a lot. Every year in my home town there's a snooker comp that some of the big players turn up to. It's more of an exhibition but they make sure some stars attend. And fair play to them, some of the stars come out to the local pubs over the weekend and shoot some pool with us locals. It's great fun. One of my friends actually won a frame against trump last year and hasn't stopped shouting about it 😂

[@jacobjones5269]

The pocket facings are the real difference.. And it effects the ball pocketing.. When I’m playing 9-ball, just as one example, I try to avoid playing position to the side pocket, unless it’s easy or straightforward to get position to the next ball.. Because if I get too steep I cannot control the cue ball, or if I get on the wrong side, I’m dead, because I have to go multiple rails to get where I need to go.. Snooker is the opposite, at least for non elite players.. The side pocket is much more accessible than the corner pockets..

[@jeffwilson7100]

Seriously, a full sized snooker table is like playing on a football pitch. the tables are MASSIVE.

[@knottymaker5098]

What is funny is that Jayson Shaw is Scottish (British) Pool is like playing on the kitchen table with buckets hanging off the side and hitting a peanut into a bucket.

[@martinbynion1589]

Snooker is 10 times harder than pool. Much larger table, much smaller pockets and more balls that have to be ocketed in a set order.

[@gduncan8012]

I can’t help but notice that Jayson Shaw comes from Scotland. There’s a whole different dynamic when a Scot plays someone from England. A little extra impetus to win.

[@stuartcarden1371]

If you do ever get the chance to play on a snooker table you will spend the entire time questioning how anyone can play this game. The size of the table alone feels slightly insane. Make sure you've had your eyes tested because if your vision isn't great you will definitely struggle seeing properly from one end to the other. But give it time and you will fall in love. I really enjoy playing pool at a pub or a bar but snooker is a different beast and once you get to grips with it, it's so rewarding (and always infuriating lol)

[@chrisellis3797]

Snooker pockets won't accept the ball anything less than at the pocket, or at a slow speed may kiss the jaw of the pocket and still drop. There's no bumping the cushion (rail) on the way to the pocket and it dropping. Ive played pool a lot when i lived in Ohio for 2yrs, i cleaned up in bars as it was so easy compared to Snooker

[@nickjeffery536]

As a snooker fan primarily, I would say that, while the best snooker players would definitely be pretty decent at pool, the truth is that some of the shots taken in pool are techniques not encountered in snooker... for example, jump-shots, combos etc. If a snooker player switched to pool full-time, then maybe they would eventually adapt fully, but as a one-off it would be tough.

[@lorneheise5767]

Ryan, I like your fascination with the game. If you ever want a one on one with a player just let me know. I play both but am a snooker player at heart. Judd Trump and Ronnie are my favourite players. Snooker is a real gentleman's sport.

[@Symo231]

There's this mad idea that the pockets being bigger and table being smaller makes the game easier. It makes individual breaks easier, but when it is easier for you to pot balls, it is easier for your opponent to pot balls too.

[@James-StJames]

It's like comparing a Guitar to a Mandolin, or a Bass to a Cello. They are all different and we need them for different reasons.

[@davidcruse6589]

There's alot more tactics in snooker If you can't pot the ball You need to leave white safe so opposition cant pot the balls Its why rarely do you see any fancy shots they rarely double a ball into a pocket Also pool tables besides being bigger smaller pockets the run / roll faster So you need to be more precise as white ball keeps rolling and cushions are different as well Ive played both pool by fare harder to play and works on point system Most professional only need one or two chances and will clean the table before you get another chance

[@stuartcarden1371]

To your question "why were snooker fans there" - Judd has some pretty devoted fans and he tends to have an entourage with him at tournaments. That's probably why a few of them made the trip but I'm not completely sure.

[@iainamurray]

Also… Rollie Williams (commentator) is brilliant and has his other channel, Climate Town. Recommended.

[@stevenmclaren2730]

Snooker is ridiculously difficult. I'm decent at pool, but I can easily miss from 6 inches on a snooker table.

[@ClintWalker-p9c]

Your totally right, as far as i know not a single player has gone from pool and been a top snooker player, probably never happen!

[@gavinwillis8247]

There are load of snooker pros who play pool. Williams and hendrie are playing chinese pool now. Chris melling also goes around english pool snooker and american pool

[@ClintWalker-p9c]

@@gavinwillis8247 I said the other way around, I know snooker players can play pool, because snooker is way more skilled and more precision is needed, bigger table too, I said not a single pool player has turned to snooker and become a top player! Because they couldn't

[@EmyrRees-n6j]

As a snooker player the first time I played pool I found it hard to get use to a very small table, I missed about every shot because the angles are so small, the pool player was rubbing his hands in glee, after missing 5 or so shot with an average pool player, I got use to the table and finished the game, he said I thought you had never played pool, I said I hadn't but played snooker as a child till then.

[@nmtb1972]

The term jump shot exists in snooker, only to identify an illegal shot. The only legal jump shot, which can happen if you miss-cue, is when you hit the object ball before the top of said ball, and it then bounces over it. The learning curve is much steeper with snooker. The pockets are tiny, especially on competition tables. You will hardly ever see bankshots on a snooker table, except towards the middle, because pockets are so tight at an angle. This is what sets pool players apart. The diamond system and huge pockets allow for bankshots. The break is also important, something which is completelyat snooker. It's almost a no-miss game, when at the top. Mark Selby is the only person to have one in both sports. Snooker is objectively more difficult.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

It's not potting skill that gets you, it's Judd's positional play, that's what snooker teaches you

[@chassetterfield9559]

Does pool have a cue ball of different size to the other balls, as happens in typical bar pool tables? Is it artificially weighted up to the same weight as the other balls? If so, that would be another major difference for snooker players to get used to, as it would affect the response of the object ball, and also the reaction of the cue ball after contact.

[@CarolGration]

Good to know about the size of the tables etc we play pool at home but never played snooker.

[@fritjofrocker5047]

the table is huuuuge, the balls are tiny, even more so the pockets. the corners of the pockets are also shaped in a way that almost every ball comes out again. after playing pool for about 10 years i tried playing snooker for about half a year (once a week) with no progress whatsoever. after that, playing pool felt like bowling on the kids lane with the sideskirts on.

[@derhavas]

You should check out 3 cushion billiards, also called carambole - no holes!

[@robby1816]

Mark Selby The Snooker player, dabbled in 8-ball & won the Pool World Champion in 2006. He can give his brother-in-law, Gareth Potts, a run for his money.

[@tuge666]

Best hangover sports is snooker and be amazed .

[@iallso1]

Corner pocket size comparison- snooker 3.375" to 3.625", pool 4.5" to 4.625".

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

I've never heard of pickleball!! Just looked it up. Looks fun.