How Many Pockets Are on a Snooker Table? Full Guide

A snooker table has 6 pockets: 4 corner pockets, one at each corner of the table, and 2 middle pockets, positioned at the centre of the two long side cushions. This 6 pocket layout is standard across recreational, club and professional snooker tables.

The full pocket count on a snooker table

If you’re asking how many pockets are there on a snooker table, the answer is 6, split evenly into two types. There are 4 corner pockets, positioned at each of the table’s four corners, and 2 middle pockets, positioned at the centre point of each long side cushion. This layout is identical in principle to most pool tables, though the pocket dimensions, angles and playing difficulty differ considerably between the two games. Every properly built snooker table, whether it’s a professional tournament table or a club table at a local venue, follows this same 6 pocket arrangement.

Corner pockets

The four corner pockets sit exactly where you’d expect, at each corner of the table, and they’re built at an angle that lets them accept balls travelling from two different directions along the cushions.

• Position: one at each of the table’s four corners
• Jaw angle: cut at roughly 45 degrees to catch balls approaching along either adjoining cushion
• Typical width: generally the widest pockets on the table, though still tight by comparison to pool
• Common use: the most frequently potted pockets in casual play, since angled shots along either cushion naturally feed toward them

Middle pockets

The two middle pockets, sometimes called centre pockets, sit at the midpoint of each long side cushion, directly across the table from each other.

• Position: centred on each of the two long side cushions
• Jaw angle: cut straight rather than angled, since balls approach mostly straight on from either side
• Typical width: usually slightly tighter than corner pockets, which is part of why middle pocket shots are considered harder
• Common use: middle pocket shots require more precise pace and angle control, since there’s less natural funnel effect than a corner provides

How pocket size varies by table

Not every snooker table plays the same, even with the same 6 pocket layout, because pocket size itself isn’t perfectly standardised across every venue.

Pocket jaws and how balls actually fall in

A pocket isn’t just a hole cut into the cushion. It’s a shaped opening with jaws designed to either help or hinder a ball on its way in, depending on the angle it arrives at.

• The jaws: the curved sections of cushion rubber on either side of the pocket opening, which balls can catch on if a shot is slightly off line
• The fall: once a ball clears the jaws, it drops through the table bed into a net or leather pocket bag underneath
• Why angle matters: a ball struck too fine can clip a jaw and rattle out instead of dropping, which is why aim matters as much as pace on a tight table

Why snooker uses 6 pockets

The 6 pocket layout isn’t unique to snooker. It’s shared with most pool and billiards style tables, but the reasoning behind it holds across all of them. Four corners plus two middle points along the long cushions gives players scoring opportunities from almost any angle on the table, without needing so many pockets that the playing surface becomes cramped. For a table as large as a full-size snooker table, 6 well-placed pockets balance scoring opportunity against the skill needed to actually use them.

Snooker pockets versus pool table pockets

Both games use a 6 pocket layout, but the similarity mostly ends there once you look closer.

• Pocket size relative to ball: snooker pockets are proportionally tighter compared to the ball size than most pool table pockets
• Jaw shape: pool table pockets are often more rounded and forgiving, while snooker jaws are typically sharper and less forgiving of a slightly miscued shot
• Table size: snooker tables are considerably larger than standard pool tables, which affects how much margin players have when aiming at a pocket from distance
• Why it matters: this difference is a big part of why players moving from pool to snooker often find potting harder at first, even on balls that look like straightforward shots

Common pocket-related situations in play

A few pocket related scenarios come up often enough in casual games that it’s worth knowing how they’re generally handled.

• A ball sitting on the jaw: if a ball comes to rest balanced on the edge of a pocket without falling in, it stays in play exactly where it sits
• A ball that falls in and bounces out: rare, but if it happens, the ball is typically considered potted the moment it fully passes below the cushion level, depending on house or tournament rules
• Potting the wrong ball: a ball sunk in a pocket that wasn’t the intended target is usually a foul, not a free score, since the shot has to be attempted on the correct ball first

Pocket maintenance and why it matters

Pockets take a lot of repeated impact over time, and how well they’re maintained affects the actual playing experience more than most casual players realise.

• Net or leather pocket bags: checked periodically for wear, since a torn pocket bag can let balls fall through awkwardly or get stuck
• Jaw rubber condition: cushion rubber around the jaws can wear down or harden over years of use, changing how forgiving a pocket feels
• Cloth condition near the pocket: worn cloth right at the pocket opening can affect how a ball rolls in the final few centimetres before potting

A well-maintained table with properly kept pockets plays far more predictably than an older table where pocket feel has drifted from its original spec, which is one of the reasons serious players notice a difference between venues even when the table looks similar at a glance.

Tips for potting accurately into different pockets

Players who understand how corner and middle pockets differ tend to adjust their aim and pace accordingly, rather than treating every pocket the same way.

• Corner pockets forgive angle better: the wider jaw angle means slightly imperfect shots still have a chance of dropping
• Middle pockets reward precise pace: too much pace on a middle pocket shot increases the chance of the ball rattling against the jaws instead of dropping cleanly
• Straight shots need a soft touch near any pocket: a ball approaching dead straight into a pocket has less margin for pace error than an angled shot working with the jaw
• Watch the jaw, not just the pocket opening: aiming at the centre of the pocket mouth rather than the wider opening reduces the chance of clipping a jaw and missing

Why pocket count matters for break building

With only 6 pockets spread across a large table, building a long break in snooker requires more than just potting the ball in front of you. It requires planning which pocket to use for each shot so the cue ball ends up in position for the next one. A red potted into the wrong pocket, even successfully, can leave a poor angle on the next colour. This is different from games with a higher pocket to table size ratio, where scoring shots are more forgiving and less dependent on advance planning.

See the pockets for yourself

Reading about pocket layout is useful, but pocket feel is something you notice the moment you start potting. Pickle & Cue Club runs a snooker club in Mahalunge with full-size, well-maintained tables, coaching for players working on their potting accuracy, and cues and balls provided on-site. If you’re also curious about how many balls are in snooker, that’s covered in a separate guide. Check the hourly rates or book a table to get started.