Snooker vs Pool vs Billiards: A Simple Guide

Snooker, pool and billiards are all cue sports — played on a cloth-covered table where you strike balls with a cue. The confusion is understandable, but they’re genuinely different games. The differences come down to three things: the size of the table, the balls you use, and the rules that decide how you win.

The differences at a glance

Snooker

Snooker is played on the big table — a full-size table is 12 feet long, and the pockets are tight with rounded jaws that punish anything less than a clean pot. You play with 22 balls: 15 reds, six colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black) and the white cue ball. The aim is to score more points than your opponent by potting a red (1 point) followed by a colour, over and over, then clearing the colours in order. Because the table is large and the margins are small, snooker rewards patience, control of the cue ball and the ability to think a shot or two ahead. It’s the most demanding of the three, and the one most beginners find humbling — in the best way.

Pool

Pool is the game most people have played at a bar or café. The table is smaller, the pockets are wider, and the balls are larger and heavier, which makes potting far more forgiving. You use 16 balls: 15 numbered object balls plus the cue ball. The two most common formats are 8-ball, where each player takes a group (solids or stripes) and then sinks the 8-ball to win, and 9-ball, where you pot balls 1 through 9 in order. Games are short, social and easy to learn, which is exactly why pool is the go-to for a casual evening.

English billiards

Billiards is the oldest of the three and the one people know least. English billiards is played on the same 12-foot table as snooker but with only three balls: two cue balls (one per player) and a single red. There’s no clearing the table here — you score points through cannons (striking both other balls with your cue ball), pots, and in-offs, playing to an agreed points target. It’s a quieter, more tactical game built around positioning rather than potting streaks.

Which should you try first?

For most people, start with pool. It’s the most casual and social of the three, the smaller table and wider pockets mean you’ll pot balls and enjoy yourself from the very first game, and the 8-ball rules take about a minute to explain. Snookeris worth working up to — it asks for more skill and patience, but sinking a long red on a proper full-size table is one of the great feelings in any cue sport. Billiards is a lovely third stop once you’re comfortable on the big table and want something more tactical.

Play in Pune

The easiest way to feel the difference is to play on the real thing. At Pickle & Cue Club in Mahalungewe have full-size snooker tables and pool tables side by side, so you can try both in one visit — with a café and deck for afterwards. Check the hourly rates or book a table to get started.