Snooker is a cue-sport that is played on baize-covered table with six holes - one in each of the four corners and one on either side of the table, placed directly in the middle of the side cushion. A full-sized regulation Snooker tables dimensions are twelve foot by six foot.

Because the size of the regulation snooker table demands a very large room, smaller snooker tables, such as a ten foot by five foot table or an eight foot by four foot table, can be used with fewer balls. These snooker tables come in various styles, such as one that converts into a dining table and snooker tables that can fold for easier storage.

The game is played using a cue ball and snooker balls of various colors: one white cue, and six balls of different colors. Black balls are worth seven points, pink balls are worth six points, blue balls are worth five points, brown balls are worth four points, green balls are worth three points, and yellow points are worth two points.

A team (or individual player) wins an individual game, called a frame, of snooker by using the cue ball to pot the colored balls in a predefined order in which to gain more points than their opponent. The game is won once a team wins a certain amount of frames.

Professional snooker matches require a player to win five frames, and are known as the 'Best of Nine,' which is the maximum amount of frames possible in a match. World Championships have longer matches than average games, which range from the best of nineteen in qualifying rounds and the first to eighteen (up to thirty-five frames) for the first round proper. Due to the length of these extended matches, they are usually played over the course of two days.

A regulated twelve by six foot table is required for professional matches. During these matches players will be expected to play by the 'Best of Nine' rules, which means that the player must win five frames. Even longer matches are played during World Championships, some of which have to be played over the course of two days. They matches often have best of eighteen or nineteen in qualifying rounds, while some matches may last up to thirty-five frames.

The game itself is played by the player knocking a red ball into a pocket with only one strike from the cue. Assuming that the player successfully pots the red ball, they can then try to pot a colored ball. When a player successfully pockets a colored ball the player accumulates the amount of points the colored ball is worth, which is then placed back onto the table. When the player misses it becomes their opponent's turn, and that player then proceeds to try to knock a red ball into a pocket so he can have a chance to gain points by potting a colored ball. The game proceeds in this manner until all the red balls are pocketed, leaving only colored balls on the table. After this time any colored balls potted are left in the pocket.