YouTube snooker maximums

May 17, 2006 9:24 PM

A televised snooker 147is the big deal for snooker professionals. The first was by Canadian Cliff Thorburn. The fastest was by Ronnie O'Sullivan. The luckiest goes to John Higgins. Also by Kirk Stevens, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie.
posted by parki (49 comments total)

Yeah, that was really, really lucky. Cool FPP.
posted by JekPorkins at 9:39 PM on May 17, 2006

Who was that guy, English, about 20 years ago. Amazing eyebrows. Always won.

Erm ... bother. I'll know it when I see his name.
posted by 5MeoCMP at 9:43 PM on May 17, 2006

First post. And I was mistaken - Thorburn's was first at the World Championships, not first televised.
posted by parki at 9:44 PM on May 17, 2006

Stephen Hendry -- Hearts supporting _bastard_.
posted by docgonzo at 9:45 PM on May 17, 2006

No! Sorry! Not English. Aussie. Eddie Charlton.

Whooo ... that brought back a flood of unrelated contextual trivia.
posted by 5MeoCMP at 9:46 PM on May 17, 2006

Neato FTP. But since this was my first time ever watching snooker, I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed the next time, when somebody drops a lame 91 on the break (or however you would say that in snookerian).
posted by kosem at 9:58 PM on May 17, 2006

Now that's what I call coordination. And luck. Lots of luck. Great post - these are fun to watch.
posted by wanderingmind at 10:06 PM on May 17, 2006

loved the post, even though i don't understand snooker at all. i love the expression on higgins's face when he gets his bit of luck. and that ronnie o'sullivan time record... jesus! the guy doesn't break a sweat.
posted by jcruelty at 10:19 PM on May 17, 2006

great post.

The lucky bounce at about 6:50 of the John Higgins match... wow!
posted by C.Batt at 10:26 PM on May 17, 2006

Great post.
posted by sellout at 10:31 PM on May 17, 2006

Fantastic post -- thanks! My friend and I taught ourselves snooker when we were teens to make sure we could always get a table at the local pool hall when it was busy. What a wonderful game -- a shame it isn't more popular here in the States.

Seeing maximum breaks is thrilling, like seeing someone pitch a perfect baseball game.

Again, thanks -- gonna forward these links to a few friends.
posted by mosk at 10:44 PM on May 17, 2006

very nice. The electric green against the bright blue floor is trippy. The playing is cool. One thing I like is watching the expressions of the watchers as the game progresses. tres bien
posted by edgeways at 10:45 PM on May 17, 2006

Great stuff. Thanks, parki.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:50 PM on May 17, 2006

Excellent first post parki! I spent thousands of hours in a local club not demonstrating similar skills. But it was next to the beach and served alcohol and you didn't have to wear a shirt in summer and there were chicks around of course - snooker skills took a bit of a backseat.
It's a great game. I also like pool and billiards equally for different reasons.
[loved the Pot Black series when I was growing up too]
posted by peacay at 10:51 PM on May 17, 2006

Fantastic stuff.
posted by greycap at 11:01 PM on May 17, 2006

Echoing the "great post" comments. At about 7 min. in when the "luckiest" sinks that slop, it's a priceless moment. And then about 10 min. in, when he gulps and you can see the anxiousness on his face ... Yeah, great post. Thanks!
posted by donpedro at 11:15 PM on May 17, 2006

So that Ronnie O'Sullivan, he's something I guess. I'm wondering if there's an "almost" schadenfreude out there, where someone gets all the way through and then bolloxes the last ball.
posted by donpedro at 11:26 PM on May 17, 2006

Extremely awesome post. I'm going to go out and learn to play snooker now.
posted by joegester at 11:36 PM on May 17, 2006

I'm always a little surprised to see video of someone playing a game with hundreds of rapturous people watching in the bleachers. It makes me think of a stadium full of people gathered to watch a couple of little girl playing jacks - with commentary, instant replays, referees, cheerleaders, the works.

Great post. Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring spectator sport. Oh, god, so boring.
posted by stavrogin at 11:56 PM on May 17, 2006

There was a time in my life when I watched snooker quite a lot. I know this because I recognize the names of the players -- Cliff Thorburn, Stephen Hendry, etc -- and can even visualize what they look like.

For the life of me, I can't remember when that might have been. I'm getting old.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:43 AM on May 18, 2006

sort of via sportsfilter?
posted by Rumple at 1:13 AM on May 18, 2006

Bad boy Ronnie also scores a 9 out of 10
posted by strawberryviagra at 1:24 AM on May 18, 2006

GameDesire.com has an excellent snooker game for those of you who are currently unoccupied and want to play snooker decently without having to practice for 30-odd years first.

I've seen a bit of snooker, but never a 147. I love the finals, though; watching them with equally snooker-interested friends make for excellent vorspiels.
posted by Haarball at 2:09 AM on May 18, 2006

I was on vacation in Lanzarote this year during the World Championships a few weeks ago. Our TV only had 2 english channels - CNN and a sports channel. I had never really watched snooker on TV before, figuring, as stavrogin says, that it would be INCREDIBLY boring. Maybe it was all the glaring sun during the day, but I found it FASCINATING! On the last session of the finals, Dott was up 15 frames to 7 over Peter Ebdon. Ebdon had a HUGE comeback, winning 6 frames in a row, but eventually lost (I was totally cheering for Ebdon, because he kinda looks like me. Also, I love comeback victories). The final session was so long, that we had time to go out for dinner, have a few drinks, and come back to see the last 5 frames or something ridiculous.
posted by antifuse at 2:19 AM on May 18, 2006

I'd heard of O'Sullivan's maximum break speed record, but this was the first time I've seen it. Absolutely amazing. He doesn't hesitate at all...

I never understood the appeal of snooker until one fateful hangover morning two years ago I sat down and was utterly mesmerised by the game.
posted by slimepuppy at 2:37 AM on May 18, 2006

How do I get a job putting the black ball back out on the table? I think I could be good at that.
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:09 AM on May 18, 2006

Its seems docgonzo hates winners such as Stephen Hendry and Hearts. A Hibee, perhaps?
posted by Shave at 3:38 AM on May 18, 2006

Great post. I remember seeing that record-speed O'Sullivan 147 at the time (one ball potted every nine seconds!), and I could watch it over and over again.

Oh, and Shave, you don't have to be a Hibee to hate Hendry. I've no football affiliation, and I've been hating the smug wee cunt for years.
posted by Len at 4:46 AM on May 18, 2006

Funny to see the Higgins clan looking so much like the regulars at the local all tarted up for the big match.

The newtownian simplicity of the game is so pleasing to watch.
posted by asok at 5:04 AM on May 18, 2006

I always thought it impossible to have anything greater than a mild response to Hendry - he's too dull.

My sister beat him at pool many years ago, presumably as he was trying to get into her pants. It didn't work- too dull to pull.
posted by Shave at 5:14 AM on May 18, 2006

5MeoCMP I think you're thinking of John Parrot.
posted by zeoslap at 5:21 AM on May 18, 2006

I always thought it impossible to have anything greater than a mild response to Hendry - he's too dull.

That's exactly why he riles me up so much. Sure, technically proficient, master player, rah rah rah, but by Christ he's just so fucking boring. He's like Pete Sampras – a total robot with no sense of flair or style, just a well-oiled machine which cranks out wins. I'd much rather watch Ronnie O'Sullivan, or (in years gone by) the great nearly-man Jimmy White, or Alex Higgins. Or anyone else that gave things a sense of drama and uncertainty. (Which is why it's always such fun to see Hendry lose and his usually impassive mask start to crack – it's as if he just does not understand why the script is suddenly being deviated from.)
posted by Len at 5:50 AM on May 18, 2006

Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring spectator sport. Oh, god, so boring.

Did you not see the reaction of the crowds? And watching someone do something so maddeningly difficult as this which such breathtaking mastery and ease is thrilling.
posted by ChasFile at 7:02 AM on May 18, 2006

Great stuff; chalk me up (ha!) as being another person who doesn't follow snooker, yet finds himself mesmerized by it whenever it comes on teevee.

I'd recommend Mordecai Richler's On Snooker to anyone interested in the game; it's a fun read even if you go into it knowing bupkiss about the sport.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:43 AM on May 18, 2006

Great post. Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring spectator sport. Oh, god, so boring.

I always thought bowls was the most boring spectator sport, barely edging out golf and NBA basketball.
posted by jaysus chris at 8:36 AM on May 18, 2006

Sublime stuff. I saw Ronnie's record breaking break on YouTube a while ago, watched it four times in a row.

And what the fuck? A snooker thread with no mention of Jimmy White? For shame. (Yeah, I know he's technically Jimmy Brown now after the HP Sauce thing, but that's too preposterous a name change to respect.)
posted by jack_mo at 9:04 AM on May 18, 2006

Interesting first exposure to snooker here. A few things that disappoint me (as a pool player) but are understandable in the realm of the giant table:

1. You can only sink one ball at a time. My favorite shots are those rare triples where I sink 'em one-two-three with one stroke of the cue.
2. No jumps. As an amateur, this is one of my few skill shots that always gets a 'wow' when I can pull it off. Too flashy? Damages the tables?
3. Putting the balls back on the table. This seems like a good way to start fights (or an opportunity for bribery, if a 3^rd party does it).

Is snooker played in clubs in the UK the way pool is here? It seems like a bear to set-up but fun to play. Are the rules looser the way they are for informal pool games? I don't want to get stabbed for pulling a jump shot in a pickup game if I visit the UK.

And, as a bonus, I finally learned how the hell pool without pockets is played.
posted by Eideteker at 9:05 AM on May 18, 2006

Dude totally stole my post *mutter*

At least Rumple noticed.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 9:08 AM on May 18, 2006

Honest. I never saw the sportsfilter link - never heard of it.
posted by parki at 9:26 AM on May 18, 2006

And what the fuck? A snooker thread with no mention of Jimmy White? For shame.
Keep up!

Eideteker – yes, jumps would damage the tables, inevitably. They're not cheap, either, at 12' x 6' (one of the things that makes the game so difficult; they've got a surface area four times that of your average pub pool table, so scale up your slight mistakes accordingly).

Snooker is far more formal than pool, the rules for which can vary hugely from area to area (unless you're talking about proper tournaments, which are strictly regulated) in informal/pub games. With snooker, there are games by the official rules, and that's about it

Not sure I follow you on the bribery regarding putting balls back on the table, though ...
posted by Len at 9:39 AM on May 18, 2006

parki - was only kidding - do stop in at SpoFi - you'd like it.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 9:52 AM on May 18, 2006

Higgins is a lucky motherfucky.
posted by jewzilla at 9:56 AM on May 18, 2006

Will do so TUO - sportsfilter looks good.
posted by parki at 10:03 AM on May 18, 2006

I think I have a handle on the basics of the game, what happens if white stops in the area where black (?) is to be replaced after sinking same? Is it just placed as close as possible?
posted by edgeways at 11:44 PM on May 18, 2006

Edgeways: note, you CAN sink multiple balls in one shot, but there's a disincentive to do so. If you sink 2 red balls in one shot, that's super, and you get 1 point for each red, but then you're only allowed to sink one coloured ball. So, you lose the opportunity for extra points (between 2 and 7 points, it's not insignificant).

And from the Wikipedia page on snooker:

When a colour is potted, the player will be awarded the correct number of points (Yellow, 2; Green, 3; Brown, 4; Blue, 5; Pink, 6; Black, 7). The colour is then taken out of the pocket by the referee and placed on its original spot. If that spot is covered by another ball, the ball is placed on the highest available spot. If there is no available spot, it is placed as close to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the top (black end) cushion, without touching another ball. If there is no room this side of the spot, it will be placed as close to the spot as possible in a straight line towards the bottom cushion, without touching another ball.

posted by antifuse at 1:01 AM on May 19, 2006

If a ball can't be re-spotted on its 'natural' spot, then it's placed on the spot of the highest value available colour. If none are available, it's re-spotted as close as possible between its own spot and the baulk end of the table (far end as far as tv pictures go).
posted by Shinkicker at 11:24 AM on May 19, 2006

Oh, someone's already said that. Sorry.

Pay attention that man.
posted by Shinkicker at 11:29 AM on May 19, 2006

Anyone know if there's a video online of the 1985 final?
posted by Gyan at 11:42 AM on May 19, 2006

I was always a big Hendry fan and it's great to see that break again. Graceful player, and deadly. By far the most entertaining player to me. Wonderful showmanship as well.
posted by juiceCake at 8:28 PM on May 19, 2006