Snooker King
Battle Game Rules and Rankings
Battle game rules and rankings in Snooker King describe how the Battles app in the member portal scores each game type and how players are ranked afterwards. The app keeps a scoring engine for snooker, 9-Ball, 8-Ball, three-cushion carom, English billiards, Russian pyramid and straight pool, and ranks members by a Glicko-2 skill rating per game type, by XP tiers and by Hall of Fame leaderboards. It is used by members who play Battles and by centre staff who answer their questions at the counter.
This guide covers the rules the app applies, not the full official rulebook of each game. For how members open Battles and start a match, see The Member Portal and Battles.
Before You Start
- Every Battle is anchored to a real table at a club. The player scans the QR code on the table, and staff must already have started a session on that table.
- Both players need a member account at the centre.
- The host picks the game type, the match format and the play type in the match setup before sending the invite.
- The game types offered in the list are the ones the centre's system has switched on. Standard Snooker is selected by default.
How a Match Is Decided
A match is a series of frames. The match format decides when the match is over.
| Format | How the Winner Is Decided | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Best of N | First to win more than half the frames. Best of 7 means first to 4 | 7 frames |
| Race to N | First to win N frames | 7 frames |
| Race to N (Win by 2) | First to N frames with a lead of at least 2 frames | 7 frames |
| Single Frame | One frame decides the match | 1 frame |
| Time Match | Most frames won when the time limit runs out | 30 minutes |
| Aggregate Points | Highest total points across all frames | 200 points |
| Handicap | Best of N, with head-start frames added for one player | 2 frames |
| Inning-based | Highest score after a fixed number of innings | 8 innings |
Play types include Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Team Series and King of the Hill.
Snooker
| Rule | What the App Does |
|---|---|
| Ball values | Red 1, yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7 |
| Break-off | The first pot must be a red. Any other colour must be recorded as a foul |
| Final sequence | After the last red, colours are taken in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black |
| Foul | The opponent receives the value of the ball involved, with a minimum of 4 points |
| Free ball | After a foul that leaves the incoming player snookered, a free ball must be nominated before the pot |
| Foul and a miss | Recorded as a referee call and counted per frame |
| Highest break | Tracked for each player, frame by frame |
Snooker variants share these rules and differ only in the number of reds at the start:
| Variant | Reds at the Start |
|---|---|
| Standard Snooker | 15 |
| 6-Red Snooker | 6 |
| 10-red snooker | 10 |
| Power snooker | 9 (the special power-ball scoring is not applied) |
9-Ball and Its Variants
| Rule | What the App Does |
|---|---|
| Legal contact | The cue ball must contact the lowest numbered ball on the table first |
| Pots | After legal contact, any ball potted counts, so combination shots are allowed |
| Winning the frame | Potting the 9 legally wins the frame |
| 9 on the break | The 9 is re-spotted and play continues. It does not win the frame |
| Dry break | A legal break with no pot makes a push out available to the next shot |
| Foul | The opponent gets ball in hand. A 9 potted on a foul is re-spotted |
| Three-foul rule | When switched on, three fouls in a row by the same player lose the frame |
| Called pocket | When switched on, every pot must be called first |
| Variant | Difference From 9-Ball |
|---|---|
| 10-Ball Pool | Balls 1 to 10, the 10 is the game ball, and called pockets are always required |
| Chinese 9-Ball | Uses the 9-Ball rules as they are |
| Bank Pool | Uses the 9-Ball engine with a bank-shot requirement flag |
8-Ball
The 8-Ball engine follows 8-Ball English (Blackball) rules with red and yellow groups.
| Rule | What the App Does |
|---|---|
| Groups | Reds (1 to 7) and yellows (9 to 15). The black 8 decides the frame |
| Open table | After the break the table stays open until the first legal pot that is not on the break decides the groups |
| 8 on the break | The rack is flagged for a re-rack |
| First contact | Must be a ball from the player's own group, otherwise it is a foul |
| Foul | The opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the table and two visits. Every shot, including a safety, uses up one of the two |
| Early black | Potting the 8 before clearing your own group loses the frame |
| Cue ball in on the black | Potting the cue ball on the shot at the 8 loses the frame |
| Variant | Difference |
|---|---|
| 8-Ball English (Blackball) | The rules above |
| 8-Ball American | Same engine, with called pockets required |
| Chinese 8-Ball / Heyball | Same engine as 8-Ball English |
| Siam pool | Same engine as 8-Ball English |
Carom and Point Games
These games use a simple scoring engine. The frame ends as soon as a player reaches the target, or when a player concedes.
| Game | Scoring | Foul | Frame Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-Cushion Billiards | 1 point for each successful carom | 1 point to the opponent | 25 points |
| English Billiards | Pot red 3, pot white 2, cannon 2, losing hazard off the red 3, losing hazard off the white 2 | 2 points to the opponent | 100 points |
| Russian pyramid | 1 point for any ball potted, from 15 balls | 1 point to the opponent | 8 points |
| Straight Pool (14.1) | 1 point for any ball potted. When 14 of 15 balls are down the rack is refilled | 1 point deducted from the fouling player | 100 points |
In every game a miss or a foul ends the visit and passes the turn to the opponent. The current break is then reset.
Confirming the Result
- When the match ends, both players are asked to confirm the winner.
- If both confirm the same winner, the match is completed and stats, XP and streaks are updated.
- If the players disagree or one disputes the result, the match is marked disputed and flagged for staff review. No XP is awarded.
In a Quick Match the result counts as one win for the winner and one loss for the loser, whatever the frame score.
How Ratings Work
Each member has a separate skill rating for each game type, calculated with the Glicko-2 method.
| Item | Value or Rule |
|---|---|
| Starting rating | 1500 |
| Starting rating deviation | 350 |
| Provisional | A rating is marked provisional while its deviation is above 200. It shows as (prov) |
| When it changes | After a completed match that is scored shot by shot, such as a tournament match. A Quick Match does not change the rating |
| Rating history | Each change is recorded with the rating after the match and the opponent's rating before it |
| Peak rating | The highest rating reached is kept for each game type |
A member's ratings appear as a strip of chips under Me, one chip per game type, sorted from highest to lowest.
XP and Cue Mastery Tiers
XP is earned from every completed match. The winner earns more than the loser, with bonuses for things such as a whitewash, winning the deciding frame, a comeback, beating a higher-rated player, centuries and maximum breaks. Very short matches earn reduced XP.
| Tier | XP Needed |
|---|---|
| Bronze Cue | 0 |
| Silver Cue | 500 |
| Gold Cue | 1,500 |
| Platinum Cue | 3,500 |
| Q-School | 7,000 |
| Tour Card | 13,000 |
| Main Tour | 25,000 |
| Crucible | 50,000 |
| Triple Crown | 100,000 |
| World Champion | 200,000 |
Each tier is split into 10 sub-levels, shown next to the tier name, for example Gold Cue 4.
The Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame ranks the top 25 players in six categories. Players can narrow each list to 24h, 7d, 30d or All Time, based on when they last played.
| Category | Ranked By |
|---|---|
| Rating | Glicko-2 rating for Standard Snooker |
| Win Rate | Wins divided by matches played, as a percentage. Only players with at least 5 matches are listed |
| Wins | Total matches won |
| Centuries | Total breaks of 100 or more |
| High Break | Highest single break |
| XP | Total XP earned |
The top three places show medals. Each row shows the player's tier badge. The player's own position is pinned above the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did My Rating Not Change After a Quick Match?
Ratings only update after matches scored shot by shot, such as tournament matches. A Quick Match still updates wins, losses, streaks and XP.
What Does (prov) Next to My Rating Mean?
It means your rating is still provisional. The app is not yet confident in it, and it settles as you play more rated matches.
Does Potting the 9 on the Break Win the Frame?
No. In Battles the 9 is re-spotted and the breaker continues.
What Is the Minimum Foul in Snooker?
The opponent receives 4 points, or the value of the ball involved if it is higher.
What Happens If We Disagree on the Winner?
The match is marked disputed and flagged for staff review. No XP is awarded until it is resolved.
Is the Hall of Fame Rating the Same for Every Game?
No. The Hall of Fame Rating list shows Standard Snooker ratings. Your ratings for other game types appear on your chips under Me.