"Billiards", "snooker" and "pool" get used interchangeably across Pakistan, and the confusion is understandable — they look similar from the door. They are genuinely different games, with different equipment and completely different tactics.
Side by side
| Snooker | Pool | English Billiards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table size | 12 ft × 6 ft | 7–9 ft | 12 ft × 6 ft |
| Balls | 22 | 16 (8-ball) | 3 |
| Ball size | 52.5 mm | 57 mm | 52.5 mm |
| Pockets | Tight, rounded | Wide, cut straight | Tight, rounded |
| Object | Score points potting in sequence | Clear your set, then the 8 | Score with cannons, pots and in-offs |
| Typical frame | 20–45 min | 5–15 min | Varies widely |
Snooker
The biggest table, the smallest balls relative to the pockets, and the most structured scoring. Fifteen reds and six colours, potted in a strict alternating sequence, with every ball carrying a different point value.
What defines snooker is that pocketing a ball is genuinely hard. The pockets have rounded jaws that reject anything not struck cleanly, and the table is long enough that distance alone defeats most amateurs. Because potting is difficult, tactics matter — the game is named after the act of leaving your opponent unable to hit their target at all.
It is the slowest of the three to learn and the most rewarding to get good at. Our beginner's guide covers the full sequence.
Pool
Smaller table, larger balls, and pockets cut wide enough that a reasonably struck ball drops. Most people in Pakistan who say "billiards" are describing pool: coloured solids and stripes, numbered, with a black 8-ball to finish.
Pool is faster, easier to pick up and much better suited to a casual game between people who have never played. A frame takes minutes rather than half an hour. The trade-off is depth — the tactical layer that makes snooker absorbing is thinner, because potting is simply less demanding.
Neither is "better". They are built for different evenings.
English billiards
The oldest of the three and now the rarest. Played on a full-size snooker table with just three balls: two cue balls and one red. There is nothing to clear — you score continuously in three ways:
- Cannon — your cue ball strikes both other balls: 2 points.
- Pot — potting the red: 3 points; potting the other cue ball: 2 points.
- In-off — your cue ball goes into a pocket after hitting another ball: 3 points off the red, 2 off the other white.
To a snooker player it feels strange — potting your own cue ball is a score, not a foul. Skilled players build enormous scores by keeping all three balls in one corner and repeating the same cannon endlessly.
Does the cue differ?
Yes, and it matters more than people expect.
- Snooker cues have a narrow tip, roughly 9–10 mm, for precise contact on a smaller ball.
- Pool cues have a wider tip, roughly 12–13 mm, and are usually a little heavier for the bigger, heavier balls.
A snooker cue on a pool table feels flimsy; a pool cue on a snooker table feels clumsy and makes fine cue-ball control harder. If you are buying, buy for the game you actually play — our cue guide goes into detail.
Which should you play?
- Never held a cue? Pool, or a short six-red snooker frame. Both give you the satisfaction of potting something early.
- Want a game with real depth? Snooker. Nothing else in the cue-sport family rewards patience the same way.
- Big mixed group, limited time? Short frames, fast rotation — see our group night guide.
- Curious about the history? Find someone who plays English billiards and watch for twenty minutes. It is a genuinely different way of thinking about the same table.
At XD Arena we run full-size snooker tables set for 6, 10 or 15 reds, plus two private executive rooms and a dedicated tournament table. See snooker at XD Arena →
Quick answers
Is snooker harder than pool?
Objectively, yes — bigger table, smaller balls, tighter pockets. A pot that is routine in pool is a real shot in snooker.
Can you play pool on a snooker table?
Not properly. The pockets and ball sizes are matched to each game; pool balls on a snooker table sit badly in the jaws.
Why do people in Pakistan call it billiards?
Historical habit — "billiards" was the umbrella term for all cue sports long before snooker and pool separated into distinct games. The name stuck even as the games diverged.