[tmuir]

I knew a guy that had a snooker table that was close to 100 years old. It used to be in a bar, and had lots of cigarette burns on the wood, giving it lots of character. Overall, the table was in excellent condition.

What's amazing about a snooker table is the difference in size from a table you usually see at a pool hall or bar. Normal pool tables are either 7 or 8 feet long, whereas a snooker table is nearly 12 feet long.

Additionally, the rails curve into the pockets, instead of having sharp angles. This makes it nearly impossible to bank a shot in off of the pocket rails.

Finally, the balls were smaller. I'm not sure if there is a regulation size or not, but these were significantly smaller than what you typically see in a pool hall.

These three details add up to an extremely challenging game of pool. Although, once you play it long enough to get used to it, it makes a normal sized table feel like a child's game.

Edit: We played 9 ball exclusively. I can't speak to the actual game of snooker itself.

[mrbrandonking]

Snooker balls are smaller than regular pool balls. There's also a difference between snooker equipment manufacturer in the U.S. and what's used in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. American snooker uses 2 1/8" balls on a 5' x 10' table. British snooker (also the standard for the rest of the world) uses 2 1/16" balls on a 6' x 12' table.

Snooker is a major sport in the United Kingdom where players earn millions in prize money and endoresements. Pool pros in the U.S. earn less than most of the people here on Hacker News. And, yes, hardly anybody cares to watch pool on TV.