Why are Snooker tables heated?

I’m sure when you’re watching any televised snooker match you see a small display at the foot of the table with a number; typically either 45 or 50 (mostly the latter). This pretty much refers to the temperature at which the table is heated, kind of. Most of you already knew this; but this is for the uneducated (and also the bored).

The basis for heating a snooker table is simply to reduce the amount of friction on the table. If a snooker table wasn’t heated and was left to survive on its own throughout the course of a tournament then it would inevitably become too cold and damp to play on. It would also cause quite an uneven surface. Now, I don’t need to tell you why that is a bad idea. Actually, I might. On a 12ft+ table, long shots would be an absolute nightmare.

Keeping a table warm and dry helps with the ‘run of the ball’ by providing quick play as well as consistency. Left without under-table heaters, the table would have to adjust to the changing temperatures of the surrounding environment which would cause minor (but noticeable) contractions in the cloth that snooker is played on. That’s pretty much it.

This leads to what choice of temperature should be chosen for the heaters. Most of you (including myself) would probably think that 50 degrees would be far too hot to play on. However, because the slates that snooker tables are primarily made from are so thick, it is only approximately 20 or so degrees when the heat actually reaches to the top of the table.

Fun fact: a lot of local clubs that don’t have table heaters tend to just iron their tables in order to keep them running smooth.

Playing Snooker vs. Playing Pool

Over the weekend, I played some snooker at my local club and the following day, some pool (billiards) at one of the tables at a Tenpin bowling alley. Playing the two quite closely after each other opened my eyes to some of the differences between the two cue sports. Now, I am by no means an expert (or even adequate) at either sport; however, I have played both leisurely for quite some years and I think I provide the perspective similar to someone who is brand new to both sports.

For someone who has never played either sport, pool is definitely the easier one to play. I find myself potting ridiculous shots that I could never dream of on a snooker table. Cue action and technique is far more forgiving in a game of pool, as well are the pockets – which is probably why pool is such a more popular sport to the general masses.

On the other hand, potting a single shot in snooker is significantly more difficult than in a game of pool. The longer table and tighter pockets encourage a consistent, still cue action which can take a while to perfect. This can cause 2 complete novices to spend huge amounts of time trying to complete a single frame due to the difficulty in potting a ball.

Everyone will have differing experiences when it comes to both sports – and even when I played English Pool on a table at my old workplace, I found myself playing surprisingly well. But then I jump on a snooker table, and I can’t pot to save my life. Literally, I would be so screwed if I ever had to.

I’m not going to delve into which cue sport takes more skill because they both have their merits. Clearly, the editor for Snooker Shorts will have a biased opinion (although I think I’m remaining pretty objective so far) but I think stringing together a nice break in snooker is far more satisfying than clearing up a pool table. In my opinion pool is easy to learn, difficult to master; while snooker is difficult to learn, and even more difficult to master.

What do you think?

What is the Q School?

A lot of the time you may hear commentators reference ‘Q school’ during matches, particularly when watching new players compete in tournaments. But what is the nature of the Q School in the snooker environment and how does it affect newer players?

The Q School is essentially the formal qualifying procedure for the main snooker tour. It’s held before the start of a new season; in this case, Q School concluded at the beginning of June. Those who emerge successful out of Q School will gain a place on the main snooker circuit with a 2-year tour card. And a tour card is what allows players to enter tournaments.

There is no prize money for Q School, since it is effectively an application for getting on the main tour. Entrants pay a fixed fee and play through a series of playoffs and if they win their respective bracket, they qualify for a tour card. These can be rigorous considering the level of competition these days – in this season’s Q School, entrants had to go through 6 rounds of best-of-7 competition to win a tour card.

This season has the most qualifiers since Q School’s inception, with 16 players obtaining a tour card. This consists of 12 players winning their brackets and an additional 4 players qualifying through Order of Merit, where consistent, high performers in the playoffs rank highly enough to earn a place on the tour.

The Q School is a chance to showcase new talent going into the upcoming season. Winning a tour card gives these players an opportunity to perform on the stages with the players they have probably looked up to for years.

How much do snooker referees earn?

It’s the age old question which no one seems to know the answer to. If you search the topic, there’s only one article that gives some insight into this. But there isn’t really a concrete answer.

What I’ve been able to gather is that most referees get paid either a daily rate or a match rate; while very few of the top level officials get paid a salary. According to Bizfluent, new referees earn approximately $90 per match, which comes to around £70 per match. There aren’t many sources to confirm this but based on what I’ve looked into, I’d say between £50-75 a match is a reasonable estimate. This amount is likely lower for lesser known, more local events.

The top referees, such as Jan Verhaas, Brendan Moore and (former ref) Eirian Williams; it’s safe to say that they earn substantially more (likely with a salaried structure) and could support themselves on a full-time basis.

A lot of snooker players starting out work part time in order to supplement their income and support themselves as they try to make ends meet as a professional. Similarly, referees tend to work other jobs alongside snooker while they try to gain more experience refereeing. A common example: Olivier Marteel also works as a nurse in and around the busy snooker schedule.

Additionally, expenses are something that are factored into a referee’s earnings. Most likely, they are reimbursed or covered for a certain level of their expenses. As stated on the EASB website (the organisation responsible for training prospect referees in Europe), things such as mileage for travelling to venues as well as hotel expenses are accounted for.

Again, a lot of this is speculation so it could be way off of what is actually the case. And I’m sure there won’t be any referees rushing to make statements about their earnings any time soon (understandably, why would they). But until then, I guess it will remain a mystery.

Like this Short? Click here to read: Snooker Referees: The Unsung Heroes