Snooker Shoot Out 2023
The Snooker Shoot Out is a professional ranking snooker competition that is played according to a different set of regulations than the norm. All games in the Snooker Shoot Out are unique on the schedule because they are all limited to ten minutes. The players are pushed to their physical and mental limitations as the shot clock, which runs for 15 seconds for the first five minutes and 10 seconds for the final five, builds pressure. It is a global ranking competition and is known for turning forth new champions. Amazingly, despite the tournament being held 12 times since 2011, no player inside the top 16 in the world has ever won it. Last season, Hossein Vafaei followed that trend by defeating Mark Williams in the championship match to become the first Iranian player to win a ranking title.
A little history of Snooker Shootout:
Single-frame snooker matches were a mainstay of the sport's early television coverage, and they were mainly to blame for introducing it to the British public through the BBC's well-liked Pot Black program. However, the format had been jaded because of extensive broadcast coverage of longer professional events, with the last Pot Black event taking place in 2007. In September 1990, the first Shoot-Out competition took place. All matches, except for the final, were decided in a single frame. Following the death of Pot Black, the competition made a triumphant comeback in 2011 under the new moniker of Snooker Shoot Out. It was a one-frame shootout where the winner is rewarded £32,000.
When and where is the Snooker Shootout held?
The tournament takes place at the outstanding Morningside Arena in Leicester, which has already played host to many World Snooker Tour events, from Wednesday, January 25, to Saturday, January 28, 2019. A total of 128 players, including top athletes, aspiring tour pros, and top amateurs, will compete for the championship. There are two sessions per day at 1pm and 7pm.
Format of Snooker Shootout 2023:
- Every frame will last for a maximum of ten minutes/
- The shot clock is present. Players have 15 seconds per shot during the first 5 minutes of the game, however, this is cut to 10 seconds for the final 5 minutes.
- A minimum 5-point penalty, or the value of the ball "on," whichever is greater, is assessed for failing to strike the cue ball in the allotted amount of time.
- Every shot must be followed by a cushion hit (with any ball) or a successful pot.
- In the event of a tie, the winner is decided by the blue ball shoot-out. Before attempting to pot the blue ball, the player places the blue ball on its spot and may place the cue ball anywhere within the D. Without a lucky break, the blue ball must always be potted directly.
Conclusion:
The blue ball shootout is used to decide the winner when there is a tie. Before attempting to pot the blue ball, the player can position the cue ball wherever inside the D after it has been placed on the blue ball's area (the winner of the lag decides who goes first). Direct potting of the blue ball, that is, without a lucky break, is required.