A 147 break in snooker is the standard maximum break: 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black for another 27 points.
It is called a maximum because it is the highest break available from the normal scoring sequence of a frame. The idea is easy to understand, but producing one requires perfect potting, cue-ball control and positional planning across 36 consecutive pots.
This guide explains the exact 147 formula, why the black matters after every red, how the final colours complete the break, and why rare breaks above 147 can exist without changing what a standard maximum means.
Updated August 2026. Current official 147 lists and rule context should be checked with WPBSA and WST.
Quick Answer: What Is a 147 Break in Snooker?
A 147 break is snooker’s standard maximum. The player pots all 15 reds, takes the black after every red, then clears yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black. The total is 147 points: 15 from reds, 105 from blacks and 27 from the final colours.
How the 147 Formula Works
The red phase creates the bulk of the score. Each red is worth one point. Each black is worth seven. A perfect red-black pair is therefore worth eight.
There are 15 reds, so 15 red-black pairs score 120 points. After that, the six colours are cleared in order. Yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black add 27 more points.
The arithmetic is simple: 15 reds plus 15 blacks plus 27 from the colours equals 147. The execution is the hard part because the player must keep landing on the black after every red, then land correctly on each final colour.
Why Does the Player Need the Black After Every Red?
After potting a red, a player may normally choose any colour. To make a 147, they must choose black every time because black is the highest-value colour at seven points.
If the player takes pink after one red, the break can still be excellent, but it can no longer be a 147 from the normal sequence. One red-pink pair is worth seven total instead of eight, so the maximum route has been broken.
This is why position around the black spot is so important. A player compiling a 147 is not just potting balls; they are repeatedly controlling the cue ball so the black remains available and the next red is reachable.
How Many Pots Are in a 147?
A 147 contains 36 pots: 15 reds, 15 blacks and the six final colours. That is 30 pots in the red-black phase, then six pots in the final clearance.
Those 36 pots must happen in one continuous break. If the player misses, plays safe, fouls, or leaves the table before completing the sequence, the 147 attempt is over.
For the underlying sequence, read what order you pot snooker balls in and what happens after potting a red.
Is a 147 the Same as a Century Break?
No. A century break is any single break of 100 or more. A 147 is a specific type of century and the standard maximum.
A player can make 101, 120, 138 or 146 and still have made a century. But only the exact maximum route produces 147. That is why 147s receive special attention even among professional century breaks.
Why a 147 Is So Difficult
Most missed 147 attempts do not fail because the player forgets the order. They fail because position becomes too difficult. One poor cue-ball angle can leave the black unavailable or force a low-value colour.
The player must repeatedly move from red to black and black to red while managing the pack, avoiding awkward cushions, and keeping the cue ball out of trouble. The final colours add pressure because the hard work has already been done and every shot becomes visible to the crowd.
At beginner level, the useful lesson is not “try to make a 147.” It is “learn why top players value simple position.” Browse snooker cues, snooker balls, cue chalk and wider cue sports equipment if your practice setup needs to make cue-ball control more reliable.
What Usually Stops a 147 Attempt?
The attempt usually fails in one of four ways. The player misses a pot, loses position on the black, runs out of open reds, or is forced to take a lower-value colour. Only the first of those looks dramatic to spectators. The others are positional failures that happen one or two shots before the obvious problem.
For example, a player might pot a red cleanly but land too straight on the black. They can still pot black, but the cue ball may not travel back into the red area. The break continues for one shot, yet the maximum route is already under pressure.
That is why elite players often choose a slightly harder red if it leaves the cue ball in a better black-to-red route. Maximum breaks are not built from isolated pots. They are built from controlled angles.
What Does Not Count as a 147?
A break of 146 is not a failed century; it is still a superb break. It simply means the exact maximum route was not completed. The common reason is that one red was followed by pink instead of black, or another lower-value colour had to be taken.
A player can also make a large break with a foul point already on the scoreboard, but that does not make the break itself a 147 unless the player’s own continuous visit scores exactly through the maximum sequence.
The distinction matters because snooker separates frame score from break score. Your opponent’s fouls can increase your frame total, but they do not become part of your break.
Can You Score More Than 147?
Yes, but not from the normal maximum route. A break above 147 needs an unusual free-ball situation early in the frame, before the regular red-black sequence has been completed.
With a free ball, a player can effectively score an extra red-like point and then take a colour before starting the normal 15 reds and colours. That is why 155 is often described as the theoretical highest break.
For the full explanation, read can you score more than 147 in snooker and what a free ball is.
Famous 147 Context
The first officially ratified maximum in professional tournament play is commonly traced to Steve Davis at the 1982 Lada Classic, and WST/WPBSA maintain official maximum-break lists.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 1997 Crucible maximum is famous for its speed as well as its quality. WST also lists O’Sullivan as the record holder for the most official 147s, and his wider high-break record context changed again with the professional 153 reported by WST in March 2026.
These examples matter because they show two things at once: a 147 is a fixed scoring route, but records around who has made them, how fast, and how often need current official checking.
How to Practise the Building Blocks
Beginners should practise the ingredients rather than attempting the full maximum. Start with three reds around the black area. Try red, black, red, black, red, black. Then add the final colours separately.
Once that feels controlled, practise leaving the cue ball on the correct side of black. A potted black is not enough if the next red is unavailable.
For break-building foundations, read what a break is in snooker, snooker ball values and how to aim better in snooker.
Beginner Drill: Mini Maximum
Set up three reds around the black spot with the black on its spot. Your target is not a full 147. Your target is 24: red-black, red-black, red-black. If you clear that three times, add a fourth red.
This drill teaches the real lesson of a maximum break without making the task unrealistic. You learn to choose reds that naturally lead to black, and you learn to land on the correct side of black for the next red.
When the red-black mini pattern is reliable, practise the final colours on their own. Clear yellow to black three times without worrying about reds. Then combine both parts in short sections.
Practical rule: a 147 is not 36 hard pots. It is 36 pots where the previous shot leaves the next one playable.
Sources Worth Checking
For current official lists and rule context, use WPBSA 147 breaks, WST all official 147s, WST 147 facts and WST’s 153 report.
Bottom Line
A 147 is snooker’s standard maximum break: 15 reds, 15 blacks and the six colours. The formula is fixed, but the achievement is rare because every pot must also solve the next position.
Learn the route first. Then watch how elite players make the cue ball do the real work.
FAQs
Why is a 147 called a maximum?
It is the highest break available from the normal snooker scoring sequence.
How many balls are potted in a 147?
A 147 contains 36 pots: 15 reds, 15 blacks and six final colours.
Can you get a 147 without taking every black?
No. In the normal sequence, every red must be followed by black to reach 147.
Is 155 possible in snooker?
Yes, theoretically, but it requires an early free ball before the normal maximum route.
Is a 147 higher than a century?
A 147 is a century, but a century can be any break of 100 or more.
What is harder, a 147 or a high century?
A 147 is harder because the player must take the highest-value colour after every red and complete the full clearance.
