Snooker ball order is simple once you split the frame into two phases. While reds remain, you alternate red and colour. When the reds are gone, the colours are cleared in fixed order.
This guide explains the full potting order, what happens to colours while reds are still on the table, and the beginner mistakes that make the sequence feel harder than it is.
What Order Do You Pot Snooker Balls In: the simple rule first
Quick answer: In snooker, you pot a red, then a colour, then another red and colour until all reds are gone. After that, the colours are potted in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.
The important distinction is temporary colours versus final colours. While reds remain, a potted colour normally goes back on its spot. During the final clearance, each colour stays off once it is potted.
Last checked: 5 July 2026. Formal order and scoring are covered by the official snooker rules.
How potting order works in a real game
- Start with a red. Reds are the entry ball while reds remain.
- Choose a colour after a red. The colour can be yellow, green, brown, blue, pink or black if it is legally available.
- Return to a red. After the colour is potted and respotted, the next ball on is a red again.
- Clear colours at the end. After the final red and following colour, pot yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.
Pro tip: if you lose track, ask whether any reds are left. Reds left means red-colour loop. No reds left means colour clearance.
Common order mistakes beginners make
- Potting two colours in a row while reds remain: after a colour, the next legal ball is normally a red.
- Leaving colours off too early: colours return to their spots while reds remain.
- Forgetting the last colour after the final red: you still play one colour after the final red before the clearance starts.
- Clearing colours in the wrong order: the final sequence is yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
A practical example
You pot a red, then blue. The blue goes back on its spot because reds remain. Your next legal target is another red. After the last red is potted, you may take one more colour, then begin the final colour sequence from yellow to black.
How to remember it
Use red-colour repeat, then yellow to black. That one phrase covers almost the entire potting order.
Useful next steps
If you are learning the sequence at home or in a club, start with snooker balls, snooker cues, and cue chalk.
For official order and scoring details, check the WPBSA rules page.
Bottom line
In snooker, pot red then colour while reds remain. After the final red and its following colour, pot the colours in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.
FAQs
What ball do you pot first in snooker?
With reds on the table, you normally pot a red first.
Can you choose any colour after a red?
Yes, if the colour is legally available. Higher-value colours score more, but position and safety still matter.
Do colours go back on the table?
Colours return to their spots while reds remain. In the final clearance, they stay off when legally potted.
What is the final colour order?
Yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
What happens after the final red?
The player takes one colour, then the final colour clearance begins with yellow.
Why the order matters for tactics
The order is not just a memory rule. It shapes shot choice. A player who pots a red should already know which colour they want next and where the cue ball should finish after that colour. That is how breaks grow from isolated pots into controlled scoring visits.
What happens if the colour spot is covered?
If a colour is due to return but its own spot is occupied, it is placed on the highest available spot. If all spots are occupied, it is placed as close as possible to its own spot without touching another ball. Beginners do not need to memorise every edge case immediately, but they should know that the colour is not simply left off the table while reds remain.
Full beginner sequence example
A simple legal run might be red, blue, red, pink, red, black. Each colour returns after it is potted because reds remain. After the final red is gone, the player takes one more colour, then the table moves into the fixed clearance: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.
This is why the final red is easy to misread. The clearance does not start the instant the final red drops. The player still gets the following colour from the red-colour phase first.
Beginner practice sequence
- Three reds only: pot red-colour-red-colour-red-colour to learn the loop.
- Final colours only: practise yellow to black until the order is automatic.
- Combined drill: use one red, one chosen colour, then clear yellow to black.
One-session action plan
Play mini frames where you must say the next ball on before every shot. If you cannot name it quickly, pause and reset. The goal is to make the order automatic before worrying about advanced position play.
