What is the highest break recorded in snooker and who has the most 147s?
SNOOKER fans love to be memorised by their favourite stars scoring maximum 147 breaks during the biggest tournaments in the world.
But a new record could soon be set with the introduction of a new ball on the table in a unique tournament now underway.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has scored the most 147s in history – and is aiming for an even score in Saudi ArabiaPA
What is a maximum break in snooker?
A maximum break in snooker is the most amount of points you can score in one visit to the table, which is 147.
A 147 is scored when a player pots all 15 reds with a black on each occasion for 120 points, followed by the remaining colours and finishing on the black again for the final 27 points.
However, a maximum break of 147 is soon to be increased to 167 at the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker in March 2024.
The tournament will introduce a controversial new 23rd ball, known as the ‘Riyadh Season ball‘, which will be gold.
It will be worth 20 points and can only be potted if a player is on course to make a maximum break.
The 20 points would take the maximum total from 147 to 167.
Respected snooker journalist and statistician David Hendon has said any 167 break made in Saudi Arabia will NOT count as a new world record – because it is not codified in the rules of the game.
He said: “There’s nothing in the rules of snooker to say that another ball is worth 20 points.
“And until it is codified in the rules, it cannot possible count as a 167… there’s no such break as a 167.
“You can’t just put a ball on the table and give an arbitrary points value. Unless it’s codified in the official rules.
“But as an idea, as a publicity stunt, it’s genius.”
Who has the most maximum breaks in snooker?
Players who have scored more than one maximum break:
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 15
John Higgins – 13
Stephen Hendry – 11
Stuart Bingham – 9
Judd Trump – 8
Shaun Murphy – 7
Ding Junhui – 7
Mark Selby – 5
Neil Robertson – 5
Tom Ford – 5
Marco Fu – 5
Kyren Wilson – 5
Gary Wilson – 5
Mark Allen – 3
Mark Williams – 3
Ali Carter – 3
Barry Hawkins – 3
James Wattana – 3
Jamie Cope – 3
Stephen Maguire – 3
Liang Wenbo – 3
Robert Milkins – 3
Ryan Day – 3
Cliff Thorburn – 2
Peter Ebdon – 2
Nick Dyson – 2
David Gray – 2
Kurt Maflin – 2
Mark Davis – 2
David Gilbert – 2
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – 2
Zhou Yuelong – 2
Graeme Dott – 2
Has anybody scored more than 147 in a single break?
During qualifying at the UK Championship in 2004, Jamie Burnett scored a 148 against Leo Fernandez in very infrequent circumstances.
The Scot potted the brown as a free ball, then sunk the brown again, followed by 15 reds with 12 blacks, two pinks and a blue, then the six colours to end.
