Rules of snooker satisfied that the player was only positioning the ball, and not playing a shot or preparing to play one. When a player commits a foul, the opponent receives penalty points equal to the value of the ball "on", the value of the highest valued ball involved in the foul, or 4 points, whichever is greatest. When multiple fouls are made in one shot, only the most highly valued foul is counted. Penalty points are therefore at least 4 points and at most 7. Not hitting the ball "on" first is the most common foul. A common defensive tactic is to
Rules of snooker play a shot that leaves the opponent unable to hit a ball "on" directly. This is most commonly called "snookering" one's opponent, or alternatively "laying a snooker" or putting the other player "in a snooker". Because players receive points for fouls by their opponents, repeatedly snookering one's opponent is a possible way of winning a frame when potting all the balls on the table would be insufficient to ensure a win or tie. This portion of the frame is known as the "snookers-required" stage. A free ball is a player-nominated substitute for the ball "on" when a player becomes snookered