What Is a Century Break?
A century break is when a player scores 100 or more points in a single visit to the table — without missing a shot or committing a foul. It is considered one of snooker's key skill benchmarks and is widely regarded as the equivalent of a hole-in-one in golf or a hat-trick in football. On the professional tour, century breaks are tracked throughout a player's career, and the all-time record is held by Ronnie O'Sullivan with well over 1,100 centuries. Making a century break requires not just potting ability, but excellent positional play to keep the cue ball in the right area after each shot.
What Is a Maximum Break (147)?
A maximum break — commonly known as a '147' — is the highest possible score a player can achieve in a single visit. It requires potting all 15 red balls with the black ball after each one (15 × 8 = 120 points), then clearing all six remaining colours in order — yellow (2), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), and black (7) — adding a further 27 points, for a grand total of 147. Every shot must be potted perfectly, and the cue ball must be left in an ideal position after each one. Maximum breaks are exceptionally rare; as of 2026, there have been fewer than 200 verified maximum breaks in professional competition. Ronnie O'Sullivan made the fastest ever maximum break at the 1997 World Championship in just 5 minutes and 8 seconds.
How the Break Builder Works
The Break Builder simulates a snooker break in the correct sequence. During normal play, you must alternate between reds and colours — click a red first, then choose a colour, then another red, and so on. Once all 15 reds have been potted, click Colours Only to pot the six remaining colours in order from yellow through to black. The tool tracks your running total, highlights century and maximum break milestones, and displays your full ball sequence so you can review which balls you potted. Use the Undo button to remove the last ball potted, or Reset to start a new break from scratch.
Ball Values Quick Reference
- Red — 1 point
- Yellow — 2 points
- Green — 3 points
- Brown — 4 points
- Blue — 5 points
- Pink — 6 points
- Black — 7 points
Choosing black after every red gives the maximum possible points. To build a 147, you must pot every red with the black (15 × 8 = 120), then clear all the colours (2+3+4+5+6+7 = 27).
Want to see when professionals are attempting their own big breaks on television? Check the TV Schedule for all upcoming snooker coverage.