The History of Snooker

Snooker received its name in the 1800’s by a British Armed Force who always called losing players “snooker”. The name stuck and the billiards game has remained under the same name of snooker for all of these years. The first organized tournament which was played wasn't until 1916 when snooker introduced the Amateur English Championships. The World Snooker Championships was released soon after with the help of Joe Davis in 1927. Throughout the 1930’s snooker quickly became the most popular billiards game played throughout many countries.

After the rise in popularity that snooker seen in the 1920’s and 1930’s, snooker also seen a decline in popularity throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s snooker started gaining some momentum again due to BBC starting to televise snooker matches. In 1973 the Snooker World Championship was able to be broadcasted on television for the very first time which helped the sport gain more fans and players. In 1976 and 1977 Snooker started introducing world rankings for the players.

Once all of this took place snooker was again brought back to the mainstream audience and many new and young talented players started emerging into the sport. The players who we’re young we’re also very dedicated to playing the sport for a living and made the sport what it is today.

In the 1990’s and onward snooker has seen some ups and downs in terms of popularity and presence in the sports world. The main sponsors for the sport throughout most of its existence we’re tobacco brands and once they weren't allowed to advertise at sporting events in the UK it hurt the snooker market. One good thing the sport currently has going for it is the mass popularity throughout all of China, and it’s helping bringing the sport of snooker back across the globe. There are many amazing snooker players emerging from China right now and there making an impact on the comeback of snooker.

With many games and tournaments of snooker being played throughout the year it has also become one of the popular sports to bet on. You can bet on snooker at numerous online casino and sport books and if you do your research there is money to be made. There is lots to learn before you’ll be able to wager on snooker if you don’t know how, but we’re going to teach you everything you need to know so that you’re prepared.

I expect snooker to continue growing in fans and players over the next couple decades and as long as they can keep sponsorship up I believe the sport will be safe in the future. Online sites such as www.betfair.com have been sponsoring events as of late. Now that you have a brief history of where snooker came from and what the game has been through you can have a more thorough understanding and love for the game. Snooker has seen it’s up and downs over the years, but it has always managed to break through and continue striving, it’s an excellent game to watch, wager on and play so continue reading our snooker guide for more information about the sport.