A 147 break is a monumental occurrence in the world of snooker, enough for it to cement that player as an expert. What used to be a rare occurrence is now something that is more common and features in about 1 in 4 snooker events.
Surprisingly, betting sites don’t always offer the most favourable of odds for a 147 break these days, with snooker odds typically being around 11/4 in world championships. Nevertheless, they can still be a fun and interactive prediction to make, along with many other snooker predictions.
In this article, we are going to look at what 147 breaks mean and which snooker stars have achieved such fascinating moments.
What Is the 147 Break in Snooker?
This is the highest amount a snooker player can score in a single visit to the table. It’s called the 147 break because scoring all the balls without fouls in one go is 147 points. Many people also call this the maximum break, as 147 points is the highest number of points anyone can get on the table.
To achieve the 147 break, a player needs to score all the red balls, followed by a black ball each time. After that, they need to score the remaining colours before finishing with the black ball once more.
When Was the First 147 Break Scored?
The first ‘officially recognised’ maximum break was scored by Joe Davis in a match against Willie Smith. This match took place at the Leicester Square Hall in London on January 22, 1955.
Although Joe Davis’ maximum break is the first officially recognised one, it wasn’t the first in snooker history. Before that match, many people had achieved the same feat, including Murt O’Donoghue in Australia in 1934. However, Davis was the first to score the 147 break after it became officially recognised in official snooker competitions.
What Are the Latest 147 Breaks in Snooker
2024 has already recorded quite a few 147 breaks which you may have already seen in the news, and the latest ones are as follows:
- February 18, 2024 (199th): Gary Wilson achieved the latest maximum break in snooker and the fifth in his career on that day. He scored the 199th maximum break in snooker history in a match against Joe Higgins at the Welsh Open.
- February 10, 2024 (198th): Joe Higgins made this record during the Championship League. He also became the oldest player to ever score a maximum break, at 48 years and 268 days. This was Higgins’ 13th career maximum break.
- February 6, 2024 (197th): Kyren Wilson achieved his fifth career 147 break while facing Tom Ford in the Championship League.
- January 12, 2024 (196th): Mark Allen recorded the third 147 break in his career against Mark Shelby. This feat gave him the third frame in the quarter final of the Masters 2024, allowing him to proceed to the semi-finals.
- January 8th, 2024 (195th): Ding Junhui was playing in the Masters against Ronnie O’Sullivan when he scored his seventh career maximum break. This was after a seven-year period without any 147 break.
Has It Become Easier to Make 147 Breaks?
The best way to answer this question is by considering the frequency of 147 breaks over the years. In the 1980s, only seven maximum breaks were recorded, with the 1990s increasing that to 26 maximum breaks. By the early 2000s, 35 maximum breaks were recorded, with the periods after 2010 showing the highest increase with 86 maximum breaks.
Players with the Highest Number of Maximum Break
Despite the rarity of a maximum break, some players have been able to achieve the same feat more than once. The most impressive among such players are listed below:
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Although this player’s last 147 break was in 2018, he still holds the top spot with 15 maximum breaks.
- John Higgins: With 13 maximum breaks, this player comes in second, and his last one was in 2024.
- Stephen Hendry: Despite not making another 147 break since 2012, Hendry still sits in the third position with 11 recorded maximum breaks.
- Stuart Bingham: This player made nine maximum breaks, with his latest one being in 2022.
- Judd Trump: With the last recorded maximum break in 2022, Judd Trump has eight maximum breaks to his name.
- Shaun Murphy: Although this is another player with eight recorded maximum breaks, the latest one came in 2023.
- Ding Junhui: This player has seven maximum breaks under his belt, with the latest one in 2024.
Conclusion
To date, there have been 199 maximum breaks recorded, with the latest one being made by Gary Wilson. While only 77 players have scored a 147 break, showing its rarity, snooker players these days are getting better. This is shown by the fact that the 2000s had the highest occurrence of 147 breaks.