Top 10 Snooker Trick Shots Ever - You Won't Believe Your Eyes!

Sometimes, even the best of the best snooker shots aren't enough to quash a true fan's hunger for mind-bending, eye-popping content. Anyone that has even rudimentary experience with snooker knows that even though they can be magnificent, knocking in long reds is becoming more of an expectation than an anomaly, particularly in the modern game. That's why this article is focused solely on directing the spotlight to the top 10- greatest snooker trick shots that arguably have ever been pulled off.

That's right, the shots that have made it to this cream of the cream-of-the-crop list aren't just standard long reds or impressive shots down the cushions. They are truly astounding examples of snooker skill, made possible only by players that have amassed thousands of hours on the snooker table and countless career tournaments. Expect to see the likes of Jimmy White, Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Williams on the list. Screaming snooker fans will also be wondering if Ronnie O Sullivan make the list too. Well, you'll need to continue reading to find out.

1.      Sean Murphy – On the Right Side

This shot by Murphy is matched only by the reaction of Virgo and Davis' reaction in the commentary box. Here  we have Murphy looking at a red on the left cushion that's just slightly too far past it to pot, from the top-side anyway.

Murphy whacks a substantial amount of right-hand side on the white, hitting the bottom cushion first and allowing the side to take effect , bring it to the left cushion and into the red to pot it in the middle. This is a shot that would look more comfortable on a John Virgo Trick-Shot VHS from the 90s.

2.      Mark Williams – World Championship Wonder

The 2018 WSC final saw John Higgins and Mark Williams produce some of the best snooker of their careers. However, no one could quite have anticipated the god-like shot that Mark Williams pulled off during one of the sessions.

Williams' judgement here was perfect. Not only to judge the angle across the length of the table, but his judgement of pace when playing shots dead-weight is legendary. Played with safety in mind, this shot is one of the finest and most trick-like you'll ever hope to see on a snooker table.

3.      Jimmy White – What is Physics?

To not put Jimmy White's legendary massé shot in this list would be a crime against Snoo-manity. Here we have White in a spot of trouble after being snookered. Instead of opting to smash the white around the angles to escape the snooker, White has something a little naughtier up his sleeve.

Raising the butt of the cue at virtually 90 degrees, he jabs down on the white, sending it upwards, and then curling downwards as the laws of physics take over.

4.      Alex Higgins – Cushion Hugger

Here we get two shots for the price of one as Alex Higgins is challenged by Virgo to pull off an insane pot on the pink while also retaining position on the black. Being so close to the pink makes this shot all the more impressive, and ending up on the black makes is truly spectacular.

What makes this into unbelievable trick-shot status, however, is his finish on the black: simply outstanding

5.      Gary Wilson – Where There's a Wilson, There's a Way

Taken from the longest single frame in the Crucible's history, this snooker escape is among the finest of all time. Of all the escapes made in that frame, this one laughs in the face of virtually anything that came before it.

Trapped behind the green with only the back cushion to go off, he manages to skirt past the yellow, brown, blue, and pink, settling nicely on the reds at the bottom. “You're kidding me” indeed.

6.      Ronnie O Sullivan – There are No Words

Only Ronnie could essentially calculate a snooker that relies on the position of the moving object ball. Here he manages to judge the pink's final position perfectly, whilst applying the ultimate touch to the white to get it to nestle in behind. Unbelievable

 

7.      Stephen Lee – A Delicious Plant

Just because Stephen Lee allegedly fixed some matches, doesn't make Lee's impressive cue action and skill any less so. Here we see one of the few well-known shots from that doesn't involve him applying ludicrous amounts of side and spin

Lee's path down the table is blocked, and so this shot - which looks like a one-cushion escape - is what transpired. Coming off the cushion, Lee hits the plant perfectly, making this tricky escape work in his favour.

8.      John Higgins – The Pinkredible Hulk

John Higgins' safety play is legendary, but the way he managed to lay a snooker with only the pink and black remaining here is quite astounding.

With the black on the bottom left, Higgins manages to use the pink to send the white down the table, nestling behind the black and giving his opponent something to think about.

9.      Judd Trump – Red off the Red

Here's a cracker from the 2019 World Champinonship, AKA the time when Judd Trump went into “Playstation mode”, producing the best snooker of his career so far, as well as some of the best ever seen on a snooker table.

Judd's on a 147 in this clip, and needs to pot a tricky red whilst bringing out the one on the cushion into a playable position. Not only does he make the pot, but his contact with the red on the side cushion is good enough to flick it off and keep the 147 alive!

10.Stephen Lee – You Spin Me Right Round

If you're Stephen Lee and wish to force the cueball to stay on the reds when it otherwise would have travelled up the table, you simply need to apply some topspin

This is precisely what Lee did here, potting the easy black but magnificently, applying so much topspin to career into the reds on the bottom cushion that it looks like you've caught physics on holiday.