A cue sport played on a large table with six colored balls and fifteen red balls, where players score points by potting balls in sequence.
Possibly from 'snook,' British slang for a first-year military cadet, as the game was invented by British Army officers in India in the 1870s. The term may have referred to the novice status of players learning this new variant of billiards.
Snooker was invented as a more challenging version of billiards, with the colored balls adding strategic complexity that rewards both precision and tactical thinking. The game's colonial origins in British India reflect how leisure activities often evolved in expatriate communities seeking familiar entertainment.
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