Snooker and pool are both cue games and are both very popular in their own right. Because they are both cue games played on large tables there are some similarities with these games. However, there are a lot of differences between the two games as well.
Even thinking about these two games will conjure World snooker championship finals up different images in the minds of most people. When you think about the game of pool you will often think about things such as large pool halls, hustlers, rowdy nights out, having a few pints, and enjoying some laid back fun in jeans and a t-shirt. On the other hand, when you think about snooker you will often get images of people in suits, thoughtful expressions, slow and very precise shots, and tournaments.
The two games are indeed different in many ways. As described above the whole persona surrounding the two games is very different and they each have a different following. Pool is often considered a game of entertainment and leisure whereas snooker is viewed as a competitive sport with a far more serious air about it.
The two games are played on different tables too. Whilst the tables may look similar at a glance there are a number of key differences that set them apart. Snooker tables are bigger than pool tables and have smaller pockets and balls whereas pools tables have larger pockets because the balls used to play the game are larger. The texture of the felt on the tables can also vary on both of these tables.
The rules of the two games are also different with snooker being more of a slow, deliberate, and strategic game where different points are scored for different balls that you pot. Pool, on the other hand, is a more fast paced, opportunistic game that can be done and dusted in just a fraction of the time it may take to finish one frame of snooker!
It can be far more challenging to be successful at playing snooker than playing pool, and often even those that are considered very good at pool may struggle to sink the balls in snooker. This is partly to do with the smaller pockets but also with other factors such as the pockets of a pool table being angled while the pockets of a snooker table have curved edges. Snooker tends to require far more by way of precision, strategy, and skill, which also makes it more challenging compared to pool.