What Is a 147 Maximum Break in Snooker?

A maximum break is like a Holy Grail for snooker players. Also known simply as a one-four-seven or a ‘maximum’, this is the highest possible break a player can achieve in snooker, at least in ordinary game circumstances.

All total clearances are special to players, but a 147 is met with special congratulations and also sometimes financial or other special reward.

Total Clearance in Snooker

A ‘total clearance’ is a snooker term, basically meaning to pot all balls racked at the start of a frame. The act must be completed with one run at the table, or a single ‘break’.

The minimum possible total clearance offers only 72 points, that is unless more than one red is accidentally potted at once. 147 is the maximum, involving the player potting red then black repeatedly until all the possible blacks are gone, then all of the colours in sequence.

To achieve a 147 as a total clearance, a player must pot the following way:

• 15 reds (1 point each) followed each time by a black (7 points).
• Six colours in order: yellow (2 points), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), final black (7).

15 red with blacks x 8 = 120
Colours in order = 27 (total 147 points)

Managing to complete a 147 break is a major moment for a snooker player. It is often compared to a nine-dart finish in darts, though it is harder to complete. Other similar achievements of note include a hole-in-one (golf) and 300 game (bowling). Footballers are also gifted the match ball for a hat-trick (3 goals).

Stats: Total 147’s by Player

If the most casual of snooker watchers will recognise the top names on our list below. Under no pressure, anyone with a talent for snooker could, in theory, score a 147. Doing it multiple times in competition is a different matter. These are the players who, as of the end of April 2025, have made multiple 147-breaks as pros:

Player	No. of 147’s
Ronnie O’Sullivan	15
John Higgins	13
Stephen Hendry	11
Shaun Murphy	10
Stuart Bingham	9
Judd Trump	8
Ding Junhui	7
Mark Selby	6
Tom Ford	5
Neil Robertson	5
Marco Fu	5
Kyren Wilson	5
Gary Wilson	5
Mark Allen	5
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh	4
Ryan Day	4
James Wattana	3
Jamie Cope	3
Stephen Maguire	3
Liang Wenbo	3
Barry Hawkins	3
Ali Carter	3
Mark Williams	3
Robert Milkins	3
Noppon Saengkham	3
Zhang Anda	3
David Gilbert	3
Xu Si	3
Cliff Thorburn	2
Peter Ebdon	2
Nick Dyson	2
David Gray	2
Kurt Maflin	2
Mark Davis	2
Zhou Yuelong	2
Graeme Dott	2
Jackson Page	2

Stats: Match-Winning 147 Breaks

Winning a match with a maximum break is a snooker player’s dream. For watchers, it is up there with a match being won on the final black in terms of how spectacularly a dual can end. These are the top ten match-winning 147 breaks, ranked by how important the match was in its respective tournament:

Prize Money for Maximum Breaks

The 147 is coveted. As such many tournament organisers offer extra prize money for achieving the feat, over and above the general tournament prize money. Going all the way back to 1997 at the World Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan landed £147,000 for achieving a maximum break. That equates to around £289,000 in 2025.

A rollover system was introduced by World Snooker for the 2011-2012 season. This was known as a rolling 147 prize. A 147 would be worth £5,000 in the televised stages of a tournament. Players would get £500 if they achieved a maximum during the qualifying stages of a ranking event.

Ronnie O’Sullivan created controversy in 2016 during the Welsh Open. Annoyed about only £10,000 being offered for completing a 147, he potted the pink rather than the black when a maximum was well within his grasp. He states that £10,000 wasn’t enough and so he effectively refused to accept it.

Quite rightly, he was labelled as disrespectful by organisers, but they did increase prize money soon after. A £1 million bonus went on offer at the beginning of the 2019-20 season as long as 20 or more 147’s were achieved during the campaign. Individual prizes were phased out. The prize would be split between all those scoring a maximum break. Bigger prize money is back these days but can be changed season by season by organisers.

147 Maximum Breaks: A Brief Timeline

• 1955: On the 22nd of January, 1955 Joe Davis completes the first recognised 147 at Leicester Square Hall.
• 1979: John Spencer makes a 147 break at the 1979 Holsten Lager International. The break wasn’t officially recognised as a non-templated table was used.
• 1982: Stave Davis achieves the first 147 in a professional competition during the Classic in Oldham, against John Spencer. He won a Lada car! Coverage of this is still available online.
• 1983: Cliff Thorburn becomes the first player to make a 147 at the World Championship when playing Terry Griffiths.
• 1995: After 40 years, only 15 officially recognised maximum breaks are recorded.
• 1995 – 2024: At least one maximum break is made every season, with 15 maximums made during the 2024-25 campaign.
• 1997: Ronnie O’Sullivan makes the fastest 147 break, taking just over 5 minites.
• 2013: Mark Selby makes the 100^th maximum break officially recognised by professional tournaments. He did this on December 7 at the UK Championship.
• 2023: Selby does it again, scoring a 147 in the World Championship final, the first in the final.