Maximum break

A maximum break (also known as a maximum or a 147, conventionally pronounced one‑four‑seven) is the highest possible break in snooker in normal circumstances and is a special type of total clearance. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by all six colours for a further 27 points. Compiling a maximum break is regarded as a highly significant achievement in the game of snooker and may be compared to a nine‑dart finish in darts, a hole‑in‑one in golf or a 300 game in ten‑pin bowling. A break of up to 155 is possible if the referee awards a free ball before any of the reds have been potted, but breaks exceeding 147 are exceptionally rare, having occurred only twice in professional competition. Any break greater than 147 but not 155 is not considered to be a maximum.

Joe Davis made the first officially recognised maximum break in a 1955 exhibition match in London. At the Classic in January 1982, Steve Davis achieved the first recognised maximum in professional competition, which was also the first in a televised match. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Snooker Championship. As of August 2025, over 200 officially recognised maximum breaks have been made in professional tournament play. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the most maximum breaks in professional competition, with 17, and also the Guinness World Record for the fastest competitive maximum break, which he made at the 1997 World Championship in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds. At the 2017 Championship League, Mark Davis became the first player to make two official maximums at the same event. In the 2025 World Snooker Championship qualifiers, Jackson Page became the first player to make two official maximums in the same match. In the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters semi-finals, O'Sullivan became the first to make two official maximums in a one-session match or on the same day.

Maximum breaks have become more frequent in professional snooker. Only eight recognised maximums were achieved in professional competition in the 1980s, but 26 occurred in the 1990s, 35 in the 2000s and 86 in the 2010s. As of the 2026 Shanghai Masters, 91 officially recognised professional maximums have been made thus far in the 2020s. The 2025–26 season produced a record total of 24 official maximums. Beginning in the 1980s, substantial prizes were awarded for maximum breaks, but such bonuses were reduced or eliminated as the achievement became more common. During the 2019–20 season, a £1 million bonus was offered for 20 or more maximums during the season; the prize would have been shared among all players who contributed to the total. The bonus was not claimed as the threshold was not reached. For the 2023–24 season, a £147,000 prize was offered for two maximums across the season's Triple Crown events; for the following two seasons, eligibility was extended to the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. This bonus was won three times in total, by Jackson Page, O'Sullivan, and Chang Bingyu, but it was discontinued after the 2025–26 season. Some tournaments continue to award special bonus prizes for maximum breaks. At the World Snooker Championship, £40,000 is offered for maximums made at the main stage and £10,000 for maximums made in the qualifying rounds.