Maximum break

Joe Davis compiled the first officially recognised maximum break on 22 January 1955, in a match against Willie Smith at Leicester Square Hall, London. The Billiards Association and Control Council initially refused to accept the break since the match was not played under their rules. At the time, the professional game used a rule (now standard, see rules of snooker) whereby, after a foul, a player could compel the offender to play the next stroke. It was not until a meeting on 20 March 1957 that the break was officially recognised and Davis was presented with a certificate to commemorate his achievement. The match between Davis and Smith was played as part of a series of events marking the closure of Leicester Square Hall; known as Thurston's Hall until 1947, the venue had hosted many important billiards and snooker matches since its opening in 1901, including twelve World Snooker Championship finals. John Spencer compiled a maximum break in the 1979 Holsten Lager International, but it did not count as an official maximum, however, as the break was made on a non‑templated table used during the event. The first official maximum break in professional competition was compiled by Steve Davis in the 1982 Classic at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, against John Spencer. This was also the first televised maximum break. For his achievement, Davis won a Lada car provided by the event's sponsors. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Championship in the fourth frame of his second round match against Terry Griffiths.

Before the 1994‍, ‍95 season, the maximum break remained a rare feat, with only 15 official maximums compiled altogether. However, beginning in the 1994‍, ‍95 season, at least one maximum break has been achieved every season thereafter. There were 13 maximums scored in each of the 2016‍, ‍17, 2022‍, ‍23 and 2023‍, ‍24 seasons. This was the highest number until the 2024‍, ‍25 season, during which 15 maximums were made. The record was broken again in the 2025‍, ‍26 season which produced 24 maximums.

Mark Selby made the 100th officially recognised maximum break in professional competition on 7 December 2013 in the seventh frame of his semi‑final match against Ricky Walden at the UK Championship. As of 28 July 2026, 246 official maximum breaks have been recorded in professional competition, with the 200th being made by Joe O'Connor at the 2024 Championship League. Ronnie O'Sullivan has compiled 17 official competitive maximum breaks, the most achieved by any professional player. Following him are John Higgins with 13, Stephen Hendry with 11, Shaun Murphy with 10, Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump with 9, and Ding Junhui and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh with 7.

On 30 April 2023, Selby made a maximum break in the 16th frame during the 2023 World Championship final against Luca Brecel, the first achieved in a World Championship final. On 7 December 2023, Murphy made a maximum break in his first‑round match against Bulcsú Révész in the 2023 Shoot Out, the first ever compiled at the Shoot Out, which is played under a variation of snooker rules, with a shot clock and fouls awarding ball in hand. On 5 October 2024, in his winning run in event 3, Zhao Xintong made the first ever maximum break on the Q Tour, the secondary snooker tour that serves as a qualification route to the main professional tour, in his 4‍, ‍1 win over Shaun Liu.

At least nine players have missed the final black on a score of 140: Robin Hull, Ken Doherty, Barry Pinches, Mark Selby, Michael White, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (twice in the 2015‍, ‍16 season and once in the 2024‍, ‍25 season), Liang Wenbo in a qualifying match at the 2018 World Championship, after he had already made a maximum earlier in the same match, and both Joe O'Connor and Jack Lisowski at the 2025 Championship League. Xu Si missed the last black in a maximum attempt at the 2026 China Open qualifying.

Breaks above 147 are possible when an opponent fouls and leaves a free ball with all 15 reds still remaining on the table. A break greater than 147 has happened only twice in professional competition, first when Jamie Burnett made a break of 148 at the qualifying stage of the 2004 UK Championship., and second when Ronnie O'Sullivan surpassed Burnett's long-standing record in his quarter-final match against Ryan Day at the 2026 World Open with a 153 break. Jamie Cope compiled a break of 155 points, the highest possible free‑ball break, during practice in 2005. Alex Higgins is said by some players to have attained the same feat.

First maximums

The first known maximum break in practice was made by Murt O'Donoghue at Griffith, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, on 26 September 1934. Joe Davis compiled the first official 147 against Willie Smith in an exhibition match on 22 January 1955 at Leicester Square Hall, London. Rex Williams made the first maximum break in a competitive match against Manuel Francisco, Professionals v. Amateurs, on 23 December 1965 in Cape Town.

John Spencer made the first maximum compiled in professional competition on 13 January 1979 at the Holsten Lager Tournament against Cliff Thorburn, but it was not officially ratified due to oversized pockets. The break was not caught on video as the television crew were away on a tea break. The first official maximum break in professional competition was made by Steve Davis in the 1982 Lada Classic against Spencer. This was also the first televised 147. Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum break at the World Snooker Championship, achieved in 1983 during his second-round match against Terry Griffiths.

Thorburn made a second competitive maximum break in March 1989, becoming the first player to make two maximum breaks in competition. In November 1995, Hendry made his second televised maximum break, becoming the first player to have made two 147s on television. In March 2019, Mink Nutcharut made a 147 during a practice match at the Hi-End Snooker Club in Thailand. She is believed to be the only woman to have made a maximum break, either in practice or in competition.

World Snooker Championship maximums

There have been 15 maximums made at the main stage of the World Championship, staged at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, by 11 different players. Thorburn made the first, followed by Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry (three times), Ronnie O'Sullivan (three times), Mark Williams, Ali Carter, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen. Another eight maximums have been made during World Championship qualifying matches, by six players: Robert Milkins (twice), Gary Wilson, Liang Wenbo, Graeme Dott, Noppon Saengkham and Jackson Page (twice in the same match).

Multiple maximums

More than one official maximum break has been compiled in the same event on more than twenty occasions. The first tournament with more than one maximum break was the 1992 Matchroom League, in which John Parrott and Stephen Hendry each made a 147 break. The first time that two maximum breaks were made in the same ranking tournament was at the 1999 British Open, where Jason Prince made one during qualifying and Graeme Dott at the main event. This was repeated at the 2000 Scottish Open, with Stephen Maguire in qualifying and Ronnie O'Sullivan at the main event. The 2008 World Snooker Championship was the first event where two maximum breaks (by O'Sullivan and Carter) were televised. Two maximum breaks (by Neil Robertson and Noppon Saengkham) were also televised at the 2019 Welsh Open.

Three official maximums at the same professional tournament have been achieved six times. The first was at the 2012 UK Championship, when Andy Hicks and Jack Lisowski both compiled one each in qualifying and John Higgins compiled one in the televised stages. The second time was at the 2017 German Masters, where Ali Carter and Ross Muir both compiled one each during qualifying and Tom Ford during the televised stages. The third time was at the 2024 Championship League by Kyren Wilson in Group 3, by John Higgins in Group 5, and by Joe O'Connor in Group 7. The fourth time was at the 2025 Championship League by Jak Jones in Group 2, by David Gilbert in Group 7, and by Mark Selby in the Winners' Group. The fifth time was at the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh compiling one in his third-round match, and O'Sullivan making a brace in the semi-final. The sixth time was at the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix, where Zhou Yuelong made one in qualifying, and both Judd Trump and Aaron Hill made maximums at the main stage.

Five official maximums at the same event has been achieved once at the 2026 Championship League by Chris Wakelin, Matthew Selt, Xiao Guodong, Wu Yize, and Zhao Xintong.

The 2012 FFB Snooker Open, 2017 German Masters, 2018 Paul Hunter Classic, 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix, and 2026 Championship League are the only events where two maximums were made on the same day.

Mark Davis, Jackson Page and Ronnie O'Sullivan are the only players to make two official maximum breaks in professional competition at the same event. Mark Davis became the first player to do so, when he compiled two 147s at the 2017 Championship League. In the third round of the qualifying stage for the 2025 World Championship, Jackson Page made two maximums in his 10‍, ‍2 win over Allan Taylor, with the first in the eighth frame on 13 April 2025 and the second in the twelfth frame the following day. This made him the first player to make two maximums in a professional competitive match. On 15 August 2025, in his 6‍, ‍3 win over Chris Wakelin in the semi-finals of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, Ronnie O'Sullivan made maximums in the first and seventh frames of the match, becoming the only player to make two maximums in a one-session match or on the same day.

There have been several noteworthy instances of multiple maximum breaks outside of sanctioned professional competition. Peter Ebdon is said to have compiled two maximum breaks during an 11‑frame exhibition match at Eastbourne Police Club on 15 April 1996, and in 2003 he also compiled two consecutive maximum breaks against Steve Davis in an exhibition match. In 2009 Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan compiled consecutive maximum breaks at an exhibition match in Ireland, and later in the same year Mark King and Joe Jogia are said to have replicated the feat at the Grove Open. The only known instance of more than two maximum breaks being compiled at a single event on the same day is during the Buckley's Bitter Challenge; three 147s were compiled on 8 February 1998, by Matthew Stevens, Ryan Day and Tony Chappel, but were not officially ratified. The only player known to have made more than two maximum breaks on a single occasion is Adrian Gunnell, who compiled three maximums in four frames at a club in Telford in 2003 while practising against Ian Duffy.

John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh are the only players to record maximum breaks in consecutive ranking events. Higgins made maximums at the LG Cup and the British Open in 2003, O'Sullivan at the Northern Ireland Trophy and another at the UK Championship in 2007, and Un-Nooh at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and Wuhan Open in 2025.

Deciding frames and tournament finals

Only ten maximums have been made in final‑frame deciders. These are: Hendry's at the 1997 Charity Challenge, O'Sullivan's at the 2007 UK Championship, both of Mark Davis's at the 2017 Championship League, Martin Gould's at the 2018 Championship League, Ford's at the 2019 English Open, both Day's and John Higgins's at the 2020 Championship League, Marco Fu's at the 2022 Hong Kong Masters, and Shaun Murphy's at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out.

Hendry, John Higgins, Bingham, O'Sullivan, Murphy, Robertson, Judd Trump, Selby, Zhang Anda, and Un-Nooh have made maximums in finals of tournaments. Hendry has made three: the first at the 1997 Charity Challenge, the second at the 1999 British Open and the third at the 2001 Malta Grand Prix. Higgins at the 2003 LG Cup and at the 2012 Shanghai Masters, Bingham at the 2012 Wuxi Classic, O'Sullivan at the 2014 Welsh Open, Murphy at the 2014 Ruhr Open, Robertson at the 2015 UK Championship, Trump at the 2022 Turkish Masters and the 2022 Champion of Champions, Zhang at the 2023 International Championship, and Un-Nooh at the 2026 World Open. Selby made a maximum in the 2023 World Championship final, becoming the first player to do so at that stage of the tournament. Selby's and Robertson's maximums are the only ones compiled in the finals of Triple Crown events.

Fastest

O'Sullivan's 147 break in the first‑round match against Mick Price at the 1997 World Championship holds the record for the fastest maximum in the history of the game. For many years Guinness World Records recorded the time of the break at 5 minutes and 20 seconds. However an investigation undertaken by Deadspin in 2017 revealed that the time recorded by Guinness was incorrect because the timer was started too early on the BBC footage. Breaks are not officially timed in snooker and the official rules of snooker do not specify how they should be timed, instead leaving the timing to the discretion of the broadcaster. The only timing methodology World Snooker sanctions in its events is the one employed in shot clock events where timing for a player's shot begins when the balls have come to rest from his opponent's previous shot. Under this convention the break would have been timed at 5 minutes and 15 seconds. World Snooker has since suggested that a break starts when the player strikes the cueball for the first time in a break which would result in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds; this is the time that both World Snooker and Guinness World Records now officially acknowledge.

Youngest and oldest

The youngest player to have made an officially recognised maximum break in professional competition is Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon, who compiled a 147 at the 2010 Rhein‍, ‍Main Masters aged 16 years and 312 days. Sean Maddocks is recognised by Guinness World Records as the youngest player to make a maximum break in any recognised competition. Maddocks was 15 years and 90 days old when he achieved the feat at the LiteTask Pro‑Am series in Leeds on 9 July 2017. Judd Trump is known to have made a 147 at the Potters Under‑16 Tournament in 2004 at the age of 14 years and 206 days; however, this break is not recognised by Guinness World Records. The youngest player to have made a televised maximum is Ding Junhui, who was aged 19 years and 288 days when he achieved a 147 at the 2007 Masters.

The oldest player to have made a maximum in professional competition is Ronnie O'Sullivan, who made two 147 breaks in his 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters semi-final against Chris Wakelin, when he was aged 49 years and 253 days. Former professional Darren Morgan made a maximum break in an amateur Seniors event in 2023 at the age of 56 years and 261 days; this possibly makes him the oldest player to achieve a maximum break in competition.

In professional tournaments, a 147 break traditionally carried a substantial prize; for example, Ronnie O'Sullivan was awarded £165,000 for his maximum break at the 1997 World Championship. That prize was composed of £147,000 for making the 147 break and £18,000 for achieving the highest break of the tournament.

In the 2011‍, ‍12 season World Snooker introduced a roll‑over system for the maximum break prize money, the "rolling 147 prize". A maximum break earned £5,000 during the televised stages of major ranking events, and £500 in non-televised stages or at Players Tour Championship events. If no player achieved a maximum break at an event, the prize rolled over to the next event until it was won.

At the 2016 Welsh Open, in his 4‍, ‍1 victory over Barry Pinches in the first round, Ronnie O'Sullivan declined the opportunity to make a maximum break in the fifth frame of the match, potting the pink off the penultimate red and completing a break of 146. He stated afterwards that the prize money of £10,000 was not worthy of a 147. Then World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn called the decision "unacceptable" and "disrespectful".

Since the start of the 2019‍, ‍20 season, individual prizes for a maximum break have generally been phased out in the vast majority of tournaments; during that season, a £1 million bonus was offered if 20 or more were made during the season. The prize would be split among all players who had made at least one qualifying break, with each player receiving an equal share for every break made. That bonus was never claimed, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic later that season, it was discontinued and has not since been re-offered. Despite maximum break prizes being phased out in most cases, they have been partially re-introduced at the World Snooker Championship, where £40,000 is now offered to those who compile one at the main stages of the tournament.

Beginning with the 2023‍, ‍24 season, WST started offering a £147,000 bonus to any player making two maximum breaks during the season's Triple Crown events. For the 2024‍, ‍25 and 2025‍, ‍26 seasons, the bonus was extended to include any maximum breaks made at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. WST discontinued the prize for the 2026‍, ‍27 season.. In all, this prize was awarded three times: first when Jackson Page made two maximums in the same match during the 2025 World Snooker Championship qualifying; second when O'Sullivan made two maximums in the same match at the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters; and third, when Chang Bingyu made a maximum break each in the qualifying stages of the 2025 UK Championship and the 2026 World Championship.

A break higher than 147 can be achieved when an opponent fouls before any reds are potted and leaves the incoming player snookered on all 15 reds. The player can nominate one of the other colours as a red, known as a free ball, which carries the same value as a red for just that shot. If the free ball is potted, the referee places this coloured ball back on its original location, de facto creating a setup as if there were 16 reds in total, thus creating a potential maximum break of 155 if a player starts from a free ball position.

• On 16 October 2004, during qualifying for the UK Championship, Jamie Burnett became the first player to record a break of more than 147 in tournament play, when he scored 148 against Leo Fernandez. He took the brown as the free ball, then potted the brown again followed by the 15 reds with 12 blacks, two pinks and a blue, then the six colours.

• On 20 March 2026, Ronnie O'Sullivan surpassed Burnett's long-standing record in his quarter-final match against Ryan Day at the World Open. After a series of fouls by Day, O'Sullivan potted the green as a free ball, then the black, followed by the 15 reds with 13 more blacks, two pinks and the six colours for a 153 break.

Some breaks exceeding 147 have been reported in non‑tournament settings:

• A 151 is reported to have been compiled by Wally West against Butch Rogers in West London's Hounslow Luciana snooker club during a club match in 1976. After Rogers fouled, West took the green as his free ball followed by the brown. He then took 14 reds and blacks and a pink off the last red. He then cleared up to make the 151.
• In April 1988 Steve Duggan made a 148 in a practice frame against Mark Rowing in Doncaster.
• In 1993 Stephen Hendry made a 148 in a practice match against Alfie Burden.
• In 1995 Tony Drago made a 149 in practice against Nick Manning in West Norwood, London, that was recorded by the Guinness Book of Records as the highest in this category. In that match Drago nominated the brown as the free ball, to score one point. He then potted the brown again, for four more points, before potting the 15 reds with 13 blacks, a pink and a blue, then all the colours.
• In 1997 Eddie Manning achieved a 149 break in a practice match against Kam Pandya at Willie Thorne's Snooker Club in Leicester. He potted brown, brown, 13 blacks, pink and blue.
• In April 2003 Jamie Cope made a 151 break at The Reardon Snooker Club during a practice game with David Fomm‑Ward. After a foul by his opponent, Cope was snookered behind the brown ball. He took the brown as the free ball and then potted the blue, 13 reds with blacks and two with pinks, then the six colours.
• In 2005, Jamie Cope made snooker's first highest possible 155 break in a witnessed practice frame.
• In November 2010 Sam Harvey made a 151 break in a practice match against Kyren Wilson at his home club in Bedford. Harvey potted the brown as the free ball and then the black, 12 reds with blacks, two with pinks and one with blue, then the six colours.
• In August 2021, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh made a 155 break in a practice match against Hossein Vafaei. The feat was filmed by a security camera.
• In March 2022, Marco Fu made a 149 break in a practice match against Noppon Saengkham at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy.

• 1982
• 1990
• 1995
• 2000
• 2005
• 2010
• 2015
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024
• 2025
• 2026

Note: If the table is sorted by anything other than "No.", "Date", or "Season", then using the Table of Contents above could produce unexpected results.

Note: (Q) indicates maximums made during qualifying stages of events. (F) indicates maximums made in tournament finals. (L) indicates that the match was lost by the player who made the maximum.

Below is a list of players who have made five or more maximum breaks, as of 22 March 2026.