Professional snooker operates as a structured tour with defined qualification routes, ranking systems, and season cycles.
Players compete across a calendar of events to earn prize money, ranking points, and tour status.
The modern professional game is administered globally but centred on a single main tour.
The main professional tour
The top level of professional snooker is the World Snooker Tour, which hosts the majority of ranking events and invitational events each season.
- Open to players holding professional tour cards and invitational tour cards
- Operates on a seasonal calendar
- Uses a rolling ranking system based on prize money
Most televised events and major titles take place on this tour.
Governing and administration
Professional snooker is overseen by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
The commercial operation of the professional circuit is handled by the World Snooker Tour.
These bodies are responsible for:
- Tour regulations and rules
- Player eligibility and conduct
- Event sanctioning and scheduling
Tour cards and eligibility
To compete on the professional tour, a player must hold a tour card.
- Tour cards are usually awarded for two seasons
- A limited number are available each cycle
- Players without a card cannot enter most professional events
Tour cards are reallocated at the end of each season based on performance and qualification routes.
Qualification routes
Players can earn or regain professional status through several pathways.
- Finishing high enough on the end-of-season rankings
- Success on the Q Tour or at Q School
- Winning designated amateur or continental championships
- Receiving a tour card through governing body nominations
- Receiving an invitational tour card at the discretion of WST and the WPBSA
These routes ensure movement between amateur and professional levels.
Ranking events and invitational events
Not all tournaments on the calendar are treated equally.
- Ranking events award ranking points and are generally open for all professionals to enter
- Invitational events have limited fields and do not award ranking points
- Performance in ranking events determines tour survival and tournament seeding
The distinction affects both prestige and career stability.
Rankings and seeding
Player rankings are based on prize money earned over a rolling period.
- Rankings determine entry stages in tournaments
- Higher-ranked players often receive byes into later rounds
- Rankings influence qualification for invitational events
Consistent results across multiple seasons are required to remain near the top.
Season structure
A professional snooker season typically runs from mid-year to the following spring.
- Events are staged across multiple countries
- The season culminates with the World Snooker Championship
- Rankings are updated continuously throughout the year
There is no fixed off-season, with competitive play spread across most months.
Relegation and tour survival
Professional status is not permanent.
- Players finishing outside the retention threshold – usually the top 64 of the official two-year world rankings – lose their tour cards
- Relegated players usually must requalify through amateur routes
- Prize money earned below a certain level can result in loss of status
This creates constant pressure even for established professionals.
Common misunderstandings
Once a player turns professional, they stay on tour indefinitely
Professional status must be earned and retained through results.
All tournaments contribute equally to rankings
Only ranking events award ranking points.
Invitational events define tour status
Tour survival is determined by ranking performance, not invitations.