Ronnie O’Sullivan got a 153 in snooker by using the free ball rule at the start of a frame, which let him effectively create an extra “red” and push the total above the usual 147 maximum.

Quick Scoop: How the 153 happened

  • Early in the frame at the World Open in Yushan, his opponent Ryan Day fouled and left Ronnie snookered, so Ronnie was granted a free ball.
  • Ronnie nominated the green as a free ball, potted it (which counts as a red), then potted a black, giving him 8 points before even starting on the actual 15 reds.
  • After that, he potted the 15 reds with a combination of mostly blacks and a couple of pinks, then cleared all the colours to finish on a historic 153, the highest professional break ever recorded.

In simple terms: the foul + free ball at the start let him “add” an extra red–black pair on top of a near‑perfect clearance, which is how he went past 147 to reach 153.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.