Maximum break

A maximum break (also known as a maximum, a 147 or, orally, a 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.

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 German Masters, 84 officially recognised professional maximums have been made thus far in the 2020s. Since the 1980s, there have been various prizes awarded for maximum breaks. In addition to the 147 bonuses on offer at some tournaments, since the 2023‍–‍24 season the World Snooker Tour has offered a £147,000 prize to a player who makes two maximum breaks during a season's Triple Crown events as well as the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. This prize can be won up to three times per season, including multiple times by the same player.