At what point does a 147 become a one-eighty? When you're Ronnie O'Sullivan, making yet another chapter in the record books. Precisely then.
In a year when snooker's perfect frame, once viewed as elusive as the Himalayan Yeti, has made frequent appearances on television, it was left to O'Sullivan to demonstrate that no one does it better. Completing his second 147 in barely two hours at the a recent tournament in August, O'Sullivan earned a historic £180,333 in prize money.
As his 50th birthday approaches in December, O'Sullivan maintains an bold streak that distinguishes him. Almost three decades after his legendary five-minute 147 at the Crucible, he continues to be pure box office.
But O'Sullivan, who starts his quest for a unprecedented ninth title, is in good company in knowing the route to a maximum. There have been an eye-watering twenty-five so far on the professional tour in 2025, obliterating the calendar year best of 14.
'Everyone on the tour now could make one'
"Picture Moira Stuart in 1983 appearing on the Six O'Clock News and informing the nation Cliff Thorburn's had a 147 at the Crucible. It would now get overlooked because it's just like, 'oh, there's been another 147'."
That's the verdict of Shaun Murphy, ranked fourth on the all-time list with 10 maximums. He is not wrong. Thorburn's maximum was a defining moment for 1983's armchair sports fan. It was only the second ratified 147, with Steve Davis making the first. Davis' prize? One of the sponsor's cars.
There were just 8 147s across the entire 1980s, a snooker decade full of soap opera drama and towering characters. For sheer quality, few eras rival the current one.
"Professionals are pursuing their career records and the tour are putting incentives out there," notes Murphy. "Players are more aware of these challenges. They're practising for them."
Legendary figures like Alex Higgins did not achieve a maximum break on tour. Nor did fellow world champions. Yet rising star Aaron Hill made two inside four weeks. The 23-year-old cannot believe Higgins never had one.
Hill says: "There will be a lot of players who haven't had one. It was always a goal to have my name on the board. The buzz is great. Everyone on the tour now could make one. We're almost expecting one in every tournament. It's everyone egging each other on."
How do you make a 147?
"I think if there is a secret, it's seeing it early," says Shaun Murphy. "If you come to the table early and pot a couple of reds and a couple of blacks, and you see the black's available to both pockets... we all think 'hang on a minute, there's a 147 on here'.
"I remain proud of the one I made in the Shoot Out because I tried to make it from the very first pot. To have the personal challenge and then get it in the cauldron of the Shoot Out was really something."
Murphy reflects on the unique atmosphere: "When you're on a maximum, everyone in the room knows it and it intensifies their attention. Everyone's focus fixates on you." Are maximums losing their magic? "Not in my view."
The future frontier if the 147 code has been cracked?
- Snooker is waiting for its first ratified 147 by a woman. China's Bai Yulu compiled a 145 at a recent championship.
- Two 147s in the same match has been achieved. Two in successive frames next?
- The one-five-five (a 147 plus eight points from a foul shot at the start) has never been achieved in tournament play. Footage exists of a player making one in practice.
- The one-six-seven is "probably the next step," says Murphy, referring to a new format involving a special bonus ball for a huge financial prize.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, he's coming for you...
Murphy proposes the explosion of maximums is straightforward to understand. "My belief is everyone's getting better. Some of the players lower in the standings that the average fan have never heard of, on their day they can beat anyone."
The ever-higher "standard and reliability of playing conditions" is also credited as a factor. But ultimately, the players are the ones potting the shots.
Hill now owns two maximums. O'Sullivan holds the record of 17. "Look out Ronnie, he's coming for you." It is meant lightheartedly, but Hill fancies the chase.
"By the conclusion of my career, I believe I'll be ranked highly with maximum breaks," he declares. At the very least, players now go about their everyday matches with the idea that the next frame is full of potential.
Sink the red, follow with the black. Again and again.
