147

The maximum break in snooker is 147, also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a one-four-seven. 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. A maximum break is regarded as the highest possible achievement in a single frame of snooker, and is often compared to a nine-dart finish in darts or a 300 game in ten-pin bowling.
The first officially recognised maximum break was made by Joe Davis 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 maximum to occur during a televised match. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Snooker Championship. At the UK Championship in December 2013, Mark Selby achieved the 100th recognised maximum break in professional competition, while David Gilbert made the 147th 147 in the Championship League in January 2019. Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the most maximum breaks in professional competition, with 15. He also holds the record for the fastest competitive maximum break, at 5 minutes and 8 seconds, which he achieved at the 1997 World Championship.
Maximum breaks have gradually become more frequent in snooker. Only eight recognised maximum breaks were achieved in the 1980s, but 26 were attained in the 1990s, 35 in the 2000s, and 86 in the 2010s. In the 1980s and 1990s, some players received £147,000 for making a maximum break, but as the frequency of maximums increased, the reward for a maximum break was changed to a rolling prize pot that began at £5,000, leading to some discontent among players. In 2019, World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn replaced the rolling 147 prize with a £1 million bonus if 20 maximums were made over a single season. If triggered, the bonus would be shared among the players who attained the maximums. This change was criticized by some players, including O'Sullivan, who stated that 20 maximums in a single season was unlikely ever to happen.
In theory, breaks of up to 155 are possible if the referee awards a free ball before any of the reds have been potted. In practice, breaks above 147 are extremely unusual, having occurred only once in professional competition, when Jamie Burnett made a break of 148 in the qualifying stages of the 2004 UK Championship.

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