What is Century Breaks? Century Breaks Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
19/04/2026
What is Century Breaks?
Century breaks is a term used in snooker when the player who scores 100 points or more in a single visit to the table during a frame of a match.
In order for a century break to be deemed such, a player must not miss a shot. This would allow their opponent to come to the table and, even if they were to fail to score, it would negate the possibility of a true century break.
A century break attained by potting the red balls and coloured balls alternatively and then the coloured balls in a set order once all the red balls have been potted.
With over 20,000 century breaks having been recorded in professional snooker, it is quite a common task achieved by professionals.
However, scoring a century break all but ensures the player wins the frame and is still a tricky task as it requires a minimum of 25 shots at the table. It may often be referred to as scoring a ton.
How is Century Breaks used in Sports Betting?
Many sportsbooks will offer a market on the number of century breaks in a match and will market it as correct number betting.
For example, in a game between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Peter Ebdon, a punter may be able to bet on set numbers such as 0-2 centuries, 3-5, 6-8 and so on, depending on the number of frames required to win a game.
The sportsbook will set fixed odds attached to these and the punter selects one depending on a number of factors such as the two opponents (naturally the higher the ranking players, the better chance of century breaks) and the number of frames in a match (the lower the number the lower number of possible centuries).
Did you know…
Englishman and five-time Snooker World Champion Ronnie ‘the Rocket’ O’Sullivan has recorded highest number of century breaks in professional snooker with a whopping 900.
Remarkably that is 125 more than the next player, the now-retired Stephen Hendry.
