The 2025 Snooker Shoot Out (officially the 2025 9Club Snooker Shoot Out) is a professional snooker tournament that is taking place from 10 to 13 December 2025 at the Tower Circus in Blackpool, England, where the tournament was previously held from 2011 to 2015.[1][2] The 16th consecutive edition of the tournament since it was revived in 2011, it is the 10th ranking event of the 2025–26 season, following the 2025 UK Championship and preceding the 2025 Scottish Open.[3] It is broadcast by TNT Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Eurosport in mainland Europe, by local channels in China and elsewhere in Asia, and by WST Play in all other territories. The winner will receive £50,000 from a total prize fund of £171,000.
The tournament is played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker, with each match contested over a single frame within a maximum of 10 minutes. Tom Ford is the defending champion, having defeated Liam Graham 31–28 in the 2024 final.[4]
Overview
The tournament is the seventeenth edition of the Snooker Shoot Out, first held as a non‑ranking event in 1990 before being revived in 2011 and since then having been held annually. It was promoted to a ranking event starting with the 2017 edition.
Format
The tournament is played using a variation of the traditional snooker rules. The draw is randomised before each round. All matches are played over a single frame , each of which lasts up to 10 minutes. The event features a variable shot clock; players are allowed 15 seconds per shot during the first five minutes and 10 seconds per shot during the final five minutes. The player with the most points after the time runs out or after all balls have been pocketed (or after a foul on the final black ) wins the match. All foul shots result in the opponent receiving a ball in hand . Unlike traditional snooker, a foul is called if a ball does not either hit a cushion or enter a pocket on every shot. Rather than a coin toss, a lag is used to determine which player breaks . In the event of a draw, the frame is decided by a " blue ball shootout". With the cue ball placed inside the "D" and the blue ball on its spot, the players take alternate shots until one player has potted the blue more times than their opponent from an equal number of attempts.[5]
The tournament is broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland by TNT Sports and Discovery+. It is broadcast in mainland Europe by Eurosport, with streaming coverage on Discovery+ in Germany, Italy, and Austria and on HBO Max in other European territories. It is broadcast in mainland China by the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live, and Migu[zh]. It is broadcast in Hong Kong by Now TV, in Thailand by TrueSports, in Malasyia & Brunei by Astro SuperSport, in Taiwan by Sportcast, and in the Philippines by TAP Sports. In territories where no other coverage is available, the tournament is streamed by WST Play.[7]
Prize fund
The prize fund for the tournament is shown below:[8][9]
Winner: £50,000
Runner-up: £20,000
Semi-final: £8,000
Quarter-final: £4,000
Last 16: £2,000
Last 32: £1,000
Last 64: £500
Last 128: £250
Highest break: £5,000
Total: £171,000
Summary
Round one (last 128)
The defending champion Tom Ford defeated Martin O'Donnell by nine points. "Getting the first win on the board definitely settles your nerves," said Ford afterwards. "I think quickly and I usually know what I'm doing before the white stops rolling so that's why this event suits me." Michael Holt, winner in 2020 and runner-up in 2019, trailed Ashley Hugill by seven points with 45 seconds remaining. He snookered Hugill, who then committed a time foul, allowing Holt to pot a red and a pink to win. The victory was controversial, as bleeps did not sound to warn Hugill that the shot clock was about to expire.[10]Alfie Burden, who secured a place in the event that morning when Alex Clenshaw withdrew, faced David Lilley after a four-hour drive from London. Burden came from 46 points behind to win the match with a 49 break. Luca Brecel won his first professional match since September as he defeated Long Zehuang. Brecel said afterwards: "I felt very calm, in control of the game and potted some good balls. In this event you just have to pot balls and don't do stupid things."[11]
Shaun Murphy, who in December 2023 became the only player to make a maximum break in the event, potted five reds and five blacks before missing the sixth red. He later made another break of 51 to secure victory over Patrick Whelan. "Not everything has to be hard work and super-serious all the time," Murphy said. "It's great to come here and have interaction with the crowd, like a big exhibition. I love it!" Ishpreet Singh Chadha trailed Dean Young by 11 points with 50 seconds remaining. Young missed a red, and Singh Chadha potted two reds and two blacks to secure victory. David Gilbert made a 106 break as he beat Matthew Stevens, and Sanderson Lam made a 105 to defeat Jonas Luz.[12]
Ng On-yee(pictured in 2017) defeated world number nine Mark Allen, becoming the first woman to beat a top-10-ranked player at a ranking event.
Ng On-yee made a 25 break to move 16 points ahead of the world number nine Mark Allen, winner of the December 2023 event. In the last seconds, Allen potted two reds and two pinks but then missed a plant ; Ng won the match, becoming the first woman to beat a top-10-ranked player at a ranking event. She said afterwards: "I hope it helps people realise this is not just a male sport. Women can play snooker too and hopefully there will be more to join our sport." Ellise Scott, aged 14, attempted to become the youngest female player to win a match at a ranking event. She led the reigning World Women's Champion Bai Yulu by two points with less than a minute remaining, but Bai secured victory after Scott missed a shot with the rest . Wu Yize made a 141 total clearance against Craig Steadman, the third-highest break in the tournament's history. The reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong led Ross Muir by eight points with two minutes remaining, but Muir won the match with a break of 15 after Zhao missed a red. The previous year's runner-up Liam Graham defeated Cheung Ka Wai and said afterwards: "This format really suits me, I play fast and I enjoy the buzz and the crowd." Michał Szubarczyk, aged 14 and playing in his debut season on the tour, defeated Jamie Jones.[13]
Tournament draw
All times in Greenwich Mean Time. Times for quarter‑finals, semi‑finals and final are approximate. Players in bold denote match winners and an (a) denotes amateur players not currently on the professional tour.
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Tom Ford (ENG)
