Snooker and being red brown Colorblind

Snooker and Colorblindness: My Journey and Funny Incidents

My journey in the sport of snooker being a red brown colorblind has been an adventure filled with funny incidents, frustrating moments, and a deep admiration for the game’s complexity.

Snooker is a game that requires a sharp eye for detail—angles, positioning, and of course, the colors of the balls. Now, imagine playing snooker when you’re colorblind! It’s like adding a new level of difficulty to an already tricky game. As a person with colorblindness, my journey in snooker has been an adventure filled with funny incidents, frustrating moments, and a deep admiration for the game’s complexity. Being color blind is also my Achilles heel .

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The Challenge of Colorblindness in Snooker

For someone with colorblindness, differentiating between the red, brown, green, and sometimes even the blue and purple balls can feel like guessing which sock matches your shoes in poor lighting. Most people don’t realize how much they rely on color to make split-second decisions—until they can’t.

• Red vs. Brown: This is where I’ve had the most hilarious confusion. One time, I confidently lined up what I thought was a red ball (which would have given me a great score), only to hear laughter from my friends as I potted the brown ball. Instead of scoring, I ended up giving points away!
• Green vs. Brown: These two can look identical to me, especially under artificial light. Once, during a friendly match, I went for a “perfectly aligned” green ball—except, you guessed it, it was the brown ball again! I proudly announced, “That’s the green down!” only to hear the referee say, “Uh… no.”

These moments have provided a lot of entertainment for my opponents, but for me, it’s just another day at the snooker table. After all, it’s not every day you accidentally pot the wrong color and still manage to keep a straight face.

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Adapting and Playing Smart

To overcome my colorblindness, I’ve developed a few strategies. One of my favorite tricks is to memorize the table layout. By keeping track of which ball goes where after each shot, I can guess which color is which based on its position. I also rely heavily on the referee’s announcements, and trust me, when you’re colorblind, the call of “red ball!” sounds like a guiding light!

However, the best advice came from a fellow colorblind player who told me to “own it.” Now, instead of being embarrassed when I mix up the colors, I use it as an excuse to throw a few light-hearted jokes and keep the atmosphere fun.

Funny anecdote: Once during a tense match, I aimed for what I thought was the pink, a ball worth 6 points. After I potted it and proudly stepped back, my opponent simply asked, “Mate, why did you pot the yellow?” Oops.

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Famous People with Colorblindness: Snooker Players and More

Though there aren’t many openly colorblind snooker players, colorblindness is more common among athletes and well-known figures than you might think. Here’s a list of some famous people who’ve navigated their lives and careers while being colorblind:

Snooker Players

• Mark Williams: A three-time world champion and one of the most accomplished snooker players, Williams is colorblind. He’s had to adapt his game to compensate for his inability to distinguish between certain colors. Despite this, he continues to compete at the highest level. In fact, he once joked that his biggest challenge isn’t his opponents but figuring out which ball is brown ! Other Ref Link

• Peter Ebdon :“I have done it at various stages throughout my entire career. On each and every occasion I thought I was potting the correct ball and very often it has cost me frames and probably matches in the past .My colour blindness is severe. It is little better than seeing in black and white and probably not too much better. Other Ref Link

Famous Colorblind People from Other Fields

• Bill Clinton (Former U.S. President): Clinton has some form of colorblindness, often finding it difficult to tell the difference between greens and reds.
• Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook Founder): Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind, which is part of the reason Facebook’s primary color is blue—he can see it most clearly.
• Keanu Reeves (Actor): The beloved “Matrix” star is said to be colorblind, though he’s never let it stop him from dominating Hollywood.
• Howie Mandel (Comedian and TV Host): Mandel is also colorblind and often uses his condition to deliver humor in his stand-up routines.
• Prince William (Duke of Cambridge): Rumor has it that Prince William also struggles with distinguishing certain colors, particularly green and red, though this doesn’t stop him from performing his royal duties.

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My Final Thoughts on Colorblindness and Snooker

While being colorblind in snooker has its challenges, it’s also given me a unique perspective on the game. I’ve learned to adapt, stay light-hearted, and laugh at my mistakes (and trust me, there are plenty!). Whether it’s mistaking the brown for the red or hitting the wrong ball entirely, I’ve come to see my colorblindness not as a limitation, but as part of my journey in the sport.

And who knows? Maybe one day they’ll invent a color-coded snooker table that lights up like a disco floor! Until then, I’ll just keep potting balls and hoping they’re the right ones.