Your table rates decide more than your revenue. They decide how busy the floor is on a weekday afternoon, how long players stay, and how many arguments your operator has at the counter. Yet many clubs set prices once, copy the club down the road, and never look at them again.
This guide walks through the main ways to charge for snooker, how to set each rate, and how to keep every bill simple enough that a customer can check it in a glance.
The rupee figures below are worked examples to show the arithmetic, not recommended market rates. Your rates should come from your rent, your costs and the clubs around you.
The three ways to charge for a table
By game type, priced per frame
The most common model in Pakistani clubs. Each game type has its own price for one frame, and the bill is the price multiplied by the frames played. Customers understand it, it rewards quick players, and it is easy to check: three frames of Single is three times the Single price.
By time
A price for every block of time, such as per hour or per 30 minutes. Time pricing suits private and executive rooms, practice sessions and groups who want a table for an evening rather than a set of frames.
A mix of both
Many clubs charge per game on the main floor and by time in the executive rooms. That keeps the busy floor moving while giving premium rooms a predictable price. Your software should support both at once, on the same bill format.
Setting Single, Double, Fifty and Century rates
Each game type takes a different amount of table time, so each needs its own price.
- Single: one player against another. This is your base rate; set it first and price the others relative to it.
- Double: two teams. A frame usually runs longer and the cost is shared, so clubs often charge more than a Single.
- Fifty and Century: everyone plays on their own until someone reaches the target score. These take longer than a standard frame, so they are normally priced higher, with Century the highest.
A practical way to set them: time ten real games of each type on your own tables, work out the average minutes, and price each type in proportion to the time it holds a table. If a Century holds the table about twice as long as a Single, it should cost close to twice as much.
If your regulars play local formats, add them as custom games with their own name, number of frames and price, rather than squeezing them into the nearest standard type.
Pricing executive rooms by time, with grace minutes
For time-based tables, choose a block length and a price for each block. An hourly block is easiest to explain; 30-minute blocks are fairer for short sessions.
Then add a short grace period. Without one, a group that plays 61 minutes pays for two hours and leaves unhappy. With a five-minute grace period, the second block only starts after 65 minutes.
A worked example with a rate of Rs 1,000 per hour and five grace minutes:
- 40 minutes: one block, Rs 1,000. The first block is always charged.
- 63 minutes: still one block, Rs 1,000, because it is inside the grace period.
- 70 minutes: two blocks, Rs 2,000.
The grace period should be short and the same for everyone. When the screen shows the rule, operators stop negotiating minutes at the counter.
Who pays: splitting the bill fairly
The custom in most clubs is that the loser pays the frame. That is easy for one frame and hard for an evening of mixed games. Agree the rules up front and apply them the same way every time:
- Single: the loser of each frame pays for that frame.
- Double: the losing team shares the frame equally.
- Fifty and Century: whoever finishes last pays the whole frame.
- Canteen: each person pays for what they ordered.
For example, if Ali and Bilal play five frames of Single at Rs 200 a frame and Ali loses three, Ali pays Rs 600 and Bilal pays Rs 400. Software that records the frames each player won can produce that split automatically, which removes the most common argument in the club.
Using price to fill quiet hours
Most clubs are full in the evening and half empty in the afternoon. A table that sits empty earns nothing, so a modest discount in quiet hours can pay for itself. Keep it simple:
- One clear off-peak window, such as weekday afternoons, rather than many special offers.
- Students or regulars cards with a fixed discount, recorded on the bill so you can see what it costs.
- Weekday tournaments with an entry fee, which bring in players who also play practice frames and buy from the canteen.
Whatever you offer, record every discount against the bill with a reason. Unrecorded discounts are one of the biggest leaks in a club, as we explain in 9 ways snooker clubs lose money every shift.
When to review your rates
Look at your prices at least twice a year, and whenever one of these changes:
- Your rent or electricity bill rises noticeably.
- You re-cloth tables or replace ball sets, which raises the quality customers are paying for.
- Your reports show tables full at peak with players waiting, which means you have room to adjust.
- Tables sit empty at times when competitors are busy.
When you change prices, change them in the software and on the board on the same day, so the bill always matches what the customer was told.
Frequently asked questions
Should a snooker club charge per frame or per hour?
Per-frame pricing by game type suits the main floor because it is easy to understand and keeps tables moving. Hourly pricing suits executive rooms and group bookings. Many clubs use both.
Why should a Century cost more than a Single?
A Century or Fifty holds the table much longer than a standard frame. Pricing each game type in proportion to the table time it uses keeps your revenue per hour consistent.
What is a grace period in time billing?
A few extra minutes allowed before the next time block is charged. With a 60-minute block and a 5-minute grace period, a session of 63 minutes is charged as one hour.
Who pays for the frame in snooker clubs?
Usually the loser. In Doubles the losing team shares the frame, and in Fifty or Century games whoever finishes last pays for it. Canteen orders are paid by whoever ordered them.