Format
In the history of Pot Black the tournament used many formats. In the first year eight players participated, but the number of players varied between six and sixteen. It was originally played as a knock-out tournament, but later employed a round robin format. A player's total number of points scored could often become crucial. Therefore matches always ended with the potting of the black ball.
All matches were played over one frame, except the final, which use many different formats. Initially it was played just over one frame, but in 1974 an aggregate score of two frames was tried. This was however abandoned and the single frame final returned in 1975. From 1978 to 1986 and in 1991 the final was decided over three frames. In 1991 a "time-frame" format was added, which limited the time each player could spend at the table.
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