Format of Play
The league was an invitation-only event, contested mainly by players in the world's top 10. The combination of players was chosen though to have maximum televisual appeal, so it was usual for a mixture of high-ranked players, upcoming youngsters yet to reach the top 10, celebrated older players out of the top 10 and players with an appeal to international (non-UK) markets such as Asia or Australia to be selected. The players played each other once in a 6-frame match. Unlike other snooker events, a draw was a possible result in the league. 2 points were awarded for a victory, and 1 for a draw. At the end of the leagues phase, the top 4 players in the league table went forward to the best of 9 semi-finals stage. The final was then played over the best of 13 frames. From 2008 Matchroom Sports started to hold a qualifying event, called Championship League. The winner of this competition was invited to the leagues phase of the Premier League Snooker.
The major difference from other tournaments was the presence of a shot clock. Each player has 25 seconds to strike the cue ball from the time the clock starts. This is determined by the timing official, and the clock normally starts when the balls have come to rest from the previous shot or after a potted colour is respotted. The penalty for exceeding the limit is 5 points and is classed as a miss. Each player is allowed 5 time outs per match where the clock is stopped and they may have as long as they require to take their shot. A player is permitted no more than 3 time outs per frame.
In 2011 the format was changed. All evenings in the league stage featured three matches: two semi-finals and a final. All matches were best of 5 frames, with no dead frames played, points were awarded for every frame won. Meaning that the maximum number of points a player can obtain was 24 and the minimum was 0. All frames were subject to a 20 second shot clock and the miss rule was changed; meaning that a player had three attempts to make legal contact with a ball or otherwise ball in hand was given to the incoming player anywhere on the table. The final frame of any match was played under shoot out rules. Each player appeared on 4 nights and was seeded to determine who they face. The play-offs were played to the rules used in previous editions. In 2012 the format of the event was changed back to the format used before 2011.
Read more about this topic: Premier League Snooker
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“The child knows only that he engages in play because it is enjoyable. He isn’t aware of his need to play—a need which has its source in the pressure of unsolved problems. Nor does he know that his pleasure in playing comes from a deep sense of well-being that is the direct result of feeling in control of things, in contrast to the rest of his life, which is managed by his parents or other adults.”
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