The 2026 Snooker Shoot Out (officially the 2026 TAOM Shoot Out) is an upcoming professional snooker tournament that will take place from 9 to 12 December 2026 at the Tower Circus in Blackpool, England. The 17th consecutive edition of the tournament since it was revived in 2011, it is the 10th ranking event of the 202627 season, following the 2026 UK Championship and preceding the 2026 Scottish Open.
The tournament is played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker, with each match contested over a single , lasting a maximum of 10 minutes. Alfie Burden is the defending champion, having defeated Stuart Bingham 63–8 in the 2025 final.
Overview The tournament is the eighteenth edition of the Snooker Shoot Out, first held as a nonranking 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 will be played using a variation of the traditional snooker rules, and the draw for each round will be randomised before. All matches are played over a single , 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 ) will win the match. All results in the opponent receiving a . Unlike traditional snooker, a foul is called if a ball did not either hit a or enter a pocket on every shot. Rather than a coin toss, a is used to determine which player . In the event of a draw, the frame is decided by a " shootout". With the cue ball placed inside and the blue ball on its spot, the players will alternate shots until one player has potted the blue more times than their opponent from an equal number of attempts.
Amateur nominations The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association will be nominating several amateur players to participate in the tournament, alongside other amateurs and professionals.
Prize fund The prize fund for the tournament is shown below. While the winners' cheque is still £50,000, the overall prize fund in the tournament has increased £42,000 from previous years:
Winner: £50,000 Runner-up: £22,000 Semi-final: £12,000 Quarter-final: £6,000 Last 16: £3,000 Last 32: £1,500 Last 64: £750 Last 128: £250 (Players losing in the first round do not gain any ranking points) Highest break: £5,000
Total: £213,000
References
External links World Snooker Tour – Home