Why snooker players tap their middle finger on the table when taking a shot

Snooker players are often seen tapping their middle finger on the table just before taking a shot - but why do they do it?

The 2024 World Snooker Championship gets underway on Saturday, bringing together 32 of the top players on the planet over the course of 17 days.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Mark Selby will all be playing at the Crucible, with O'Sullivan considered the favourite to win what would be his record-breaking eighth World Championship.

Throughout the tournament, fans will see plenty of subtle differences between players when it comes to stances and cueing styles.

That includes when players tap the table shortly before they take a shot.

Perhaps the most notable example of this is Mark Williams, as you can see on numerous occasions in the video below.

Five minutes and 46 seconds of absolute snooker genius.

Mark. J. Williams. 🔥#TourChampionship | @JohnstonesTrade pic.twitter.com/739JimfkNp

— WST (@WeAreWST) April 2, 2024

The reason for it is largely to do with a player's bridge hand (the non-cue holding hand) when they are approaching a shot.

Tapping the finger, it is said, allows the bridge hand to be stabilised, thus meaning that the cue can be more stable when playing a shot.

Other reasons for tapping the middle finger include it simply being an unconscious trigger movement, while it also helps to loosen the cueing hand before a shot.

Some players, such as Judd Trump, make subtle movements of the cue as they strike the ball, with the 2019 world champion actually appearing to aim the cue in a different direction initially before then straightening it up on impact with the object ball.

The World Snooker Championship gets underway on Saturday, with reigning champion Luca Brecel taking on David Gilbert on the main table.

O'Sullivan, meanwhile, breaks off for the first time on Wednesday when he takes on qualifier Jackson Page.

Other matches to watch out for include Trump going up against Hossein Vafaei, Ding Junhui versus Jack Lisowski and Ali Carter against Stephen Maguire, the latter of whom is back at the Crucible following a two-year absence.