Has 147 lost its magic as key maximum decision announced after Ronnie O'Sullivan's historic double and record 153 break?
Published 20/06/2026 at 08:56 GMT+1
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The new snooker season has only been running for just over a week, but there has already been the first 147 of the campaign with Michael Holt producing the first maximum of his 30-year career during the China Open qualifiers.
Ronnie O'Sullivan lacht naar het publiek na zijn jumpshot, waarbij groen ook nog eens in de pocket verdween.
Image credit: Getty Images
Former Shoot Out winner Holt made the perfect break in the third frame of a 6-1 win over Mark Joyce during China Open qualifying in Leicester.
It means the first 147 of the new season, and the 242nd maximum of the modern era, has been compiled on only the second day of the new term after a record 24 were rolled in during the 2025/26 campaign.
Xu Si also missed the final black on a maximum in a 6-1 victory over Jamie Jones at the same competition that would have seen the sport witness a quickfire second after Holt's effort.
While a 147 remains a special moment in the career of any professional, it is set to lose some of its monetary value, if not prestige, due to the sudden and remarkable regularity of them on the main circuit.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, Jackson Page, and Chang Bingyu all picked up a huge £147,000 bonus for making two over the past two years at the World Championship, Masters, UK Championship and Saudi Arabia Masters.
In O'Sullivan's case, he collected his bonus for becoming the first player in history to run in a double maximum in the same session of a match during his 6-3 win over Chris Wakelin in the semi-finals in Saudi Arabia.
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'Special moment for the game' - Top snooker stars react to O'Sullivan's record 153 break
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The snooker GOAT then produced a historic 153 break, the highest break in history, during a 5-0 win over Ryan Day in the quarter-finals of the World Open in March, an event that also saw Thepchaiya Un-Nooh produce his third 147 of the season.
But with the Saudi Arabia Masters removed from the calendar, the bonus will no longer be available this season, with the hefty £100,000 financial incentive for producing a century of centuries - picked up by world No. 1 Judd Trump in 2024/25 - also off the table.
"This season there will no longer be a bonus available for players making two maximum breaks during the Triple Crown events," said WST in a statement.
"There will also be no bonus for making 100 centuries in a season.
"These bonuses were designed to find innovative ways to reward incredible achievements which have now become a regular feature of WST events.
"The standard of play continues to rise, with a record 24 maximum breaks made last season.
"Our congratulations go to Jackson Page, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Chang Bingyu, who each earned £147,000 for winning the maximum break bonus and to Judd Trump who earned £100,000 for making over 100 centuries in 2024/25.
"The high break prizes for each tournament will continue."
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‘Hits the jackpot’ – Chang makes ‘magnificent’ 147 against Brecel
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In an emblem of the rising standards in the sport, the 24 147s made last season were 16 more than the entire total for the 1980s and only two short of the 26 witnessed in the 1990s.
Steve Davis famously made the first at the Lada Classic against John Spencer in January 1982, the six-time world champion's solitary competitive 147, with over half of the 242 running total astonishingly witnessed in the past eight years.
Trump feels a 147 continues to give him a unique buzz.
"I’ve had a lot more tournament wins than maximums," he said after running in the ninth of his career at the Xi'an Grand Prix last season.
"The feeling when I play snooker, I don’t get that nervous any more, but there’s always a different buzz when you are on for a 147.
"You are always smiling as you walk off. It’s the one thing you can still do on a snooker table that makes you feel like a kid.
"No matter what happens, the feeling you get as a snooker player, it’s nice to win events, but making a 147 is probably more special than anything."
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Watch in full: Trump hits brilliant 147 against Ng
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Snooker's top 10 maximum makers
- 1. Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) 17
- 2. John Higgins (Sco) 13
- 3. Stephen Hendry (Sco) 11
- 4. Shaun Murphy (Eng) 10
- 5. Judd Trump (Eng) 9
- 5. Stuart Bingham (Eng) 9
- 7. Ding Junhui (Chn) 7
- 7. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Tha) 7
- 9. Gary Wilson (Eng) 6
- 9. Mark Selby (Eng) 6
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