Pot The BlackPot The BlackFree ball is one of the most argued-about rules in snooker, and it's not hard to see why. It only exists in one very specific situation, it doesn't work the way pool's ball-in-hand does, and most of the confusion happens in the heat of a frame when nobody wants to stop and check a rulebook.
This tool breaks the real mechanics down properly: when a free ball actually gets called, how nominating a ball works, and — the part that catches most people out — where the cue ball is actually allowed to go afterward. Spoiler: it's usually nowhere near as generous as people assume.
Rules referenced here follow the official WPBSA rulebook. If your club or league plays under a modified house rule, that takes precedence over anything shown here — this is a reference for the standard game, not a replacement for what your own competition actually enforces.