List of snooker millionaires
Encyclopedia
This list charts all the professional snooker
players that have earned over £1 million in sanctioned professional snooker competition. Due to the effects of inflation
, prize money becomes devalued in later years, making it increasingly difficult to compare the earnings of players of different eras. To compensate, prize money is adjusted using the UK Consumer price index
according to the year in which the player turned professional; technically, earnings should be adjusted for each fiscal year, but in the cases where such information is unavailable, using the year in which the player turned professional allows for an approximate comparison. Stephen Hendry
, the seven times world champion who dominated the game in the 1990s, holds the record in nominal prize money (£8 million), while Steve Davis
, the six times world champion who dominated the 1980s appears to hold the record in real money (£21 million). Prior to snooker's television boom in the 1980s, professional snooker players drew most of their income from the exhibition circuit and challenge matches, rather than professional tournaments, and this list does not account for those earnings; as a result some players rank much lower down than expected—and in some cases don't appear at all—as in the case of Alex Higgins
who is estimated to have earned £4 million over the course of his career, which adjusted at 1971 (the year he turned professional) levels would equate to £.
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
players that have earned over £1 million in sanctioned professional snooker competition. Due to the effects of inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
, prize money becomes devalued in later years, making it increasingly difficult to compare the earnings of players of different eras. To compensate, prize money is adjusted using the UK Consumer price index
Consumer Price Index (United Kingdom)
The Consumer Price Index is the official measure of inflation of consumer prices of the United Kingdom. It is also called the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices .-History:...
according to the year in which the player turned professional; technically, earnings should be adjusted for each fiscal year, but in the cases where such information is unavailable, using the year in which the player turned professional allows for an approximate comparison. Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
, the seven times world champion who dominated the game in the 1990s, holds the record in nominal prize money (£8 million), while Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
, the six times world champion who dominated the 1980s appears to hold the record in real money (£21 million). Prior to snooker's television boom in the 1980s, professional snooker players drew most of their income from the exhibition circuit and challenge matches, rather than professional tournaments, and this list does not account for those earnings; as a result some players rank much lower down than expected—and in some cases don't appear at all—as in the case of Alex Higgins
Alex Higgins
Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
who is estimated to have earned £4 million over the course of his career, which adjusted at 1971 (the year he turned professional) levels would equate to £.
| Player | Prize money thresholds | |
|---|---|---|
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£8,000,000 | £ |
 |
£6,000,000 | £ |
| |
£5,000,000 | £ |
| |
£5,000,000 | £ |
| |
£4,000,000 | £ |
 |
£4,000,000 | £ |
| |
£3,000,000 | £ |
 |
£3,000,000 | £ |
| |
£3,000,000 | £ |
| |
£2,000,000 | £ |
 |
£1,500,000 | £ |
 |
£1,500,000 | £ |
| |
£1,500,000 | £ |
| |
£1,500,000 | £ |
| |
£1,500,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
 |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
 |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
 |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
 |
£1,000,000 | £ |
 Ding JunhuiDing Junhui Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles... |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| |
£1,000,000 | £ |
| Last updated 2010. | ||