In snooker, the maximum standard break without a free ball is 147.
A 147 consists of fifteen reds, each followed by a black, and then all six colours potted in their prescribed order. The fifteen red-black combinations score 120 points: each combination is worth 8. The colours then add 27 more points, giving 147 in total.
This sequence requires both scoring and positional precision. After each red, the player must control the cue ball well enough to reach the black, then retain a useful position for the next red. Once the final red is gone, the colours must be taken in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black.
A free ball can make a break larger than 147 because an opponent’s foul may allow a nominated colour to act as an extra red. The theoretical total with a free ball followed by fifteen blacks is 155. That is why “maximum break” normally means the standard 147 unless the question specifies a free-ball situation.