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When does a maximum become a 180? When it's Ronnie O'Sullivan, making yet another chapter in the record books. Precisely then.

In a season when snooker's maximum break, once considered as rare as the Himalayan Yeti, has made frequent appearances for the cameras, it fell to O'Sullivan to prove that no one performs it more masterfully. Sinking his second maximum in just over 120 minutes at the a recent tournament in August, O'Sullivan earned a historic £180,333 in bonuses.

As his 50th birthday approaches in December, O'Sullivan maintains an audacious streak that distinguishes him. Nearly three decades after his iconic lightning-fast maximum at the Crucible, he continues to be pure box office.

But O'Sullivan, who starts his quest for a unprecedented ninth title, is not alone in knowing the route to a maximum. There have been an staggering twenty-five already on the professional tour in 2025, obliterating the calendar year best of 14.

'Any tour professional is now capable'

"Picture Moira Stuart in 1983 appearing on the Six O'Clock News and informing the nation Cliff Thorburn's had a 147 at the Crucible. It would now get overlooked because it's just like, 'oh, there's been another 147'."

That's the verdict of Shaun Murphy, fourth on the all-time list with 10 maximums. He is not wrong. Thorburn's maximum was a seminal event for 1983's armchair sports fan. It was only the second official maximum, with Steve Davis making the first. Davis' reward? One of the sponsor's cars.

There were just 8 147s across the entire 1980s, a snooker decade bursting with theatrical storylines and towering characters. For pure technical standard, nothing touches the current one.

"Professionals are pursuing their career records and the tour is offering incentives out there," notes Murphy. "Players are more aware of these challenges. They're practising for them."

Legendary figures like Alex Higgins did not achieve a maximum break on tour. Nor did fellow world champions. Yet promising talent Aaron Hill made two inside four weeks. The 23-year-old is amazed that Higgins never managed one.

Hill states: "There are a lot of players who haven't had one. It was always a goal to have my name on the board. The buzz is incredible. Everyone on the tour now has the potential. We're almost expecting one in every tournament. It's everyone egging each other on."

What is the secret to a 147?

"I think if there is a secret, it's seeing it early," says Shaun Murphy. "When you approach the table early and pot a couple of reds and a couple of blacks, and you see the black's on to both pockets... we all think 'hang on a minute, there's a 147 on here'.

"I remain proud of the one I made in the Shoot Out because I tried to make it from the very first pot. To have the personal challenge and then achieve it in the cauldron of the Shoot Out was pretty special."

Murphy describes the special feeling: "When you're on a maximum, everyone in the room knows it and it heightens their attention. Everyone's focus fixates on you." Are maximums becoming commonplace? "Not in my view."

What's next if the 147 code has been cracked?

• Snooker is waiting for its first official maximum by a woman. The Chinese player Bai Yulu had a 145 at a recently held championship.
• Two 147s in the same match has been accomplished. Two in back-to-back frames next?
• The one-five-five (a 147 plus eight points from a free-ball scenario at the start) has yet to be made in competition. Footage exists of a player making one in practice.
• The one-six-seven is "perhaps the next step," says Murphy, referring to a new challenge involving a golden ball for a huge financial prize.

The chase for the record is on

Murphy proposes the surge of maximums is straightforward to understand. "I just think everyone's getting better. Some of the players lower in the standings that the average fan have never heard of, on their day they can beat anyone."

The ever-higher "quality and consistency of playing conditions" is also cited as a factor. But in the end, the players are the ones sinking the balls.

Hill now owns two maximums. O'Sullivan holds the record of 17. "Look out Ronnie, he's coming for you." It is meant lightheartedly, but Hill welcomes the challenge.

"By the conclusion of my career, I believe I'll be well up there with maximum breaks," he says. At the very least, players now go about their everyday matches with the thought that the next frame is full of potential.

Sink the red, add the black. Rinse and repeat.