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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. That's when.

In a period when snooker's maximum break, once considered as elusive as the Himalayan Yeti, has repeatedly shown up for the cameras, it fell to O'Sullivan to show that nobody does it better. Completing his second 147 in just over 120 minutes at the a recent tournament in August, O'Sullivan earned a record £180,333 in prize money.

As his half-century milestone arrives in December, O'Sullivan retains an daring streak that sets him apart. Nearly three decades after his iconic lightning-fast maximum at the Crucible, he remains must-see entertainment.

But O'Sullivan, who begins his bid for a record-extending 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, shattering the previous annual record of 14.

'Any tour professional is now capable'

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

That's the view of Shaun Murphy, fourth on the all-time list with 10 maximums. He has a point. Thorburn's maximum was a seminal event for 1983's armchair sports fan. It was only the second official maximum, with Steve Davis achieving the first. Davis' reward? One of the sponsor's cars.

There were just eight 147s across the whole 1980s, a snooker decade bursting with soap opera drama and larger-than-life personalities. For sheer quality, few eras rival the current one.

"Professionals are pursuing their career records and the tour are putting incentives out there," says Murphy. "People are more aware of these challenges. They're training specifically for them."

Legendary figures like Alex Higgins never had a maximum break on tour. Nor did fellow world champions. Yet rising star Aaron Hill made two inside four weeks. The 23-year-old cannot believe Higgins never managed one.

Hill says: "There are a lot of players who are still waiting. It was always a goal to have my name on the board. The buzz is incredible. Everyone on the tour now could make one. We're almost expecting one in every tournament. It's everyone pushing one another."

How do you make a 147?

"I think if there is a secret, it's seeing it early," explains Shaun Murphy. "When you approach the table early and take 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 really something."

Murphy reflects on the unique atmosphere: "When you're on a maximum, everyone in the room knows it and it intensifies their attention. Everyone's focus zooms in on you." Is the 147 losing their magic? "I don't think so."

The future frontier if the 147 code has been cracked?

• Snooker awaits its first official maximum by a woman. China's Bai Yulu had a 145 at a recent championship.
• Two 147s in the one contest has been achieved. Two in back-to-back frames next?
• The one-five-five (a 147 plus eight points from a foul shot at the start) has yet to be made in tournament play. 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 special bonus ball for a huge financial prize.

The chase for the record is on

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

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

Hill has two maximums. O'Sullivan possesses the record of 17. "Look out Ronnie, he's coming for you." It is said in jest, but Hill welcomes the challenge.

"At the end 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 daily business with the thought that the next frame is full of potential.

Pot the red, follow with the black. Again and again.