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At what point does a maximum transform into a 180? When you're Ronnie O'Sullivan, making more history. Precisely then.

In a season when snooker's maximum break, once considered as elusive as the Abominable Snowman, has made frequent appearances on television, it was left to O'Sullivan to show that nobody does it better. Completing his second 147 in barely two hours at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, O'Sullivan earned a record £180,333 in bonuses.

As his 50th birthday approaches in December, O'Sullivan maintains an daring streak that distinguishes him. Almost three decades after his legendary five-minute 147 at the Crucible, he remains pure box office.

But O'Sullivan, who starts his quest for a record-extending ninth title, is not alone in understanding the path to a maximum. There have been an astonishing 25 already on the professional tour in 2025, obliterating the previous annual record of 14.

'Everyone on the tour now could make one'

"Picture 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 overlooked because it's just like, 'oh, there's been another 147'."

That's the verdict of Shaun Murphy, ranked fourth on the historical rankings with 10 maximums. He has a point. Thorburn's maximum was a defining moment for 1983's armchair sports fan. It was only the second ratified 147, with Steve Davis making the first. Davis' reward? One of the sponsor's cars.

There were just eight 147s across the entire 1980s, a snooker decade bursting with theatrical storylines and larger-than-life personalities. For pure technical standard, nothing touches the current one.

"Professionals are pursuing their career records and the tour are putting incentives out there," says Murphy. "Players 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 promising talent Aaron Hill made a pair inside four weeks. The 23-year-old is amazed that Higgins never had one.

Hill says: "There will be a lot of players who haven't had one. It was always a goal to have my name on the board. The buzz is great. Everyone on the tour now could make one. We're almost anticipating one in every tournament. It's everyone pushing one another."

What is the secret to a 147?

"In my opinion if there is a knack to it, it's seeing it early," says Shaun Murphy. "If you come to 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 pressure cooker of the Shoot Out was pretty special."

Murphy reflects on 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." Is the 147 losing their magic? "Not in my view."

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

• Snooker is waiting for its first ratified 147 by a woman. China's Bai Yulu had a 145 at a recent championship.
• Two 147s in the one contest has been accomplished. Two in successive frames next?
• The 155 (a 147 plus eight points from a free-ball scenario at the start) has never been achieved in competition. Footage exists of a player making one in practice.
• The 167 is "probably the next step," says Murphy, referring to a new format involving a golden ball for a huge financial prize.

The chase for the record is on

Murphy suggests the explosion of maximums is easily explained. "I just think everyone's getting better. Some of the players down the rankings 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 credited as a factor. But in the end, the players are the ones sinking the balls.

Hill has two maximums. O'Sullivan possesses the record of 17. "Look out Ronnie, he's coming for you." It is meant lightheartedly, but Hill fancies the chase.

"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 daily business with the idea that the next frame is full of potential.

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