AN entrepreneur who designed a snooker-based card game has got his big break after seeing it sold at the sport’s spiritual home during the World Championships.

Nick Eager, right, from Worthing, first had thoughts of creating a snooker-based card game around eight years ago.

After a number of different designs and tweaks and testing the game with professional snooker players, the finance man is now seeing his creation – Snookered Card Game – on sale at the Snooker World Championships at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Mr Eager, 52, said: “I’m proud that the game has evolved from pieces of card I cut out at the beginning of the project to being sold in the ultimate venue.

“The game sees players take turns to draw cards from a deck, aiming to compile the highest break they can by discarding cards in the same order they would have to in a normal snooker match.

“Players like Ken Doherty and Mark Allen have played the game and really enjoyed it and World Snooker now has a supply of 25 packs on their stand at the Crucible.

John Parrot’s website ‘Cue Sports’ has also got it selling online.

“I’ve made individual sales myself too since receiving the finished product last week.” Mr Eager, who lives at home with his wife and daughter, consulted his graphic designer son-in-law to produce the pack of cards and boxes.

The game mimics the action currently being played out at the World Championships and promises hours of family fun, he added.

He said: “I have designed several card games but this one is the one I have concentrated on as I am quite passionate about it.

“I guess I was keen to get it going because there was no game around like it so I wanted to get it out there.

“None of the other games have got to this stage yet. It’s also aimed at helping people learn about the game and promises lots of fun for all ages, so I’m really proud of where it is now.”

You can buy the game directly from snookeredcardgame.co.uk.

For more information about the game tweet to @SnookeredGame or go to Nick’s Facebook page, Snookered Card Game.

How to play the game of Snookered

The game consists of 15 red ball cards and cards for all the coloured balls – just like the real game. There are also foul and snooker cards. A player is dealt five cards and then, depending on the colours they hold, they can make breaks. You collect more cards as your break goes on but beware of picking up the foul or snooker card, as your break will end.

Nick said: “Play with your friends challenge your mates, or simply test yourself and play the game on your own and see what breaks you can make before you foul or snooker yourself. You can take it to work or school, quickly set the game up with a pad and pencil and you’re away.”