Not to be confused with several subsequent magazines using the name "Snap" in their titles, the original Snap Magazine was one of the most popular billiard publications of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally titled Make It On The Snap, the magazine has been, and continues to be, described in various venues as, "The best of all pool publications ever," and "The best pocket billiard publication of all time." It was recently honored with a page on Wikipedia, which includes information and images from this website.

Loaded with interesting articles, profiles of famous and up-and-coming hustlers and players (many of whom went on to become superstars), hard-hitting opinions, great photography, and excellent writing, Snap Magazine set many precedents in the world of billiard journalism. It's 13th and final bi-monthly issue (above center) represented a daring venture into analyzing the volatile issue of gambling among pool players, with opinions and statements by many of the industry's top officials, manufacturers, promoters, and players.

In the Issue by Issue section, you will find descriptions and images of each issue, with excerpts scanned from interior pages, and complete tables of contents. Since in later years, The Snap was famous for its unique, often humorous and always creative cover designs, high resolution images of each cover are included in this section as well.

The History section tells the story of The Snap from its inception as a newsletter for the fledgling organization SNAPP (Southeastern Network of Amateur Pool Players), to the unfortunate theft and embezzlement that eventually led to its demise. It also documents the incredible interest in back issues, long before the magazine folded, and their value today as coveted items of collectible billiard memorabilia.

The Concept section relates the inside story of the ideas behind the magazine's editorial thrust, conceived and implemented by founders, Rick Boling and "Kreole" Freddy Yates. It is a story of developing content aimed at the average pool player, rather than the elite, of including vast local and regional tournament coverage (unlike any other national billiard publication), and of the humorous thrust and cavalier attitude of the magazine's prose.

The Content section gives a brief description of much of the magazine's unique content and the individual themes of various issues, which ranged from regional billiard scene coverage (Texas, California, Florida, New England, etc.), to issues focusing on famous tournaments, the history of billiards, cue makers, gambling, and more.

The Values page (which displays our estimates of the value of individual issue copies and complete sets) was compiled from a variety of sources, including various offerings on eBay, billiard memorabilia websites, conversations with collectors, and prices we know have been paid in the past for certain Snap copies and collections. Please be aware that the prices we state on this page have no official validity, since actual value is ultimately determined by what a person is willing to pay. In some cases, a serious collector missing an issue to fill out a complete set might pay more than our estimates; in others, a casual fan of the magazine may only be interested in reading various copies for nostalgia's sake, so they may not be willing to pay very much at all for even the rarest of issues.

Other sections include Mascots, which shows the several humorous cartoon mascots created exclusively for The Snap; Editors & Staff, a tribute to the many editors and staff members over the years; Company Merchandise, which discusses and shows photos of the various signature items (now also rare and valuable) created and sold by the magazine; and Contributors, a list of the major and minor contributors to the magazine's content, many of whom were famous at the time, and others who later became billiard legends.

This website is dedicated to the hard-working editors, artists, writers, photographers, room owners, hustlers, pool champions, average players, cue builders, promoters, manufacturers and organizations that helped Snap Magazine, in its short life, become one of the most popular and significant billiard publications in history.

If you have comments or questions, please visit our Snap Magazine Blog, or contact us directly by visiting our Contact Page.