Snookered

Hi! Can you please tell me about this phrase? Thank you...

If you are behind the eight ball you are in trouble. In the pool game called
"eight ball" if you need to put the 5-ball in the pocket and the 8-ball is between
the 5-ball and the cue-ball, you have a difficult shot. You are not allowed to
use the 8-ball to hit the 5-ball.

The equivalent phrase in Britain is to be snookered. In the similar game of snooker, if a coloured ball lies between the cue ball and the remaining red balls, preventing it from hitting a red ball directly, then the player is snookered. The player must then play a more difficult shot, usually off the cushion although experts can make the ball swerve.