How to Score Pool Games
Pool games are as varied as the people who play them, and the people who play pool are a diverse group indeed. Most official billiards games are played until a player acquires 150 points, though this number can vary. Though generally only two players play at a time, "cutthroat" games featuring three players or "doubles" games are common. There are also several different ways to keep score in pool, including dials, chains, chalkboards or just good old-fashioned pen and paper. "Straight pool" or 14.1 is the most common pool game, but 9-Ball and 8-Ball are popular as well. Regardless of all these variants, the scoring of all pool games is basically the same.
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Things You'll Need
- Point-recording mechanism (ex. chalkboard, beads, dials or chains)
- Pool table and accessories
- Two or more players
- Rules list
Instructions
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Scoring Pool Games
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1
Determine the total number of points that will be played, the type of game you will play and which scoring mechanism will be used.
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2
Assign each player two columns or scoring mechanisms, one for match score and one for total score. The match score---as its name implies---is a player's score at the end of a match. The total score is the cumulative total of a player's match score for all the matches played in the game.
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3
Play the pool match in accordance with the standard rules of the game you have chosen. For a complete reference of the rules of various billiards games, see Resources.
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4
Assign one point to a player's match score for every ball that she legally pockets. A player's turn is over when he fails to legally pocket a ball, or when all balls have been pocketed.
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5
Subtract two points from a player's total score for a breaking foul, which occurs when a player fails to hit either of the two corner balls or the 8 ball into a pocket or against a bank. Subtract one point from a player's score for scratching. Depending on the game, scratching can include all or some of the following: pocketing the cue ball (when either shooting at only the 8 ball or any ball), pocketing any ball in a pocket you did not intend, pocketing only the 8 ball in a pocket you did not intend or pocketing any ball out of order. See Resources for a complete reference of types of games.
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6
Add the match score of each player to his respective total score when all balls have been pocketed or the balls must be reracked. The match-points total then returns to "0" for all players for the next match.
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7
End the game when one player's total score has reached the assigned number of points.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Another way to assign points is to coordinate the point value for each ball with the number on that particular ball. For instance if you pocket the 8 Ball, you receive eight points toward your match score.
Resources
- Photo Credit Joe Gormley
