Bottle pool

[teddosan]

Recently, some friends and I decided to try out "bottle pool". (You can find the rules from other threads here; just do a search.)

However, the game seems broken. If one player manages to get on shot with the cue ball down by the foot rail, he can shoot the 1 and 2 back and forth indefinitely until he wins. It takes 20 shots back and forth and is quite tedious, especially for the other players watching.

Is there a rule that I don't know about that fixes this? It has the potential to be a really fun game, but this one aspect seems to break it...

 

[jrhendy]

Recently, some friends and I decided to try out "bottle pool". (You can find the rules from other threads here; just do a search.)

However, the game seems broken. If one player manages to get on shot with the cue ball down by the foot rail, he can shoot the 1 and 2 back and forth indefinitely until he wins. It takes 20 shots back and forth and is quite tedious, especially for the other players watching.

Is there a rule that I don't know about that fixes this? It has the potential to be a really fun game, but this one aspect seems to break it...

I believe the game was intended to be played on a snooker table.

That is where we played it in the 50's. Would be too easy on a pool table for the reason you described.

 

[Jobba786]

I guess you could play it with one shot each - you don't continue when you make points.

Or you could restrict points being made by pocketing balls and/ or carom.

-Jon Birger

 

[Atlatlien]

Bottle Pool

I'm sticking to my version for the time being..

 

[whitewolf]

Recently, some friends and I decided to try out "bottle pool". (You can find the rules from other threads here; just do a search.)

However, the game seems broken. If one player manages to get on shot with the cue ball down by the foot rail, he can shoot the 1 and 2 back and forth indefinitely until he wins. It takes 20 shots back and forth and is quite tedious, especially for the other players watching.

Is there a rule that I don't know about that fixes this? It has the potential to be a really fun game, but this one aspect seems to break it...

I for one do not like the bottle pool rules, so I make my own.

For example, play rotation 15 balls - partners. Each player has a pill. Your team gets a dime for every ball it makes and $1.5 for making a pill ball for the player shooting. If noboby makes their ball, the pot keeps building. I wasn't exact here with the rules, but you get the idea.

Bottom line: make your own rules and gamble to your hearts content. It is lots of fun.

 

[Ralph Kramden]

I for one do not like the bottle pool rules, so I make my own.

For example, play rotation 15 balls - partners. Each player has a pill. Your team gets a dime for every ball it makes and $1.5 for making a pill ball for the player shooting. If noboby makes their ball, the pot keeps building. I wasn't exact here with the rules, but you get the idea.

Bottom line: make your own rules and gamble to your hearts content. It is lots of fun.

I think you are describing the game of Pea Pool... http://sites.google.com/site/poolandbilliard/Home/pea-pool

Bottle pool is played with 2 balls (the 1 and 2 balls against the end rail) and the pill bottle.

 

[mosconiac]

Pea pool, which is either the same or very similar to Kelly pool, is a great way to stimulate action when nothing is going on. It's one of those games, like 3-ball, that everyone thinks they can win. Try that instead.

 

[CreeDo]

ted, you're right, it does have that weakness. Ever hear of straight rail / balkline? It's an old carom game that was popular until good players figured out how to break it. There were guys who literally ran over ten thousand doing simple "rail nurses" not unlike what you're describing. Once the balls are herded close together, it's over. They came up with rules requiring a minimum separation between balls or the rail, and that helped. But you still needed a long race to make the game work between good players.

If you can get access to a 3-cushion table, that's a fantastic test of skill if you're bored of the usual pool games. Much more interesting and creative than simple carom games.