Lets start playing Rotation!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A guy showed me a game Sunday that I had never heard of in my 50 years of playing. Then again, I may have heard of it, but I'm old and maybe forgot. Anyway, it was called Cribbage. Pretty cool game. You had to sink balls in pairs that add up to 15 to get a point. For instance, if you broke and sank the 6, you would have to sink the 9. If I missed it was an open table for him. So say he sank the 2 he the needed to get the 13.

Interesting game. Had plenty of strategy and position play.

doitforthegame said:

A guy showed me a game Sunday that I had never heard of in my 50 years of playing. Then again, I may have heard of it, but I'm old and maybe forgot. Anyway, it was called Cribbage. Pretty cool game. You had to sink balls in pairs that add up to 15 to get a point. For instance, if you broke and sank the 6, you would have to sink the 9. If I missed it was an open table for him. So say he sank the 2 he the needed to get the 13.

Interesting game. Had plenty of strategy and position play.

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Used to play cribage myself. Love the game. I also am a fan of rotation. When shooting by myself that is what I do. I too prefere straight ball but hardly anyone on the island plays. All there interested in is 9 ball, so practicing 15 ball keeps me on top. All shots are played as is and only ball in hand if cue ball comes of the playing surface.

Mahalo,
Carl

There would need to be a way of overcoming the time issue when playing Rotation or 15 Ball in tournaments. You could go to shorter races but a lot of people have a problem with short races. For this reason I think 10 Ball will be with us for a while. It solves the most glaring issues players have with 9 Ball but doesn't add too much to the time a match takes.

I still want high stakes keno...

Cameron Smith said:

The Reyes-Bustamante exhibition match from accu-stats wasn't long at all, race to 8 ended up being around 1.5 hours. Furthermore, the longer games would make up for shorter matches (much like snooker to lesser degree). Finally, all players will get plenty of opportunities and you can't lose on just one ball unless it's been a close game.

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I see what you are saying but you're talking about two fairly fast players that are both quite familiar with the game. But I still think my point is valid, that generally speaking a Rotation or 15 Ball match to x number of games will take significantly longer than 9 or 10 Ball. That means tournaments generally have longer matches, longer days, longer wait times between matches. I suppose 15 Ball (i.e. 10 Ball with 15 balls) would take longer than say point Rotation and perhaps you don't think it's an issue, but I just really think it is.

I agree - more rotation. Great game.

Rotation has one major downfall. It requires you to add numbers continuously during a run. This is an annoying factor which detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

I personally prefer 15-ball rotation with the 5 ball, 10 ball and 15 ball all counting as a point. Get two points for the win.

I enjoy a Chicago style game we call 1 & 3. It can be played with two, three, or four players. I suppose you could play with more, in a cut-throat style but its more fun as I will explain, this way, with 4 players.

All 15 balls are racked. I sure wish I had the patience to put an image up for you guys but .... the balls are racked as follows.

1 on top, 5 and 8 behind it, 15 in the middle, 10 & 12 behind the 15 to complete a small triangle in the middle of the rack, 3 ball in the center last row, and 2 & 4 on the corners. The order of the other balls doesn't matter.

Each game starts with NO PARTNERS.

There are 7 points to be made. They are ... the 3 - 5- 8 - 10 -12 -15 and game. (the cumulative total of the balls face value count as a point)

Now... the 1 ball is the partner ball. While its not worth a point, it does assure the person making the ball of at least one point (we call it "a way")

If the same person who makes the 1 also makes the 3, then partners go to the next money ball (the 5) Again, if that same person makes the 5 it goes on to the next one.

If the same person who makes the 1 makes all the money balls, he goes alone and everyone pays him whatever you assign to the point value.

Once partners are made, you may have to re adjust the order of play so that the partners do not follow each other. So on occasion, someone skips a turn.

Who ever makes the 15 ball also breaks the next game, which as I said, restarts with NO PARTNERS. The previous partner of the person making the 15 racks for the new game.

Each time there is a "NO HIT" you must pay the kitty one point. This can go to pay the table time, or if there isn't any time, you spit the kitty at the end of the night.

You do not have to hit a rail on the hit, you can jump the cue ball off the table so long as a hit is made it is ok.

Any scratch is cue ball in hand behind the head string. This does not count "no hits" .

If the cue ball scratches, and the next numbered ball is behind the headstring, it is spotted.

Now, if one team makes 4 points, and the other team makes 3 in a given game, then each player on the team with 3 points, pays each of the 2 players on the other team "one way" or one point. If one team makes all the points, then the other two players each pay 7 ways to the two winners.


A tip for playing 3 persons (which is cut throat) that makes figuring out the payout easy. Simply make believe you are starting each game down 7 points .... each time you make a pay ball, you go UP 3 points.

So, if you make 2 pay balls in a game (six points) you start out down 7, you now end up paying one way.

That sound complicated for 3 handed games, but it really isn't.

Geometry said:

Rotation has one major downfall. It requires you to add numbers continuously during a run. This is an annoying factor which detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

I personally prefer 15-ball rotation with the 5 ball, 10 ball and 15 ball all counting as a point. Get two points for the win.

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I like a version of this game...moneyball

Rack all 15 with the 5/10/15 in the center,
play in rotation.....

Only a couple rules

must attempt every shot, no intentional safeties
only foul is cueball in the pocket

Cueball in kitchen after fouls, if the object ball is in the kitchen on a fouls it gets spotted

money gets paid on the moneyballs,

If the shooter scratches on a moneyball, the next ball becomes moneyball, eg scratch on the 5, the 6 becomes the moneyball
If the scratch is on the 15, next game 15 is worth double

If one player makes all the moneyballs in a game, last one is double

This game is all about aggression, being able to work a table is a must or you can lose a bunch of dough fast, even if only playing for looonies!

Great game. Love it.

Oddball...

Oddball is a great ring game. Play like rotation...rack the 1-2-4 balls at triangle ends. Every odd-numbered ball is a money ball. At the end of the game the player with the highest total points (adding the numbers on the balls pocketed) gets paid one unit (whatever you are playing for) - 8 money balls + high score = 9 units per game. Everyone pay double to the player that runs a complete rack.

I see "rotation" bandied around a lot - can someone tell me what it is please?

TheThaiger said:

I see "rotation" bandied around a lot - can someone tell me what it is please?

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Played with all 15 balls, the balls must be pocketed in order {rotation}, each ball counts it's number in points. The original game was played in that to win the first player to reach 61 points is the winner. That's it, in a nutshell.

I can't see this game ever becoming popular with casual players.

Pushout said:

Played with all 15 balls, the balls must be pocketed in order {rotation}, each ball counts it's number in points. The original game was played in that to win the first player to reach 61 points is the winner. That's it, in a nutshell.

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Cheers......

We (Pinoys) got another version of Rotation when it comes to gambling, and we call it "Side-Side". Two to four players can play the game, and the player who pockets the most points (the balls are all face value) wins. The money balls are 5, 10 and 15, and the LAST BALL on the table. You pocket these balls, you earn a mark. You also get a mark for a ball pocketed on any of the side pockets, or another ball made other than the lowest ball on the table. You can also earn a mark if you pocket a "spotted" ball. You lose a mark if you scratched, you fouled or lost the CB or any ball on the table after a legal hit. If you fouled and scratched on a side pocket, that will cause you 3 marks. Another way to earn mark/marks is if you are already the confirmed "winner" of the game, meaning you can't be caught, all balls you make will get you a mark, or two if you hole ball/balls on any of the 2 side pockets.

Let's just say it's a $50 game, $5 a mark. Try to visualize/picture to a scenario that I will describe, and bear with me if you're interested:

it's a 4-man game and I broke, legal break and made the 10 ball in the side pocket, that's 3 marks for me. One mark for making another ball other than the lowest numbered ball (1) on the table, another mark for making that ball on a side pocket, and a 3rd mark for pocketing a money ball. Then I went for a 1-15 combo and made the 15 ball on a side pocket. Another 3 marks for me for a running total of 6 marks and 25 game points. Pocketed the 1 ball on the side for another mark, then made another impossible 2-14 combo on the side! Another 3 marks coming my way for a total of 10 marks and 40 game points (10-15-1-14 balls).

to be continued...