A Pool GAME called “Chicago”

Longgilander

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Anyone ever here of a Money Game where the 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 15 Balls are money balls, each scoring a point to the player who sinks them. Plus another point is earned for the player who sinks the most balls in a game.

I have been trying to locate the rules of “Chicago”, and would appreciate any help any one could provided.

Apparently this is a pool game once popular on the East Coast of the US?
 
Longgilander said:
Anyone ever here of a Money Game where the 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 15 Balls are money balls, each scoring a point to the player who sinks them. Plus another point is earned for the player who sinks the most balls in a game.I have been trying to locate the rules of “Chicago”, and would appreciate any help any one could provided.
Apparently this is a pool game once popular on the East Coast of the US?
I played Chicago growing up in NY in the 60's. The rules are the same as 9 ball. We played from $1 to $5 per money ball. Our twist was make all 6 is worth double. Payoff was based on number of money balls made. Some games were ties. If I make 4 and he makes 2 he pays the difference (2 times the bet). I make 5 he makes 1 he pays for 4 balls. It's a fun game played best over cold beer.

The only rule I know thats important is that all 6 money balls go to the front of the rack with the 1 being the head ball. After the break the rules of 9 ball apply.
......1
....5...8
10..13..15
rest of balls
 
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A LOT of different variations of this game in different parts of the country. In the North East, the game is called Razzle. The money balls are the same as you listed except the 12 instead of the 13. Usually played four handed, with whoever made the 1 partners with whoever made the 5. Whover made the 8 was partnered with whoever made the 12. One unit for each money ball and one point for whichever partners had "game", which was the number total of all balls made, as in rotation. This resulted in 7 "ways" to win. Game was often call Way. It was possible for 1 player to get the most ways and have a 'loner".
The way the game was played in our room was that the lowest numbered ball did not have to be hit, only made to move, for a legal hit. In other words, you could make the 8 on a legal shot if the 1 moved as a result of a carom or whatever. That's the way I remember it, anyway.
 
There's a thread about this somewhere. I think I saw it about a year ago.

Down here we play 1, 5, 8, 10, 15. Racked as such

1
13/14
11/15/12
9/8/10/7
2/4/5/6/3

Basically 1 in front, money balls in a diamond, and balls going down from highest to lowest. Don't hit the lowest ball, next player decides if he wants to shoot or make you try again. Everything else is pretty consistent to other regions. We call it Chicago too, I think in Jacksonville they called it Money Balls or something.
 
Razzle

Yeh, Razzle used to be a popular game a while back around here. We played such that a scratch or
not moving the lowest ball in the shot, required a $1 to be put in the side pocket. Team (or rarely
single person) who got the highest total (sum of numerical values of their balls) collected the money
from the side pocket. Sometimes there was a waiting list to get into the game. I miss those days.
 
Koopa said:
There's a thread about this somewhere. I think I saw it about a year ago.

Down here we play 1, 5, 8, 10, 15. Racked as such

1
13/14
11/15/12
9/8/10/7
2/4/5/6/3

Basically 1 in front, money balls in a diamond, and balls going down from highest to lowest. Don't hit the lowest ball, next player decides if he wants to shoot or make you try again. Everything else is pretty consistent to other regions. We call it Chicago too, I think in Jacksonville they called it Money Balls or something.

Back in the 60's we played almost like that in NJ. We also included points as a way (we also called the game Ways) and the one and five were partners, or, if the same player made the one and five, then the eight became the partner ball, etc. Other than that the game was played like rotation.
 
whitey2 said:
Yeh, Razzle used to be a popular game a while back around here. We played such that a scratch or
not moving the lowest ball in the shot, required a $1 to be put in the side pocket. Team (or rarely
single person) who got the highest total (sum of numerical values of their balls) collected the money.

Yup, forgot that one.
 
We still play the game here in Pa, we have called it "oddball" for years, every oddball pays out and when the inning is over you total the numbers on the balls, if have the highest amount you win an extra .50/1.00 etc and we call that "pool", the key is making alot of the high balls to get pool, and also we include a .50 cent no hit you pay each opponent if you miss the lowest ball on the table...we usually play .25c a ball, I have already won $25 to $30 in a 2 hour playing span...I love when get to the table and you can't see the lowest ball and you may have to kick 2 or 3 rails, this has helped my 9 ball game tremendiously.
 
Chicago

In brrooklyn we played with 5 ball ways and you got 2 ways for balls totaling 61 points or more (points equal number on ball. all 15 balls total120 points).
Game winner had 4- 7 ways and was paid on agreed amount per way.
There was a name for getting all 7 ways but i don't remember it and you got paid for 10 ways.
I think much like 9 ball in those days we had what was called two shot shoot out--if you didn't hit lowest numbered ball on table you could be asked to shoot again. if you failed two hit it second time it was ball in hand --kind of like push out during game
 
I would say that in Miami Florida, the game Chicago is probably the single pool game that the most money is bet on. They regularly play this game high stakes in the Latin dominated pool rooms like Bird Bowl.

Now to get played at this game by those guys in Bird Bowl...well thats a different story.
 
I never saw it on the west coast, we played pea pool. I love ring games-3 ball is my favorite, cool story- last night I was playing 3 ball by myself and came within 1" of making all 3 on the break, I have seen it happen but I have never done it, I got out in 2 shots the 3rd ball was in the jaw. I would love to play that ring game. the only ring game i dont like is scotch doubles-it throws off my rythem.
 
In my poolroom on Long Island in the sixties we called it money ball. Money was paid five ways. the 1,5,10,15, and total points (61 or over was a way). Mostly played with four players, whoever got the 1 was partner with whoever got the 5. If same guy got 1&5 his partner would be whoever got the 10. If he he got 1,5,10, then whoever got the 15 was his partner. If one person got ALL Five ways it was called a ROUNDHOUSE and all three players paid him double. I use to have two tables going all day and night most days. Those two tables paid my rent and electric.

We played for $.50 a way on one table and $1 to $5 on the other table. It was a fun game. Johnnyt
 
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Here in northeast ohio we call it 5,10,15. Those are the only balls that get paid. We do, however, pay double the bet for points. Thats 61 or higher. So if we play for a buck. Its a buck on the 5, 10 and 15. Points gets you another 2 bucks. So you can win a total of 5 bucks per game. 1 and 5 get matched (partners).
 
Fatboy said:
I never saw it on the west coast, we played pea pool.

Pea pool or pill pool, as we called it, can be a fun game until players decide to partner up and reveal to each other which pill is theirs. After that, the fun pretty much goes out of it. :eek:
 
Fatboy said:
I never saw it on the west coast, we played pea pool. I love ring games-3 ball is my favorite, cool story- last night I was playing 3 ball by myself and came within 1" of making all 3 on the break, I have seen it happen but I have never done it, I got out in 2 shots the 3rd ball was in the jaw. I would love to play that ring game. the only ring game i dont like is scotch doubles-it throws off my rythem.

Do you rack 3-ball in a line or a triangle? I've seen it a lot both ways, but never was sure what was "standard".

Aaron
 
Fatboy said:
the only ring game i dont like is scotch doubles-it throws off my rythem.

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never played scotch-doubles. As I've heard it described, I wouldn't think it would be considered a ring game. Isn't it a sort of two person team game? Maybe not??
 
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