Explain Killer rules, please

Lots of variations of it depending on where you live. The most common version is with 3 or more players, you decide upon an order of play (eg youngest first then in age ascending order). You decide upon how many 'lives' or 'chances' each player has. Most common is 2 or 3 chances or lives. Player 1 breaks the pack of 15. If a ball drops then player 1 passes to player 2.if it's a dry break then player 1 has open table. Any ball can be pitted by any player. If you pot a ball legally then you stay as you are and the next player shoots. If you miss you lose a life or chance (if you start with 3 and miss then you go down to 2).the order continues until one player is left. Once you lose all 3 lives then you are out and the remaining players play on.

If player 1&2 are left both have one life left and player 1 misses... Player 2 must pot a ball to win otherwise it goes to sudden death and the game continues until 1 player pots and the other misses in order.
Some regional rules... Pot the black or 8 ball and you get +1 life. Pot 2 balls with 1 legal shot and you get +1 life.
More regional rules... You have to nominate a ball to snooker the next player on. So say you nominate the 15 as the safe ball. You have to pot for exAmple the 9 but position the white so the next player is Snookered on the 15...they don't have to shoot at the 15 fyi. Doing this can either be +1 or failure to do this can be -1 life. The better player will always prevail playing this type of format as it gets quite difficult with fewer balls. The rule only applies when there are 3 or more balls remaining.
Hopefully this is what you meant.
 
Pidge said:
Lots of variations of it depending on where you live. The most common version is with 3 or more players, you decide upon an order of play (eg youngest first then in age ascending order). You decide upon how many 'lives' or 'chances' each player has. Most common is 2 or 3 chances or lives. Player 1 breaks the pack of 15. If a ball drops then player 1 passes to player 2.if it's a dry break then player 1 has open table. Any ball can be pitted by any player. If you pot a ball legally then you stay as you are and the next player shoots. If you miss you lose a life or chance (if you start with 3 and miss then you go down to 2).the order continues until one player is left. Once you lose all 3 lives then you are out and the remaining players play on.

If player 1&2 are left both have one life left and player 1 misses... Player 2 must pot a ball to win otherwise it goes to sudden death and the game continues until 1 player pots and the other misses in order.
Some regional rules... Pot the black or 8 ball and you get +1 life. Pot 2 balls with 1 legal shot and you get +1 life.
More regional rules... You have to nominate a ball to snooker the next player on. So say you nominate the 15 as the safe ball. You have to pot for exAmple the 9 but position the white so the next player is Snookered on the 15...they don't have to shoot at the 15 fyi. Doing this can either be +1 or failure to do this can be -1 life. The better player will always prevail playing this type of format as it gets quite difficult with fewer balls. The rule only applies when there are 3 or more balls remaining.
Hopefully this is what you meant.
Click to expand...
Yes! Different from cutthroat as I play it. Sounds like lots of fun!
 
Pidge said:
Lots of variations of it depending on where you live. The most common version is with 3 or more players, you decide upon an order of play (eg youngest first then in age ascending order). You decide upon how many 'lives' or 'chances' each player has. Most common is 2 or 3 chances or lives. Player 1 breaks the pack of 15. If a ball drops then player 1 passes to player 2.if it's a dry break then player 1 has open table. Any ball can be pitted by any player. If you pot a ball legally then you stay as you are and the next player shoots. If you miss you lose a life or chance (if you start with 3 and miss then you go down to 2).the order continues until one player is left. Once you lose all 3 lives then you are out and the remaining players play on.

If player 1&2 are left both have one life left and player 1 misses... Player 2 must pot a ball to win otherwise it goes to sudden death and the game continues until 1 player pots and the other misses in order.
Some regional rules... Pot the black or 8 ball and you get +1 life. Pot 2 balls with 1 legal shot and you get +1 life.
More regional rules... You have to nominate a ball to snooker the next player on. So say you nominate the 15 as the safe ball. You have to pot for exAmple the 9 but position the white so the next player is Snookered on the 15...they don't have to shoot at the 15 fyi. Doing this can either be +1 or failure to do this can be -1 life. The better player will always prevail playing this type of format as it gets quite difficult with fewer balls. The rule only applies when there are 3 or more balls remaining.
Hopefully this is what you meant.
Click to expand...

Great instructions on how to play the game! If I had tried to explain it might have been 5 times as long and still not come across nearly as clear as you have done here.
This game is a lot of fun and it doesn't take long to catch on.
 
Cut throat at NOT good games even for avg pool players. It's best with bangers to play, cause even an avg league player is gonna have an easy time with 15 balls on table shooting into any pocket they want.

If they are above avg league players, fuggetabout it. The third guy is never gonna come to the table.
 
poolfool1957 said:
Great instructions on how to play the game! If I had tried to explain it might have been 5 times as long and still not come across nearly as clear as you have done here.
This game is a lot of fun and it doesn't take long to catch on.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much.
It's a fun game and great to play when there is a big group of friends. Biggest game of killer I ever played was with my football team as a kid.... 28 players. It's surprisingly tactical when there are just a few players left. And over a few beers it's a laugh.
 
ChicagoRJ said:
Cut throat at NOT good games even for avg pool players. It's best with bangers to play, cause even an avg league player is gonna have an easy time with 15 balls on table shooting into any pocket they want.

If they are above avg league players, fuggetabout it. The third guy is never gonna come to the table.
Click to expand...

Killer is not the same as "Cut Throat". Cut Throat as I know the game is way too easy.
Killer requires that you make a shot and leave your opponent nothing or at the very least a difficult shot. Lots of strategy on every shot.

Cut Throat as i know it is simply a 3 player game where the balls are split evenly blah, blah, blah....

If we ever meet up RJ we should play some Killer.....I'll bring the chalk ;)
 
Very popular game in the UK and played all over my area certainly.

Our league hold an annual killer competition with £100 to the winner free to enter and taken from league funds.

Usually gets around 50 entries - not bad from a league of 150 players or so.

There are more variations than you can shake a stick at but we play a version very similar to these:

http://arseweb.com/pool/killer.html
 
As described above - rarely more than 15 players so draw a ball each, lowest ball starts and it follows with next lowest etc. Can be anything from $1 (or pound or whatever) up to $xxx per person and should always be played winner takes all. Foul or scratch and you lose a life. Next player plays from where the cue ball is at (or ball in hand after a scratch). Breaker gets a second chance if nothing goes down on a legal break (and breaker him or herself gets that shot from the kitchen if there's a scratch on the break). Everyone starts with 3 lives each and when only one player is left with a life we have a winner.

There are of course no official rules but those are the "purest" (imo). The sudden death rule is ok as is the extra life for potting the black or for potting two balls on one shot but these rules only really work well when you have a group of experienced pool players so that these rules become tactical.

It's a great beer game for sh1ts and giggles and an even greater beer game for serious players who want some sh1ts and giggles.
 
Also customary to start the next game with first player out going first and winner going last.
 
I started a post about Cutthroat... what we played was each player has to run the other two player's balls in rotation... changes it up from just random shots, more position play.
 
" blind cut throat "

We play a fun version of cut throat that also resembles certain aspects of pea pool.
And yes wagers can be made in all sorts of ways.

Pull out the ole' playing card deck.
Use a playing card to represent each ball.
1-10 of spades for 1-10 ball. 1-5 of hearts for 11-15 ball.
Shuffle the 15 cards and deal 3 players 5 cards each. (Keep your cards unknown to other players)
Play cut throat as usual, except that obviously you don't know who is what...

....Unless there is a scratch.

Upon a scratch, the two other players may spot a ball of theirs, which by default shows you the identity of ( one of) their balls. Otherwise you do not need or want to reveal which ones are yours.

A scratch can also " bring back " a player who was previously eliminated, but now you know what number he is.

You may also shoot in your own balls to keep your turn going, to go for the win. As long as you are the last ball on the table.
 
Mr. Bond said:
" blind cut throat "

We play a fun version of cut throat that also resembles certain aspects of pea pool.
And yes wagers can be made in all sorts of ways.

Pull out the ole' playing card deck.
Use a playing card to represent each ball.
1-10 of spades for 1-10 ball. 1-5 of hearts for 11-15 ball.
Shuffle the 15 cards and deal 3 players 5 cards each. (Keep your cards unknown to other players)
Play cut throat as usual, except that obviously you don't know who is what...

....Unless there is a scratch.

Upon a scratch, the two other players may spot a ball of theirs, which by default shows you the identity of ( one of) their balls. Otherwise you do not need or want to reveal which ones are yours.

A scratch can also " bring back " a player who was previously eliminated, but now you know what number he is.

You may also shoot in your own balls to keep your turn going, to go for the win. As long as you are the last ball on the table.
Click to expand...


Mr. Bond...
I was looking for rules to the game of "Killer" when I found your post above.

Your version of playing "Cut throat" is very good. Playing this game as blind
balls for your opponents, makes the game interesting. Random balls drawn
previously eliminates each opponent knowing "who is" as a ball group does.

.
 
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