Discussing Volunteer Snooker on another thread got me thinking about some of the more obscure games we used to play quite regularly on snooker tables. Like most unofficial games the exact rules vary slightly around a central theme from club to club, and were subject to change on a whim to speed up/slow down events.
Scrub (AKA 41, 61, 101) is great fun and is probably the only one I still play with any regularity (couple of times a year). The snooker colours are placed on their spots with the reds strung out full length along the centre line of the table. Any number of players can play and a blackboard is needed to keep individual scores. Each player has to hit the black to get 'live' and on subsequent turns score exactly 41 (or agreed total) potting only colours, or scoring cannons on them (2 points). Any foul (including the cue ball touching any red) or busting the agreed total and your score is scrubbed, so you have to start with the black all over again. A little beer and an ante every time you scrub makes it good fun. For good players restricting the pockets certain balls could be potted in and limiting the number of consecutive cannons made it more of a challenge, otherwise it won't last long. Poorer players actually add to the game as they tend to spread the reds around making it a minefield. Other variations included drawing a numbered ball from a bag which you deducted from your score so no-one quite knew how close you were to winning.
Cricket. - team game (any number of players)
Just like real cricket a mismatch could be over very quickly or good teams could take all day and score easily as heavily as real cricket. Each team has an innings to score as many points as possible. Set up like snooker but with ten reds. Bowlers commence from the 'D' and pot only reds, batters pot colours and try to amass as many points as possible while the reds remain. If bowlers foul, a red is added. When batters foul a red is removed. You need to introduce limitations on consecutive scoring depending on the skill level involved. A good player on the blue straight in the middle would be there all night. Once all the reds are potted it's the other teams turn to bat.
Skittles or Pegs
Another game for any number of players. As the name implies this involved skittles (more usually modified clothes pegs) painted white and black. They were placed at various points around the cushions spaced about 1/2" more than a ball width off, and also on the spots. Using the three standard billiard balls, each turn the player needed to strike the other billiard ball(s) to cause the skittles to fall, and their values were added to his score. The pegs were replaced and the next player played form where the balls lay. No billiard scores count - only fallen pegs are scored. Any potted balls are respotted for the next player. Only one shot per turn and usually played to 21 points. Black skittles were penalties (loss of score, loss of turn)- placed near the highest value white skittles. One black peg and one white placed near the brown spot would either win or lose the game outright, regardless of score. Playing with googly balls ensured skill at billiards took a poor second place to pure jammy luck. The clubs never like this one much as it involved marking crosses for the pegs in chalk on the tables, and their respective values on the cushions. Real good laughs to be had though.
Have played numerous versions of killer but they never appealed to me because they always involved a stitch up by two other players in league with each other.
What other games have you played?
Boro Nut
Scrub (AKA 41, 61, 101) is great fun and is probably the only one I still play with any regularity (couple of times a year). The snooker colours are placed on their spots with the reds strung out full length along the centre line of the table. Any number of players can play and a blackboard is needed to keep individual scores. Each player has to hit the black to get 'live' and on subsequent turns score exactly 41 (or agreed total) potting only colours, or scoring cannons on them (2 points). Any foul (including the cue ball touching any red) or busting the agreed total and your score is scrubbed, so you have to start with the black all over again. A little beer and an ante every time you scrub makes it good fun. For good players restricting the pockets certain balls could be potted in and limiting the number of consecutive cannons made it more of a challenge, otherwise it won't last long. Poorer players actually add to the game as they tend to spread the reds around making it a minefield. Other variations included drawing a numbered ball from a bag which you deducted from your score so no-one quite knew how close you were to winning.
Cricket. - team game (any number of players)
Just like real cricket a mismatch could be over very quickly or good teams could take all day and score easily as heavily as real cricket. Each team has an innings to score as many points as possible. Set up like snooker but with ten reds. Bowlers commence from the 'D' and pot only reds, batters pot colours and try to amass as many points as possible while the reds remain. If bowlers foul, a red is added. When batters foul a red is removed. You need to introduce limitations on consecutive scoring depending on the skill level involved. A good player on the blue straight in the middle would be there all night. Once all the reds are potted it's the other teams turn to bat.
Skittles or Pegs
Another game for any number of players. As the name implies this involved skittles (more usually modified clothes pegs) painted white and black. They were placed at various points around the cushions spaced about 1/2" more than a ball width off, and also on the spots. Using the three standard billiard balls, each turn the player needed to strike the other billiard ball(s) to cause the skittles to fall, and their values were added to his score. The pegs were replaced and the next player played form where the balls lay. No billiard scores count - only fallen pegs are scored. Any potted balls are respotted for the next player. Only one shot per turn and usually played to 21 points. Black skittles were penalties (loss of score, loss of turn)- placed near the highest value white skittles. One black peg and one white placed near the brown spot would either win or lose the game outright, regardless of score. Playing with googly balls ensured skill at billiards took a poor second place to pure jammy luck. The clubs never like this one much as it involved marking crosses for the pegs in chalk on the tables, and their respective values on the cushions. Real good laughs to be had though.
Have played numerous versions of killer but they never appealed to me because they always involved a stitch up by two other players in league with each other.
What other games have you played?
Boro Nut