Hey I would like any info about pool game called cowboy some guys at a apa city tourney were talking about how much it improved there games and was also fun, I had never heard of it but seems like they mentioned it bieng in bca rools book
Game called cowboy
- Thread starter poolcuemaster
- Start date
Its a pretty fun game i play around with when im bored. Basically its 3 object balls and a cue ball on the table. 1 ball on the head spot., 5 on center spot, and 3 ball on foot spot. You score by either pocketing a ball (pt value = ball value) or playing caroms (2 ball carom is 1 pt and 3 ball carom is 2 pts). First to shoot the "break" has to make contact with the 3 ball first. First 90 pts can be made any way, 91-100 had to be by caroms and the last point has to be a carom off the 1 scratching the cue ball. Thats the gist of it anyways, but it is in the BCA rulebook.
EDIT:
I see its not on the BCA site but a google search came up with this:
http://www.bestbilliard.com/rules/display.cfm?file=cowboy.cfm
EDIT:
I see its not on the BCA site but a google search came up with this:
http://www.bestbilliard.com/rules/display.cfm?file=cowboy.cfm
Last edited:
hippiepool
Banned
i have heard of it and played it ....as i recall it is a one person practice game involving three balls .......poolcuemaster said:
The version played around here is a little different.
The 1 ball on the head spot, the 2 ball in the center spot, the 3 ball on the foot spot. Start with ball in hand (1 ball is a legal object ball on the opening shot). You must pocket your first ball, then strike another object ball with the cue ball. You ONLY score if you make an object ball, and strike another with the cueball on the same shot (pocketing a ball is NOT enough to score). Your score for that shot is the total of the object balls involved (ie. you sink the 1-ball, then run whitey into the 3-ball = 4 points). You keep shooting until you either scratch, or fail to score on a shot. Scratches are end of turn (no point penalty) and ball in hand for the opponent in the kitchen. Any object balls pocketed are re-spotted on their "home" spot.
This game is actually more fun competing with a partner; each shooting until they miss, play to 50 or 100. By yourself, just keep track of how many innings it takes you to reach 50 or 100.
I've seen a pro score 75 points in one inning - freaking miraculous if you ask me. Billiards players have a significant advantage in this game.
The 1 ball on the head spot, the 2 ball in the center spot, the 3 ball on the foot spot. Start with ball in hand (1 ball is a legal object ball on the opening shot). You must pocket your first ball, then strike another object ball with the cue ball. You ONLY score if you make an object ball, and strike another with the cueball on the same shot (pocketing a ball is NOT enough to score). Your score for that shot is the total of the object balls involved (ie. you sink the 1-ball, then run whitey into the 3-ball = 4 points). You keep shooting until you either scratch, or fail to score on a shot. Scratches are end of turn (no point penalty) and ball in hand for the opponent in the kitchen. Any object balls pocketed are re-spotted on their "home" spot.
This game is actually more fun competing with a partner; each shooting until they miss, play to 50 or 100. By yourself, just keep track of how many innings it takes you to reach 50 or 100.
I've seen a pro score 75 points in one inning - freaking miraculous if you ask me. Billiards players have a significant advantage in this game.
We play it also but you have to pocket the ball and call the ball you are going to carom. We don't play a set, we pay, per shot,/ carom, per turn.
macguy said:
Mac,
I'm just relating the version that we play. I'm sure there are MANY versions out there (well, unless there is a new International Cowboy Tour out there of which I'm unaware
).I'll also say that there are multiple versions of 8-ball rules and 9-ball rules out there - a factor which I believes holds back more widespread popularity of the professional game.
Williebetmore said:Mac,
I'm just relating the version that we play. I'm sure there are MANY versions out there (well, unless there is a new International Cowboy Tour out there of which I'm unaware
I'll also say that there are multiple versions of 8-ball rules and 9-ball rules out there - a factor which I believes holds back more widespread popularity of the professional game.
He mentioned the BCA rules not rules made up. Maybe someone has a rule book and can post the correct rules. I don't have a rule book, this is the best I could do.
http://www.pool-table-rules.com/bcacowboy.php
I remember playing the game years ago and it was not that hard to run out. I was told there was a guy at Parris Island who ran a 100 all the time. I'm thinking he must be a heck of a player, I thought they were talking about Straight pool, but he was playing Cowboy pool. When I played him I was able to beat him at everything, even his favorite Cowboy pool.
I also played a similar game in Denmark on a snooker table with billiard balls.
Last edited:
Well, my scanner isnt working but here are pics (via camera) of the rules off the rule book. The rule book is a few years old but i doubt the rules for cowboy have changed.
In my opinion, that's a much better way to play. We used to play the game, but we gave it up; since all you had to do was to line up straight in on a ball (say, the 5), shoot it in, draw back, spot it up, shoot it in, draw back, spot it up, etc., etc. Scoring that way was too easy. Making a carom on each shot, or in between each ball pocketed makes it a much more interesting game.Williebetmore said:
Doc
gulfportdoc said:
Doc,
It's an especially good game for beginner's to intermediate players as they must develop the ability to focus on making the object ball, and at the same time predict the line of the cue ball after contact.
macguy said:
Interesting. The only place I've ever seen it played was at Marine Barracks, NAS Atsugi in the mid-60s. We played a variant with a rule set that made it a somewhat tougher game than the BCA version. This was almost the only game we played there, and I don't think we actually had a name for it (I know we didn't call it Cowboy).
