Needed a fun game to wager

iba7467

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Having two pool league teams over to the house for a get together. I need something everyone can enjoy and get our weaker players a chance at the table.

Last time we all drew a # and the player that had the # of the last ball on the table won the pot. This worked out fairly well as even our worst players won a couple times, but I would like something new.

Maybe a break contest or giving the lesser players a spot and playing a $1 per try most consecutive racks or something?
 
iba7467 said:
Having two pool league teams over to the house for a get together. I need something everyone can enjoy and get our weaker players a chance at the table.

Last time we all drew a # and the player that had the # of the last ball on the table won the pot. This worked out fairly well as even our worst players won a couple times, but I would like something new.

Maybe a break contest or giving the lesser players a spot and playing a $1 per try most consecutive racks or something?


I always play friends for push-ups. Seriously.
 
Assuming your teams consist of 4 players, you have 8 players.

Give an initial rating on skill from top to bottom, i.e. 4 A players, 4 B players. Draw for partners and play scotch doubles. Teams have 1 A and 1 B, so they should be even and random.

Have a tourney for whatever stakes are appropriate. Half your players will be playing at one time, and still leaves enough time for socializing/drinking/eating etc.
 
iba7467 said:
Having two pool league teams over to the house for a get together. I need something everyone can enjoy and get our weaker players a chance at the table.

Last time we all drew a # and the player that had the # of the last ball on the table won the pot. This worked out fairly well as even our worst players won a couple times, but I would like something new.

Maybe a break contest or giving the lesser players a spot and playing a $1 per try most consecutive racks or something?

Play "horse." Remember the game we played on school yard or garage basketball hoops?

Player A sets up a shot...any shot and shoots it. If it goes, he gets 1 point and if not gets zero.

Player B then duplicates the shot (get some white circle ring binder reinforcers so you don't have lick spots all over your table...YUK!...to make the shots identical.)

If B makes the shot he gets a point and zero if he misses.

Then it is B's turn to set up a new shot and play continues.

Since both may miss with some frequency races to 3 or 5 might be enough.

Can be played with teams to balance out skill levels. You probably want to outlaw "trick shots" jumps, curves etc. just normal shot making.

FUN!(-:

Jim
 
Poker works well if you have many players of different skill levels.

shuffle a deck of cards deal each player 5 cards

rack all 15 balls on the foot spot decide on a fair way to decide who breaks after the break all dropped balls are spotted. the object is to sink only the balls in your in your card hand. A=1, 2=2.....J=11, Q=12, K=13 the 14 and 15 are wild balls that you may pocket to make shape. when you sink a ball that is in your hand you play the card if someone else pockets a ball that is in your hand you discard it and draw 2 cards. The first person to run out of cards wins.
 
Pill Pool (bottle pill pool) or sometimes called Kelly Pool would be a good choice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_pool . Rack the one in front and 2 and 3 balls are racked in the corners then all others random. Game starts with a full break, balls must be pocketed in rotation, no safeties allowed, draw pills to determine order the players shoot. Before the rack starts every player draws a pill from the bottle containing the 15 pills(pills have a number which deignates their ball) to be kept hidden in their pocket from the other players so they don't know which ball other players have in the game. Make another players ball and get $1 from that player (player must yell OH CRAP!) and he is out of that rack, make your pill ball and get $1 from all players still in the game. Balls can be made out of turn with a legal hit of the lowest ball on the table first, balls out of turn though are spotted before the next shot. Illegally pocketed balls are also spotted. Game over when a player gets their pill ball and then all pills go back in the bottle and drawn again for next game, winner breaks, must make a ball on the break to keep at the table.

Thats how we always played it anyhow, many ways to play. Its great for a game with several players.
 
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You could have the 2 highest skill level players play against each other in a match of 3 ahead, or 4 ahead.....and everyone could take bets on who wins.
 
You could always give Killer a try.

Everybody puts a dollar in (or however much you want) & is given 3 lives. Rack the 15 balls in any order. Basically, each player takes one shot & must make the ball or lose a life. Last person standing takes the pot.

The way we used to play was the person breaking gets another shot if they don't make a ball on the break. Also, wherever the CB lands when the last ball is sunk is where you must break the next rack from. One optional rule was that if you made the 8ball you got a life back, assuming you'd already lost one!

It can be a fun game, especially once the idea of leaving the player following you no shot creeps in!
 
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