New Game I created called Contact Pool. Great game for better players. Would love to see the pros play it!
Here are the rules.
Contact Pool Rules
A player scores a point for each contact after the first on a legally pocketed ball. You must call the ball and pocket and the number of contacts or points you intend to score. You cannot cut balls directly into the pocket (because the cue ball’s first contact does not score) so it is similar to the game "honolulu" but you get additional points for extra contacts a.k.a. extra difficulty in the shot. Jump shots are allowed but it does not score an extra point. Same with masse shots. Rail first shots before the pocket do Not score an extra point and it does not have to be called. Just like BCA. The game plays as you would expect. The only "tricky" thing you need to realize is that catching the rail just before the pocket does not score an extra point because that cheapens the game and makes it unplayable for most players. Contact with the back of the pocket does not count for a point. It is only the contacts after the first, before the ball is pocketed, which are necessary for the shot that count. Also, multiple contacts with the inner facings of the pocket or with the points do not count, unless they are specifically called.
Examples:
1 rail bank = 1 point
2 rail kick = 2 points
2 ball combo = 1 point
3 ball combo = 2 points
Cue ball Carom = 1 point
Object Ball Carom = 1 point
Double carom = 2 points
Shots can be combined for extra points. Examples:
3 rail bank into a combo = 4 points
4 rail kick into a carom = 5 points
Balls made unintentionally immediately spot after the shot. Balls made on the break stay down and the player who broke continues to shoot.
On a pocket scratch, it is ball-in-hand. On a table scratch, it is also ball in hand.
On a legally pocketed ball, where the player scratches, the ball pocketed is spotted and the player does not receive the points for the shot. Opponent takes ball-in-hand. If you call a 1 rail kick and it catches the 2nd rail just before the ball and pockets the ball, that is just 1 point for a 1 rail kick. Rail first does not count as a kick so it does not score but it also does not invalidate the shot so you get 1 point for that kick. Only rails not adjacent to the pocket count for banks or kicks. The 2 rails which form the pocket do not count. This keeps the game playable.
You can do a race to any number of points that you set. Among friends, we usually do races to 15 or 20 points.
Overall, this is a really fun game. Many of my friends play it regularly now. It is MUCH better than honolulu. Do not think it is just a simple variation. The simple adjustment of changing the scoring system gives you incentive to go for the really amazing high-point shots which you do not have incentive to do in honolulu. That alone makes this game so much better. I have a video here on my youtube channel explaining why this game is so much better than honolulu.
That is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVaH6TMbODA
I also have some videos of me and some friends playing the game so you can see what it's like when it's played in real life. Thanks for checking it out and i really hope you enjoy playing it! I would love to see the pros play this. I hope that happens sometime.
Try it out and let me know what you guys think of the game and if you have any suggestions for rules changes or any worthwhile comments, etc. Please enjoy.
Here are the rules.
Contact Pool Rules
A player scores a point for each contact after the first on a legally pocketed ball. You must call the ball and pocket and the number of contacts or points you intend to score. You cannot cut balls directly into the pocket (because the cue ball’s first contact does not score) so it is similar to the game "honolulu" but you get additional points for extra contacts a.k.a. extra difficulty in the shot. Jump shots are allowed but it does not score an extra point. Same with masse shots. Rail first shots before the pocket do Not score an extra point and it does not have to be called. Just like BCA. The game plays as you would expect. The only "tricky" thing you need to realize is that catching the rail just before the pocket does not score an extra point because that cheapens the game and makes it unplayable for most players. Contact with the back of the pocket does not count for a point. It is only the contacts after the first, before the ball is pocketed, which are necessary for the shot that count. Also, multiple contacts with the inner facings of the pocket or with the points do not count, unless they are specifically called.
Examples:
1 rail bank = 1 point
2 rail kick = 2 points
2 ball combo = 1 point
3 ball combo = 2 points
Cue ball Carom = 1 point
Object Ball Carom = 1 point
Double carom = 2 points
Shots can be combined for extra points. Examples:
3 rail bank into a combo = 4 points
4 rail kick into a carom = 5 points
Balls made unintentionally immediately spot after the shot. Balls made on the break stay down and the player who broke continues to shoot.
On a pocket scratch, it is ball-in-hand. On a table scratch, it is also ball in hand.
On a legally pocketed ball, where the player scratches, the ball pocketed is spotted and the player does not receive the points for the shot. Opponent takes ball-in-hand. If you call a 1 rail kick and it catches the 2nd rail just before the ball and pockets the ball, that is just 1 point for a 1 rail kick. Rail first does not count as a kick so it does not score but it also does not invalidate the shot so you get 1 point for that kick. Only rails not adjacent to the pocket count for banks or kicks. The 2 rails which form the pocket do not count. This keeps the game playable.
You can do a race to any number of points that you set. Among friends, we usually do races to 15 or 20 points.
Overall, this is a really fun game. Many of my friends play it regularly now. It is MUCH better than honolulu. Do not think it is just a simple variation. The simple adjustment of changing the scoring system gives you incentive to go for the really amazing high-point shots which you do not have incentive to do in honolulu. That alone makes this game so much better. I have a video here on my youtube channel explaining why this game is so much better than honolulu.
That is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVaH6TMbODA
I also have some videos of me and some friends playing the game so you can see what it's like when it's played in real life. Thanks for checking it out and i really hope you enjoy playing it! I would love to see the pros play this. I hope that happens sometime.
Try it out and let me know what you guys think of the game and if you have any suggestions for rules changes or any worthwhile comments, etc. Please enjoy.
