Here is a copy and paste I posted quite a while ago. This version of rotation, IMO is the absolute most fun you can have on a pool table. (keeping it clean of course) The most fun game.
I tried to make these instructions complete, so save these instructions if you think you may try it, the game is addicting!
Chicago style game we call 1 & 3. There are lots of incarnations of this Chicago type game, but I think this one is the best of all.
It can be played with two, three, or four players. I suppose you could play with more, in a cut-throat style but its more fun as I will explain, this way, With 4 players it's the best game going.
We used to have 2 or 3 tables going all the time with players waiting in the wings for someone to drop out of one of the 4 handed games so they can jump in.
The house usually charged the table out at the 2 player rate back then, now lots of places are 10 bucks for the afternoon. Try this game, its great fun.
All 15 balls are racked. I sure wish I had the patience to put an image up for you guys but .... the balls are racked as follows.
1 on top, 5 and 8 directly behind it, 15 in the middle, 10 & 12 directly behind the 15, the 3 ball in the center last row, and 2 & 4 on the back corners. The order of the other balls doesn't matter.
EACH game starts with NO PARTNERS. You can pull pills for the initial order of play.
There are 7 points to be made in total for each game.
They are ... the 3 - 5- 8 - 10 -12 -15 ball, and "Game". (which is the cumulative total of the ball's face value. This counts as one point, not necessarily 61 if you play with multiple players)
Now... the 1 ball is called the partner ball. While its not worth a point, in and of itself, it does assure the person making the 1 ball of getting at least one point (we call it "a way") in the game, because they are partnered automatically with the person making lowest numbered money ball. This leaves (of course) the other two players as partners as well.
If the same person who makes the 1 also makes the 3, then partners go to the next money ball (the 5) Again, if that same person makes the 5 it goes on to the next one, and so on.
If the same person who makes the 1 ball makes all the money balls, he goes alone and everyone pays him whatever you assign to the point value of each point.
Once partners are made, you may have to re adjust the order of play so that the partners do not follow each other in the order of the game. So on occasion, someone can skip a turn once partners are made.
Who ever makes the 15 ball in any given game, also breaks the next game, which as I said, restarts fresh, with NO PARTNERS.
The previous partner of the person making the 15 ball racks for the new game and automatically goes third in the new games order. The person who left the 15 ball to be made will go last in the new game, and of course the remaining player goes second.
Each time there is a "NO HIT" you must pay the kitty one point. This can go to pay the table time at the end of the session, or if there isn't any time, you split the kitty at the end of the night. ( Or, if you are playing at a friend's house and they are providing snacks, the no hits can go to him or her to help pay the snacks.
You do not have to hit a rail to make a good hit, you can jump the cue ball off the table so long as a hit is made it is ok and you don't have to pay the kitty a no hit.
Any scratch in a pocket or off the table is cue ball in hand behind the head string for the incoming player. This does not count simple"no hits", when there is a no hit, the CB stays where it is.
We play no safeties allowed. In other words you have to try to make a hit.
If the cue ball scratches, and the next numbered ball is behind the headstring, it is spotted.
Example of payouts..........
Now, if one team makes 4 points, and the other team makes 3 in a given game, then each player on the team with 3 points, pays each of the 2 players on the other team "one way" or one point. This is determined by subtracting the difference.
If one team makes all the points, then the other two players each pay 7 ways to the two winners.
If one player makes all 7 points himself, there are no partners and everyone pays that player 7 points each. ( a nice little pay day there)
***A tip for playing 3 persons, (which is cut throat, no partners, and the 1 ball means nothing but one point toward game point) that makes figuring out the payout easy.
Initially it may seem like you need a calculator to see who pays who how much .. but it is very easy to figure.
Simply make believe you are starting each game down 7 points .... each time you make a pay ball, you go UP 3 points. (sounds crazy, I know)
So, if you make 2 pay balls in a game (thats six points) you started out down 7, you now end up paying one way. As the other two players do the same type math, the payouts take care of themselves.
That sound complicated for 3 handed games, but it really isn't. It is the easiest way to track three handed payouts.
I hope some of you try this with your friends, you will get addicted to it. Lots of laughs, lots of fun!
