Ring game format

AlexandruM

AlexandruM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How to play 9-ball and 10-ball in ring game format, if there are 3,4,5 players? Are safe shots allowed, is the 3 fouls rule applicable, maybe another specific rules?

We are 4 friends, on the same playing level, and we want play together a ring game, and gambling for small amounts, how should we play?

Thanks.

PS I saw a video of ring game, there players start with 1000$, every rack each player bet 100$, the winner takes the bets, after 7 racks the bet is up to 200$. If player is out of money, he quit.
 
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No deliberate safeties, no three foul rule.
I also used to play with a side pot where a player has to put a quarter in everytime he scratches or commits a foul. At the end of the game, the money in the pot goes towards the table time.
 
Ring games are played different in different areas of the country.

- safe is never allowed to be played in any for mat.
- I've played where you can roll out when hooked though. Incoming players option to shoot or give it back. The best way I think is this format.
- I've played where when hooked you must always make an honest attempt.
- I've always played under all formats if a guy makes a bad hit the next player can shoot or give it back from where the ball lays. If it was a scratch, then it's ball in hand behind the line.
- I've never heard of 3 foul in a ring game though.

- also in most places they switch up the rotation after "x" amount of games. Say every 10 games or whatever you agree on. So who Evers break it is gets to break, the others redraw, flip, or lag for a new rotation.

Hope I could help a little.
 
Joe got it covered, basically. I'd add that when more than 3 players, all balls illegally made spot up and incoming player has option to make the fouling player shoot again. Bih is always behind the line.

I love me some ring games.
 
No safeties,spot everything,option to make them shoot again on a foul are all good rules to play by.One thing we do is on a foul if you let that player shoot again instead of you taking your turn,if he gets out you pay for everybody in the game.and you pay until his turn is done.1 game or 10,doesn't matter.

adds some fun to the game.Funny how everyone roots for the shooter when he gets a second chance.
 
Around here, if someone scratches and the next ball in rotation is behind the line, it gets spotted before the next player gets the option to shoot from behind the line or give it back to the player that scratched.
 
This is what I think makes for the most fun 10b ring game.
Note: fun, not fair.

• Player shoots til he misses, random draw to determine shooting order
(first player gets to break). Whoever made the 10b breaks the next rack.
Redraw after every set.

• Unlike regular 10b, slop counts.

• 1,4,7,10 are the money balls. Race to a set number of points,
either for a fixed amount or prorate what the losers pay out.

For example play for $2 a point, settle up when someone reaches 50 points.
If the final score is 50-41-32, the losers pay the winner $18 (9 points behind winner)
and $36 (18 points behind winner).

• No safeties (avoids any question of two guys sandwiching the 3rd)

• Honest effort on every ball. I haven't tried rollout with this game.
But if you don't make a good hit, the next player can pass back if he hates the leave.
This is the only penalty for fouls like bad hit, no hit, no rail, etc.
There's never ball in hand.

• Scratches go behind the line. If the object ball is also behind the line you can opt to spot it.
Jumped balls stay down, except money balls.
Any money ball made on a foul spots.

You can spot points to weaker players at the start.
 
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AlexandruM said:
[...]

We are 4 friends, on the same playing level, and we want play together a ring game, and gambling for small amounts, how should we play?

[...]
Click to expand...

Here's what we do -- similar situation, friends having some fun.

We play 10-ball.

"MONEY BALLS" are typically the 3, 6, and 10 balls

We often play "ONE TWO," meaning the 3 and 6 balls are worth ONE dollar (or whatever) and the 10 ball worth TWO.

So if you make the 3 or the 6, you move your coin one diamond under the rail. If you make the 10, you move it two.

Other rules are similar to what others have said.
Money balls that go in early spot right away
No safeties; foul may be passed back.

If we have one stronger player, maybe that player won't get the 3 ball as a money ball, only the 6 and 10.

BANKS ARE OPEN: We will sometimes ask, "Are the banks open?" When banks are open, a player ON a money ball may choose to CALL a bank shot on that ball. He must make the called shot clean, otherwise it's a miss. A one-rail bank is paid double; two-rail, triple; three-rail, quadruple. This is a lot of fun in a casual game.

PITCH IT: Sometimes we play a raucous game called "Pitch it." It is the above 10-ball ring game played with quarters (one quarter for the 3 and 6, two quarters for the 10). The catch, though is that each player has a small pile of quarters, and when the shooter makes the 3 ball, each opponent actually throws the quarter on the table. The quarters stay there and are obstacles as the player continues to shoot. When he makes the 6, more quarters come through the air. When the player makes the 10, the balls are racked with all the quarters still on the table, and two more are thrown by each opponent before the break. This game is a blast...
 
Some of the more fun and entertaining ring games I have hosted for up to 7 players were playing 15 ball played like 10 ball with "honest effort" rules in effect. Money balls were the 5, 10 and 15. Super fun and you might be surprised how often you will get to shoot, though yes, you may not like the shot...:grin:
 
What's a good way to keep score? In the past we've just had everybody get a bunch of ones and everybody has a pile and you move the bills to the corresponding pile as the balls are made. It works pretty well and it's fun moving the money. We're all friends so we don't have to worry about anyone skimming off of the stacks, but the pain of it is that you have to have or get a bunch of ones to play.
 
How we play:
determine playing order--on bad hits or no hits incoming player has choice of shooting where CB stops or giving shot back. IF he gives shot back he pays for all money balls made by giving shot back, luck or otherwise for all other players (keeps honest people honest--mostly)-- On scratches same procedure as fouls except it's ball in hand behind string, lowest number ball spots first-- Break and runs in 10 ball pays double--
 
I play with poker chips
9 ball or 10 ball.
4-6 players.
Each player gets 10 chips.

When one player wins, each other player pays a chip to the winner.
When you're out of chips, you're out of the game.
After every eliminated player, the bet goes up.
 
Scoring......

Easiest way to keep score is for every player to have a different coin.

All players start on the middle top diamond and as money balls are pocketed, the player moves his coin accordingly. One diamond per dollar.

Everyone goes clockwise around the table. Someone is always at home. If the person at home makes a money ball, everyone else moves back.

It may seem a little tricky at first, but once everyone gets it down it is very simple.
 
We used to play after working 2nd shift, so we didn't have much time. We usually had 5 - 7 players. Each person put in $1 per game. Order determined by odd man out coin flip. Regular 9 ball rules - fouls were ball in hand. Winner got the pot. Scratch on the 9 and the pot rolled over to the next game with the $1 entry added. Last game was $5 entry. All played on 9' table. Last game big pot winner paid the table time.
 
We play 9-ball ring games with money on the 3,6,9. Order is determined by odd man out flips. No safes, player has option to give back on all fouls, scatch is ball in hand behind the line and can be given back. Lowest moneyball or ball before the money if behind the line spot up and all moneyballs and balls before the moneyball spot up if pocketed on a foul. Last moneyball made breaks so the order doesn't change. Change rotation after someone quits or after 10 games.
 
The way we play (which is similar to a lot of others I read)
- winning player breaks
- player that shot before the winner (the person the let the winner get out) racks
- honest attempt made on any shot (no intentional safety)
- all fouls, incoming player has option to make previous player shoot again (so, even if someone plays safe...)
- scratch is ball in hand behind the head string (and see previous rule)
- fouling when pocketing the money ball or ball before the money ball results with that ball being spotted.
- in 5 and 9 or 5 and 10, making the 9/10 ball before the 5 does not end the game. the next highest is spotted (to keep track of how many 9/10 money balls were pocketed)

That is about it...
 
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