ring game...

JayBates

JayBates

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
please excuese me for my stupidity here...i play good enough to gamble a few bucks here and there and place in local tournaments but i dont know how to play a ring game. as im always the last one to leave after tournaments the remaning few people always ask me to play a ring game...me not knowing what it is and not wanting to look stupid i always say something about me spending the last of my money for gas...so can someone tell me how to play a ring game? thanks,
Jay
 
It seems hard to believe that a player would not know what a ring game is. It is a different kind of game you play with a few people. What you do is try to scatch by caroming off the object ball. So next time they ask you to play a ring game, that's all there is to it. First to scratch three times first wins that game and gets paid by everyone else. :p
 
A ring game of 9-ball is a follows:

Same rules regular 9-ball except you must make an attempt at the object ball. Failure to do some usually results in the next player deciding whether to make you shoot again or taking the shot himself.

They have been playing the Derby City game on TV lately. You should check it out.
 
A ring game is just a rotation game with more than 2 participants.The participants will either flip a coin to determine the shooting order or they will all lag. The player that won the flip is the breaker. Player A breaks and shoots until he misses, then the player B is up and so on until all players have had a shot then the cycle is repeated. The game ends when the final ball is pocketed and the winner breaks the ensuing game. Some ring games only pay on the game ball (9 ball typically) and some games pay upon making another predetermined ball (usually the 5 ball). Many various rules can be used such as all foul balls are to be spotted or the shooter must make an honest effort to pocket the object ball (i.e. no push outs). You will have to clear up the house rules prior to playing.

The main objective is the same as a 2 man game- make the money ball(s)

Be patient until you get the opportunity to make a ball then don't miss!
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Damn I type slow!
 
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I would like to add a rule for you. Draw names for order, right them down!! And re-draw like every so many games (to be determined by the group we use 7 or 10).

NO SAFETIES, although I don't think it is a rule, it will get you collectively beat up by the other players!! Or balls in hand, scratches are played from the kitchen, and object balls that are in the kitchen are spotted, if the player fouls before you, it is you option to take the shot or make him shoot.
 
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Ok, I was just kidding you earlier. Ring game is usually 9-ball or 10-ball played with three or more people. Many times there are more than one money ball(5 and 10). If you make a money ball you get paid from everyone. I would guess that they do not play for much more then a dollar or two per money ball, so you can usually play for a while with a little bit of money. If you combo a money ball you get paid and it spots up.(at least that's how I think most play) Next time they ask you to play, just ask them what they do-9-ball or 10-ball, money balls, how much. You won't sound stupid, becasue there are so many different variations of ring games. And always remember to fly the money balls when you can. :p
 
rossaroni said:
Ok, I was just kidding you earlier. Ring game is usually 9-ball or 10-ball played with three or more people. Many times there are more than one money ball(5 and 10). If you make a money ball you get paid from everyone. I would guess that they do not play for much more then a dollar or two per money ball, so you can usually play for a while with a little bit of money. If you combo a money ball you get paid and it spots up.(at least that's how I think most play) Next time they ask you to play, just ask them what they do-9-ball or 10-ball, money balls, how much. You won't sound stupid, becasue there are so many different variations of ring games. And always remember to fly the money balls when you can. :p
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I hate that rule, I still play if it is in effect, but I don't like it because you can end up paying out a whole bunch in one game.
 
Jay - Here's the skinny...

Fundamentally, it's standard 9-ball rules with the following exceptions:

1. Player order is usually done by flipping coins. Odd coin is the original breaker and so on until the order is set. The order stays the same until there is agreement to re-establish the order. Any new player coming in racks the next rack... and therefore shoots last.

2. This is no push-out option on the shot after the break.

3. There is no safety play at all. Shooter must attempt to make a ball regardless of how the table is left to him.

3. On cue ball scratches, ball in hand in the kitchen.

4. Any cue ball foul (including scratches) and/or illegal hit results in the next shooter's option... to either take the table in position... or to have the offending shooter shoot again. If the shooter fails to make a legal hit the second attempt, the same option applies... until the shooter either makes a legal hit or the next shooter accepts the table in position

5. It's played either with one money ball... obviously, the 9... or played with two money balls... the 9 and the 5 (is typical). Most times, the price on the 5 is half of what the price on the 9 is. $2/$1 is about as cheap as it's played.

6. If a money ball is made out of turn, it counts toward the pay-out at the end of the game... and it is re-spotted as long as there are two balls still on the table prior to the money ball. No re-spot if less than two balls prior.

7. The pay-out at the end of the game is the difference between what you made and what you owe. For example, say you have four players and you're playing $2/$1, and say each money ball only was made once and say that you made 9... then you "made" $2 each from three players for a subtotal of $6 but you "owe" $1 since you didn't make the 5-ball... so you end up collecting $5 total. Who actually gives you the money is not important. That you walk away with $5 is.

8. The person making the (last) 9-ball breaks the next rack. The racker is the person who sold out.
 
PROG8R said:
I hate that rule, I still play if it is in effect, but I don't like it because you can end up paying out a whole bunch in one game.
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I don't make the rules, I just play by them.
 
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I should add...

If a money ball is made out of turn, we spot the 15 to represent the second 5 (and so on if more than two 5s are made)... and the 10-ball to represent the second 9-ball (and so on if more than two 9s are made). At the end of the game, it's easier to figure out how many money balls were made that way... instead of relying on people's memories (or lack thereof). :)

And... on a scratch, if the lowest ball on the table is in the kitchen, it gets dropped into a pocket provided there is at least one ball still on the table prior to the money ball. If there is not, the ball in the kitchen gets spotted.

And recall, the next shooter has the option of giving the spot shot (or otherwise) back to the offending player that scratched.
 
Jay ...

Ktown and Rossaroni pretty much covered it, but I would like to add:

1) Don't play a ring game playing 9 ball with people that are good, always make sure it is a 10 ball ring game or you could lose a lot of money too
quickly before you get to shoot.
2) We always play 10 ball in a ring game.
3) Kelley pills (Pool pilss) are usually drawn to select starting order.
4) Most guys here like to redraw order after the number of games played equals the number of players playing, which I think is too often, but should
ge done, for sure, every 10-15 games.
5) A board (chalkboard or other) is used to write the shooting order down.
Only thing you need to really keep track of is to know who you shoot after.
6) Scratches - on break - all made balls spot up in ascending order, cue ball in the kitchen (behind the line).
Other times - cue ball in Kitchen, any balls made on scratch shot are spotted up, or if the next ball to be shot is in the Kitchen, it gets spotted up.
7) Have to attempt to make the ball, no safeties.
8) After a scratch, the incoming player can make the player that shot previously to shoot again if he doesn't like the shot. If this happens 3 times in a row, the incoming player gets cue ball in hand.
9) We play 5 and 10 as money balls. If a 10 is made by a legal hit with the 5 still on the table, it counts and get spotted back up. If the 5 is already gone and it is made by a legal hit, the game is over.
10) All money balls made legally during the game are paid off. The player that made the money ball gets so much from each other player (example,
$2 on 5 ball, $3 on 10 - a normal game would cost someone that didn't make a money ball $5, if 2 10's and a 5 were made, someone that didn't make a money ball would have to pay $8)
11) It helps to write on the board the amount for the money balls, so everyone can see it, plus if you make the $5 how much you should make (net amount), or if you make 5 and 10, how much you should make (net amount). This varies with the number of players, or if the amount of the money balls changes.
12) We usually get the table opened up by management, and who ever
sold out the 10 ball (the player shooting before the player making the final 10 ball), has to pay .75 (usually collected in a clean ashtray) for the next game, and TO RACK THE NEXT GAME.
 
rossaroni said:
It seems hard to believe that a player would not know what a ring game is. It is a different kind of game you play with a few people. What you do is try to scatch by caroming off the object ball. So next time they ask you to play a ring game, that's all there is to it. First to scratch three times first wins that game and gets paid by everyone else. :p
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believe it. I had no idea until this thread.
 
hey its never too late to learn, im seeing stuff here that we never play as rules.........good stuff though
 
JayBates said:
[...]...so can someone tell me how to play a ring game? thanks,
Jay
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Others have explained it.

Ring games are a lot of fun, but you have to be a little careful. It's generally a bad idea to join a ring game when the others might be friends and you are the odd person out. It's easy for others to collude and then split your money at the end.

Here is a really fun alternative to a ring game that, imo, has some advantages. We call it FARGOFLIP.

Print this out and try it.

FARGOFLIP is a 9-ball game for three or more players. Players may come and go at the end of any game. The ante could be a quarter, a dollar, whatever. Call it a jellybean. At the start of a game, every player must have at least as many jellybeans as there are opponents. That is, if there are five players, each player must have four jellybeans.

Suppose there are five players.

Each player flips a coin before the start of every game. The HEADS team plays against the TAILS team alternating shots like in a scotch doubles game. With five players, the teams could be three against two or they could be four against one.

At the end of every game, each member of the losing team throws on the table as many jellybeans as there are opponents. So if it’s two against three and the two-player team loses, both members throw three jellybeans on the table. Each member of the winning team picks up as many jellybeans as there are opponents. Here each of the three members picks up two jellybeans.

If it’s four against one, the one-member team is risking four jellybeans and each member of the four-member team is risking one jellybean.

The TAILS team always breaks. Players may shoot in any order but that order must be maintained throughout the game.

Coaching is allowed.

Advantages of Fargo Flip over a ring game:

Players have teammates as opposed to each player being against everyone else.

Weaker players are not at much of a disadvantage because they get paired with others randomly. Likewise a really strong player joining is not the kiss of death for everyone else like it is in a ring game.

Fargo Flip is not susceptible to morally corrupt collusion like a ring game is.

Players can seamlessly come and go after every game.

mike page
fargo
 
PROG8R said:
I hate that rule, I still play if it is in effect, but I don't like it because you can end up paying out a whole bunch in one game.
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But, and this is a very important "BUT", you can also end up collecting a whole bunch in one game!!
 
Snapshot9 said:
It helps to write on the board the amount for the money balls, so everyone can see it...
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Including the liquor control agent that just walked in the door, lol. I don't know about Kansas, but in my area that's a good way to get your favorite poolhall's liquor license temporarily yanked, and subsequently get yourself barred for life. It may not be a concern where you're at, but I would still be very careful about advertising the fact that you are gambling, as most places have laws against it.

Good luck!
 
No worry ...

Aaron_S said:
Including the liquor control agent that just walked in the door, lol. I don't know about Kansas, but in my area that's a good way to get your favorite poolhall's liquor license temporarily yanked, and subsequently get yourself barred for life. It may not be a concern where you're at, but I would still be very careful about advertising the fact that you are gambling, as most places have laws against it.

Good luck!
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It is just like a contest or tournament, all the players are participating in a game of skill. They post tournament money paid out. This is no different.
 
Snapshot9 said:
It is just like a contest or tournament, all the players are participating in a game of skill. They post tournament money paid out. This is no different.
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Well it is here (MO); a ring game or gambling match is a separate animal from a tournament, and I have seen bad things happen when people were not discreet with the gambling. As I said in the previous post, though, the laws may be different in KS.

Good luck!
 
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mikepage said:
Others have explained it.

Ring games are a lot of fun, but you have to be a little careful. It's generally a bad idea to join a ring game when the others might be friends and you are the odd person out. It's easy for others to collude and then split your money at the end.
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Mike,

This is true for A players and above...maybe. But it wouldn't be too tough to figure it out quickly, say a few games. It's fun when a couple of B/C players try to do this to you as you're getting 2 to 1 on the money. You can bust them pretty easily.

Alex
 
Another good rule of thumb in a ring game... if you don't know who the fish is... it's you, brother. :eek:
 
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