Originally Posted by SphinxnihpS
The most fun game in my opinion is a game few people know, Six-Pocket.
Six-pocket is a multiplayer game for 2-7 players (or more if special balls are employed). Since a standard set of balls only has 14 color-matched pairs of balls, having more than 7 players requires a white 8-ball for the eigth player, and/or another color-matched pair of balls which can be easily identified from the standard balls.
It is a similar game to "Golf" or "Golf-pool", but much more entertaining.
Six-pocket
Minimum Requirements
Pool table, rack of pool balls,2 or more players, pad of paper and a pencil.
Rules
Every player has their own color-matched personal object ball and personal cue ball which they keep for the duration of the game. If your object ball is the nine ball, then your cuball is the one ball, 2 10, 3 11, and do forth. There is also a common cue ball, the regular white cueball, which may be used by anyone on any shot.
The game begins by drawing or flipping for order.
The first player spots his object ball on the foot spot, his cuball in the center of the table, and the common cue ball on the head spot.
The first player, using his personal cueball (because the common cueball is blocked by his personal cue ball, but not illegal to use), attempts to make a bank shot at pocket number 1, which is the right pocket on the head side (kitchen), of the table. If he pockets his object ball in the #1 pocket, his cue ball is left where it is, the common cueball is left where it is, and he sits down and begins to keep score, tallying one stroke for each player that makes a legal shot, and four strokes for each player that fouls. Four strokes is the maximum any player may receive in one turn. If the first shooter misses, the balls are left where they are.
Player #2 now tries to pocket his ball in pocket #1. The same applies to his balls being left where they are.
Player #3, #4, etc. shoot in order. After the last player in the order takes his turn, the order begins again at the first player, provided he is not "in", in which case it would skip to the next player in the order who is not "in".
Once a player legally pockets his ball in pocket #1, he sits down and no further strokes are counted against him.
Once all player have successfully pocketed their object ball in pocket #1, the first player to do so re-spots his object ball on the foot spot, and shoots for pocket #2, using either his personal cueball or the common cueball. Pocket #2 is the lefthand head pocket. At this point it is likely that the player order has changed. The shooting order always starts with the first person to pocket the his object ball in the previous pocket, then the second, then third, and so on. It is HIGHLY RECOMENDED to write down the order for each pocket.
Once all players have pocketed their object ball into pocket #2, the first player to do so, spots his object ball, and attampts pocket #3, the left side pocket. This goes on until all players have pocketed their object balls in the #6 pocket, the right side pocket, at which point the game ends.
Note: A player is considered to have successfully pocketed his personal oject ball even when it is another player that causes it. In other words, if player #2 pockets player #4's personal object ball into the correct pocket. Player #4 is "in", and player #2 receives a foul (see below).
Fouls
Fouls include:
Touching any ball by accident (some people play cue ball fouls only).
Pocketing any cueball.
Pocketing your personal object ball in the wrong pocket.
Pocketing any other player's personal object ball (including on a shot where you pocket your personal object ball in the correct pocket!).
Knocking any ball off the table.
Miscuing where the cueball comes into contact with any of the lateral surface of the cue, or is struck more than one time.
Failing to make a legal hit on your object ball (ball driven to a rail, frozen ball rules, etc.)
Shooting out of turn. It is the shooting players responsibility to make sure it is their turn, though any other player may tell someone that they are shooting out of turn, and if the shooter asks, it is incumbant on the other players to be truthfull. Spectators should keep their mouths shut!
Shooting while the table layout is not correct. Again, it is up to the player to pay attention, though they may always ask, and anyone may say (except spectators).
A shooter automatically loses their turn on any foul. If a player shoots out of order, it is a foul, and he loses his next regular turn.
Scoring
The object of the game is to have the lowest point/stroke total.
The first person to sucessfully pocket their personal object ball in the correct pocket is the score keeper for the duration of that pocket.
Each player receives one point for each legal stroke AFTER the first person has made his object ball in the correct pocket. Until a player does this, no strokes are counted against anyone, unless they have fouled.
A player who commits a foul receives 4 points, even if nobody has pocketed their object ball in the correct pocket. There can only be one foul on a player in any given turn, with a maximum of 4 points; e.g. Player #3 attempts to make a hit on his object ball, but fails, instead hitting one of his opponents cueballs sending it and another players object ball into the wrong pocket. Though technically 3 fouls have occured, the fouling player only receives 4 points.
Fouls Clarification
If an object ball is knocked off the table or pocketed IN THE WRONG POCKET, it is the responsability of the incoming shooter to spot the object ball on the foot spot (or behind it twoards the foot rail if the space is occupied by another ball), BEFORE commencing his turn. Object balls should be FROZEN when spoted adjacent to each other.
If a PERSONAL cueball is knocked off the table or pocketed, it should be spotted in the center of the table by the incoming shooter BEFORE commencing his turn. Again, if the ceter spot is occupied by another ball, the personal cueball should be spotted twoards the foot rail. Cueballs should be spotted as close to but NOT FROZEN, to any other balls.
If the common cueball is knocked off the table, it is spotted by the incoming shooter BEFORE commencing his turn. Once again, towards the foot rail if necessary.
If another player's personal object ball is pocket in the CORRECT POCKET, the shooter receives a foul, and the player who had his ball pocket is "in" for the duration of that pocket.
You are not required to call a foul on yourself (though gentlemen do).
Any other player may request an unbiased temporary referee watch for fouls on close shots PRIOR to the shot.
If 50% or more of the opposing players agree that a foul was commited, or the temporary referee says a foul was committed, the shooter receives a foul and 4 points. If you don't like this, you may modify it to taste.
Special Exceptions
On any player's opening shot of the game, and only on thier opening shot, if they deem it necessary, they may request that all personal cueballs between the foot string and foot rail be spotted off the table and replced after their shot. Object balls and the common cueball may NOT be spotted of the table. This rule comes into play occasionally on the opening shot when other players' cueballs are blocking the path of the incoming shooter's one-rail bank shot at the #1 pocket. Cueballs between the foot string and the head rail may not be spotted off the table EVEN when they are blocking the path of the incoming shooter's first shot at pocket #1. The reason to ask for the cueballs to be spotted is to shoot a two-rail bank shot at pocket #1.
Fin
That took me awhile to get all down, and I may have missed some points, but the basic rules are layed out. Of course you may modify any rules as you see fit, but these rules have been adopted over many of hours playing th game with various people, to eliminate, as much as possible, all contention, and make the game as fair as possible to all players.
Normally the game is played for a set amount of money per point.
$.25 per point is a cheap game with four players, but can get quite expensive when more players are added. Generally the more players in the game, the more expensive it will be on a per point basis, as the pockets tend to get jammed up with everyone's object and cueballs more with more players, causing more strokes. In a seven way game, the worst thing you can do is nearly make your ball in a corner pocket, because by the time you shoot again, it is likely you will have been surrounded (quite intentionally), by the other player's balls, making a legal hit difficult or impossible.
The game is quite fun and exciting because you are playing offense for yourself, and defense against ALL of the other players. Paying attention to where everyone elses balls are, the score, and the shooting order is paramount.
Most anyone that plays this game several times is addicted.
Enjoy
