Solo type games

When I'm playing by myself, I like to play against the ghost. If I have paper and pencil handy, I'll play bowliards.

Playing the ghost in 9 ball, you break, take ball in hand and try to run out. If you fail to run out, you lose. If you run out, mark up a game for yourself. I play races to 7 or 9 against the ghost. Playing ghost is aka playing God, because if you miss, you lose.

Bowliards is a good way to track your progress. Rack a normal 10 ball rack (looks like an 8 ball rack without the last row, 1 in front, 10 in the middle). This game is scored like bowling. Break, take ball in hand, try to run out. If you run out, you get a strike. If you fail to run out, the number of balls you made equates to the number of pins dropped with a first ball in bowling. Take ball in hand again, and continue to try to run out. If you run out, you get a spare. If you don't, you get an open frame, equal to the number of balls you made in your attempts. Play 10 frames, just like bowling. Keep track of your scores (I have a notebook full of scores). This is a good way to see how you're progressing, especially if you keep scores for years.
 
Hi. I once heard that they use Bowliards to determine pro status in Japan (and maybe other parts of Asia). Does anyone know what the cut-off score is?
 
9-Ball is a solo game. At least the way that I play it. I sit in the chair and then rack. My opponent(s) play by themselves.... imo
Now that I think about it, 8-Ball and One-Pocket are two more solo games... Oy-Vey !
 
Ruby said:
Hi. I once heard that they use Bowliards to determine pro status in Japan (and maybe other parts of Asia). Does anyone know what the cut-off score is?

250 pts...and i believe i mentioned it. it was told to me by a friend from japan. at first it sounded silly, but at least there's a system.

bowliards, 14.1, cribbage are all real good because you can gauge your progress, whereas you can't with 9ball. or at least not as well.
 
Thanks Bruin. I thought I saw it, too, but I wasn't able to find it. For some reason I was thinking 160 but I knew that was too low. Well now that I know, I have a lot of work to do.... thanks again.
 
barring some bizzare happenstance, like the CB getting kicked in on the break, 300 should be the norm with all the top pros, and more often than not with a+++ players.

according to a friend who knows how to score bowling, generally speaking, two spares at the start and strikes the rest of the way( i think 11 strikes) should get around 250.
 
score should be around 279 or so, figuring in my head, 10 strikes after a 19 or so frame in the first and 20 frame in the second, small point I know........
 
I like this game as a measure for gauging your progress, especially if you were disciplined enough to keep good records
 
can some one explain this in a little more detail, the scoring I mean - I know nothing about bowling! Whats a spare?

Cheers

Dimwit! :-)
 
Micktmason said:
score should be around 279 or so, figuring in my head, 10 strikes after a 19 or so frame in the first and 20 frame in the second, small point I know........

i can't see how a top pro can make any excuse for not running out ten balls in any order he pleases, and also not have to worry about any kind of break shot as in 14.1

also, with a ten ball rack, he gets a nice spread even with a medium speed break.
 
Number1 said:
can some one explain this in a little more detail, the scoring I mean - I know nothing about bowling! Whats a spare?

Cheers

Dimwit! :-)

the break is a free shot. you don't have to sink anything.

from there, playing the CB as it lays, a strike is running the ten balls, in any order, without a miss or scratch.

running the ten balls with one miss or scratch is a spare.

a second miss or scratch, and your frame ends, and you total the number of balls made to that point.

the scoring is as in bowling, which i believe was thought up by the marquis de sade.

however, if you're like me, and can't score bowling, just do 20pts for a strike, 10pts for a spare, and whatever for anything less.
 
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OK that helps, but with ten racks that means the maximum is 200? How you supposed to get 250!?
 
Number1 said:
OK that helps, but with ten racks that means the maximum is 200? How you supposed to get 250!?

this is where the marquis de sade stepped in, and created the weirdest most illogical and tortuous form of scoring i ever heard. you have to get the help of someone who bowls and knows how to score. it has to do with getting extra bonus frames and carrying a score over from the previous frame and,,,,,,,uh,,,,,,,mmmm,,,,er,,,,,something like that. forget it,,,,i don't know. :):)

micktmason sounds like he knows.
 
Oh you tease, how am I supposed to play that game then! LOL :-)

OK, someone must know, calling all bowlers!

Do you just get an extra frame for each "strike" eg if you break, pot out then you get 20 points and still have ten goes left?

What happens if you break, miss once and then pot out, ok I know you get 10 points but do you then only have 9 goes left?

Don't know what you mean by a "spare" - its a different language to me? :-)
 
The game sounds good. Im going to give it a few whacks and see what happens.
I would guess for anyone who doesnt know how to add bowling scores and wants to learn, go to a bowling website or board. Im sure you can get some help. Bruins method sounds good enough for me though. Who needs complications ? lol
 
I don't need complications, but some rules would be good. Come on guys, explain the scoring so we all can play!?
 
It's a strike when you run all 10 balls after the break. It's a spare when you run them out in two turns. When you get a strike, your score from the next frame (both turns) are added to the previous frame. If it's a spare, you only add the points for the first turn (inning? I dont' know bowling terminology).

So if you get a strike the first frame, a 5 and a 4 the next frame, you get a 19 for the first frame and 28 (19+9)for the second frame.

If you get a spare the first frame, a 5 and a 4 the next frame, you get 15 for the first frame and 24 (15+9) for the second frame.

There are websites where you can type in your scores and it'll calculate the totals for you. HOpe this helps.
 
Hopster that's scary, I was just about to post exactly the same link! Not a bad explanation, although not sure if 3/ or 6/1 are the number of pins knocked over or standing? Hate bowling lol!

So whats the maximum from the 10 racks in pool, how many strikes do you need for 250?

I'm interested as me and a friend have just negotiated a deal at the only place in town that has 9 ball tables and I'm about to put some serious training in. Would like to see what I can do on a 9 ball table and run it by you guys? Also going to play some straight pool, see how many racks I can string together in 9 ball etc too.

Cheers

Craig
 
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