Three player games that can be handicapped

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Schwim

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Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet.

Thanks
 
Schwim said:
Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet.

Thanks
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You can play regular cutt-throat but make the higher speed player(s) remove some of their balls after the break. Makes it fairer for lesser skill levels. About the only 3-handed game other than a ring-game i've ever played.
 
One Ball

Best game I know is one ball. Send me an email and I’ll send you the rules. Spot the ball in the middle of the rail, and “break” from the kitchen. If it goes in, game over. Ball in hand on a scratch. Loser goes to the end of the line, winner keeps the table like king of the hill. Winner is who won the most games at the end of a period of time.

Lot’s of fun, everyone can play, and doesn’t take forever. You can get about 30-40 “games” in an hour.
 
You can have the strongest and weakest player pair up as a scotch doubles team, and play against the middle player who's on their own.
 
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A few years back my wife was motivated to play some pool. Just the two of us, so the game was 8-ball. I used a couple approaches the level the play. Most games, I would either play entirely with a bridge or with my opposite hand. It was good for me because it improved my skills in both regards. If that was still too strong, she was allowed to take two turns in a row , I.e., I skipped every other turn. You could do the same playing cut-throat.
 
Schwim said:
Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet.

Thanks
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Don't play your best, don't keep score.

You can find handicaps for any game, just think about it for a bit. You can have them shoot more than once, or have only 1/2 of your shots count, or you need to make more balls or shoot in order when they don't, or use one hand, or use behind back, or use a bridge, or have to shoot very fast with no warm up strokes, or aim the close your eyes to shoot, or ah.. 40 other things.

I liked playing pill pool with varying skill levels, you pick your ball at random, you pick the order at random. You make your ball it's a point from all the players, you make the other player ball you get a single point. Shoot in order 1-15. Since no one knows who has what ball it's not hard to win with making a single ball or few, unless you are playing with players that can just run out. Then you can add other handicaps like one handed or opposite hand playing or something. I played this one time at a tournament when we only got 4 players, went for a dollar a point and the worst player won the most money over about 4 games. Was lots of fun for everyone including her and she was by far the worst player that would have gotten killed in a normal set of 8 ball.
 
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I've always thought 3 ball billiards could be played three handed. One ball each; what could be simpler? Handicapping would involve required cushions - zero to eleventy.

Billiards guys would never stoop to a ring game though. :eek:
 
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Schwim said:
Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet.

Thanks
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For fun I would say cutthroat new player gets ball in hand to start every turn and middle player gets to move cue ball 6 inches to start every turn.

And most importantly celebrate everyone’s good shots and have fun!
 
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sixpack said:
For fun I would say cutthroat new player gets ball in hand to start every turn and middle player gets to move cue ball 6 inches to start every turn.

And most importantly celebrate everyone’s good shots and have fun!
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Nuther thing you can do with cuthroat is adjust the number of balls. F.I. dad gets 1 ball and goes last while mom and jr. split the rest by ability.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Don't play your best, don't keep score.
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Limit your game, keep score, and play your best. Make it competitive. Shoot left handed, Shoot one-handed. Play you have to bank all your shots. You play 1 or 2 and stop. Always play to win. Always be gracious and be a sport.
 
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straightline said:
... Billiards guys would never stoop to a ring game though. :eek:
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We used to play "fifth billiard" (3-cushion) fairly frequently. Keep score on a single string of beads. The person who scores the fifth billiard (5, 10, 15, -- the colored beads on a string) gets paid by all. If a fifth billiard is in a run of five, it pays double. Byrne also describes "box billiards" which several can play.
 
Bob Jewett said:
We used to play "fifth billiard" (3-cushion) fairly frequently. Keep score on a single string of beads. The person who scores the fifth billiard (5, 10, 15, -- the colored beads on a string) gets paid by all. If a fifth billiard is in a run of five, it pays double. Byrne also describes "box billiards" which several can play.
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Billiards with some Ebay thrown in :grin: Never seen a game like that though I've always wondered why high scoring games like straight pool and long 9/10 ball sets aren't bet in that manner. ie ahead at the checkpoints, any 10 ahead etc...
 
Schwim said:
Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet.

Thanks
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play nine ball and give the weaker players more winning balls , like 3 5 7 Play 8 ball , them vs you plus a spot if they need it , or rotation , you have 11 12 13 14 15 one of them has 1 thru 5 the other 6 thru 10 , if they are weaker make it so they only have to make 1 or 2 or 3 of their balls and they are winner tons of ways to mix these up. Or play 8 or nine ball and play if they make a ball they win , then after they beat you 3 in a row they have to make 2 3 more in a row 3 , if you beat them 3 in a row they get a ball back,
 
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Last time I played with family we played cut throat. I got 3 balls and the other two players each had 6 and I had to shoot last. We had a few games that I never even got to shoot. That is very adjustable to skill levels and number of players.:smile:
 
My daughter is 9 and I play her 8 ball giving her ball in hand every single shot. She is now getting out in 2-3 innings which makes it so I have to play my best and I can do so without making it a rout.
 
Back in the day, my old friends and I used to play 3-ball on a standard table with 6 pockets. Everyone puts a quarter in the clean ash tray. Place 3 balls on the spot -- touching each other in the form of a triangle. Each person breaks and goes until he/she makes all of the balls -- keeping track of how many shots including the break shot. Try to sink all 3 balls in the least amount of shots. If one person ties another person, then nobody wins the pot and everyone puts in another quarter to the existing pot. The winner is the person who makes all 3 balls in the least amount of turns, and that winner takes the whole pot. In terms of handicapping, just be creative; e.g., you have to bank every shot after the break; etc.
 
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Schwim said:
Anyone have any recommendations for games that can be played with the wife and a kid that is new to pool? We've been playing "Blind" which is a cutthroat game that uses playing cards and 3-man 8, but I would like to try to handicap the games. Any recommendations (spot them, etc) or new games we can try? Just got components for pea pool but haven't tried the game yet. - Thanks
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SCHWIM, you still looking for game(s)?
 
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