Unusual methods of keeping score?

fd_colorado

fd_colorado

Go Pack Go!!!
Silver Member
l use an abacus.

My wife won't let me put up a scoring string (or clocks with billiard balls, or pictures of dogs playing cards for that matter) in our living room.

Does anybody have any unusual methods of keeping score? Any electronic methods?
 
The Europeans, haha. They keep score by keeping track of the number of balls left on the table after they miss. I'm serious.

- Steve

P.S. Sorry, it's been at least a year since I complained about this :).
 
Table Counters in Display Case

I purchased two replacement counters that would go on the short rail of a table. Then built a case with face at 45 degree angle and mounted the counters in the display case. I keep that in my pooll room on a shelf.
For what it's is worth.
 
If you have an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, then there is an app for that. 14.1 Scorekeeper is free, and written by a fellow AZ poster.
 
fd_colorado said:
l use an abacus.

My wife won't let me put up a scoring string (or clocks with billiard balls, or pictures of dogs playing cards for that matter) in our living room.

Does anybody have any unusual methods of keeping score? Any electronic methods?
Click to expand...
\

One of the nice things about a Gold Crown is the scoring thingy wheels on the foot side of the table.
 
Paper and a pen for me. Tick marks for points, separate section below for marking penalties. I like the mounted counter idea, but if I had a table at home, I'd have a string, wife's opinion be damned haha!!
 
Easiest way would be a scoresheet like we use it in Germany

Just a paper and a pen and you're done. The sheet tells you the highrun, the balls per inning and of course the result
 
Steve Lipsky said:
The Europeans, haha. They keep score by keeping track of the number of balls left on the table after they miss. I'm serious.

- Steve

P.S. Sorry, it's been at least a year since I complained about this :).
Click to expand...

I was taught to keep two scores, a rack score and a match score. Is this what they do?

If so, what is a better way?
 
Cameron Smith said:
I was taught to keep two scores, a rack score and a match score. Is this what they do?

If so, what is a better way?
Click to expand...

Hi Cameron. Rack scores and match scores are the American (and more intuitive) way of keeping the results. The only thing this method fails at a bit is keeping track of runs.

The Europeans keep track of the run, by noting how many balls were on the table after each inning. So if player A misses after making 5, he'd write down 10 (and only 10 - he's not writing 5 anywhere). Thus, the incoming player will always know where in the rack he was when he began his run. However, the only way to accomplish this is to not have two separate counts (rack and match) like the Americans. In other words, in the example above, those 5 points the player made at the beginning of the rack would be added instantly to his total score, even in the middle of the frame.

While the American way isn't great at keeping track of the run, the European way is difficult to backtrack out of if a mistake is made at any point. And in frames where there are multiple misses/safes, it is confusing as well.

- Steve
 
Steve Lipsky said:
Hi Cameron. Rack scores and match scores are the American (and more intuitive) way of keeping the results. The only thing this method fails at a bit is keeping track of runs.

The Europeans keep track of the run, by noting how many balls were on the table after each inning. So if player A misses after making 5, he'd write down 10 (and only 10 - he's not writing 5 anywhere). Thus, the incoming player will always know where in the rack he was when he began his run. However, the only way to accomplish this is to not have two separate counts (rack and match) like the Americans. In other words, in the example above, those 5 points the player made at the beginning of the rack would be added instantly to his total score, even in the middle of the frame.

While the American way isn't great at keeping track of the run, the European way is difficult to backtrack out of if a mistake is made at any point. And in frames where there are multiple misses/safes, it is confusing as well.

- Steve
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty convoluted.

To the OP, I use my cell phone. I just open up a text box and set up two scores, it's works better than having just about anything else.
 
Keeping score

The wheel counter like GC have and my table are a great way to keep score. The total score would be kept on the right and the rack score is kept on the left.
The only problem with the wheel counter built into the table and I have seen this happen. A player can easily move the number wheel by mistake as they take a shot from the rail. If you are not paying attention to the score, it can cause a big problem.
I think that the bead counters on a wire are the best way to keep score. Each rack is kept in the center and then moved over at the end of the rack for the total.
A total run count can be counted as long as you remember what your total score was before the start of your new inning.
As for paper & pen. No problem as long as you go by rack by rack in each inning.
 
Coins under the rail. That lets you run balls and work on your base-18 math skills at the same time.
 
I used to use the scoring wheels at the end of the table, but more recently we've gone to pen and paper. In theory you could keep track of innings and high runs easier on paper.
 
Yeah, since i play alone, coin under the rail or one bead on the string moved over representing every rack run is how i keep track.
 
The only way I was taught and the only way I know is keeping scoring by subtraction.

For example:

After the opening break I run 4 balls, I would write -4 on the bottom of the sheet and a 4 in the score box for that inning.

My opponent then runs 7 balls off the table. They would write -11 next to the -4 since there are 11 balls removed from the table, 11-4=7, they would write 7 in their score box for that inning.

Is this a common way of keeping score? I haven't played the game all that long so I really don't know.
 
beads all the way

Beads are the only way to go. They are instantly visible to all players and tell you where you are in every rack. I have a set of beads in my house and use them all the time. Now if I only had a table.
 
fd_colorado said:
l use an abacus.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea. Do you use the Chinese or Japanese version? I was once modestly proficient with the Japanese soroban, and could use the Chinese suanpan well enough for my purposes (hexadecimal arithmetic). It never occurred to me to use one for keeping score, but I really like the idea.
 
TSW said:
Coins under the rail. That lets you run balls and work on your base-18 math skills at the same time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but after the 3rd or 4th lap it gets confusing. "Now, am I on run of 756 or 1,008? Hmmmmm..." ;)
 
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