What Non Traditional / Alternative Games and Sets Do You Enjoy and Play?

M

mrpiper

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I currently own several "Specialty" sets.
1> Crown Games Poker Set: Very fun and challenging game when friends are over. Black Jack is the favorite of about 10 cool games
2> Cue Mate Chess/Pool Set: Surprisingly Challenging but most of my friends are too lazy to learn it. Honestly this is one of my FAVORITE games and I wish I had someone near by who enjoyed playing it regularly.
3> Scrabble Ball Set: Worthless... but I bought 2 sets and put them out on my rack to spell stuff in my Man Cave like... "Rackem" or "I Make The Rules", "Merry Christmas", "No Cussing" (totally innefective)
4> 29 Color Set: EVERYONE should own as many of these as they can get their hands on just because you can make up so many games and mix and match them with other sets. I have 3. I got them from Chuck Jones here on the forum and he is a true advocate of the game and great to do business with.
5> Table Bowl set of pins with rack: Use a black cue ball and shoot from the foot to the head and back to the pins to make it challenging. My family REALLY enjoys this game.
6> Golf: I found a really nice set of 18 formations for "Golf on a Pool Table" as a PDF and it is very fun and a GREAT way to warm up before playing matches.
8> 21 Ball "Baseball" set and scorecard: Sort of a crazy version of straight pool but where the NUMBER on the ball is the points for pocketing that ball. A really fun game but score keeping requires an accounting degree!

Am I the only one who plays and enjoys these other types of games? What others do you have that are fun?
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've played Bowlliards a bunch of times and like that game. I think it's really good for newer players also due to the small number of balls on the table and ability to shoot at any ball. We were talking about setting up a league using that game but unfortunately the person that was also interested it getting it going got sick and is not active in the room anymore. Now that I'm thinking about it, I may try something for a single tournament as a trial run for that game, or use it as a teaching tool along with playing the ghost to track progress.
 
boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
My favorite non traditional game is StarBall. There's an album on Imgur, I think it might be someone on here who posted it.

Very fun game and can be played with normal stripes and solids if you don't have the set. It's hard to explain but the album has the instructions on it. A very fun and strategic game.
 
G

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
None for me thanks. I guess they might be ok in a party setting but that's about it imo.
 
S

Swighey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Purple Five Ball is the game!

Ok, seriously: Twin rotation - 8 ball but you have to pot either the solids or stripes in numerical order and then the 8. You miss and your opponent has the same choice. The beauty of the game is it very much "unsolved".
 
M

mrpiper

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Swighey said:
Purple Five Ball is the game!

Ok, seriously: Twin rotation - 8 ball but you have to pot either the solids or stripes in numerical order and then the 8. You miss and your opponent has the same choice. The beauty of the game is it very much "unsolved".
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Yes this is also called "Saratoga" I believe and a special set of solid 1-6 and stripe 1-6 numbers with a black end ball and a cue ball. If you throw in the purple 5 ball it would be an even better ending! :)
 
M

mrpiper

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boogieman said:
My favorite non traditional game is StarBall. There's an album on Imgur, I think it might be someone on here who posted it.

Very fun game and can be played with normal stripes and solids if you don't have the set. It's hard to explain but the album has the instructions on it. A very fun and strategic game.
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting the album link. StarBall is a fun game. I don't own the set, but have played the game with existing balls and some coin markers.
 
S

Swighey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mrpiper said:
Yes this is also called "Saratoga" I believe and a special set of solid 1-6 and stripe 1-6 numbers with a black end ball and a cue ball. If you throw in the purple 5 ball it would be an even better ending! :)
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Yes, but the difference is that whenever you start your turn you can shoot either the lowest stripe or solid and then attempt to run out in order. It makes leaves even more important when you miss.

Maybe a purple 8 would save pool.
 
M

mrpiper

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Or maybe this one! :)
Stripe 8 Ball.jpg
 
C

cjl0s

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
banks, honolulu, cowboy, pea pool, snooker games on my snooker table, bottle pool. I got the snooker table to play these non traditional games rather than 8 ball and 9 ball. I am interested in one pocket but cannot get people to play it.
 
Fatboy

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
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Renegade_56 said:
One pocket for me. Love it, and actually have played it on snooker table with 2 1/4 inch balls.
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We used to play that with those balls on the 10’ American snooker box. Not many 8 & out’s on those tables. Tried it on a 12’ box, was horrible.
 
HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fatboy said:
We used to play that with those balls on the 10’ American snooker box. Not many 8 & out’s on those tables. Tried it on a 12’ box, was horrible.
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I played Youngblood 9-ball on a snooker table using regular size pool balls when I was a teen.

I think he won a few hundred bucks.
 
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Imotv8u

Imotv8u

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
cjl0s said:
banks, honolulu, cowboy, pea pool, snooker games on my snooker table, bottle pool. I got the snooker table to play these non traditional games rather than 8 ball and 9 ball. I am interested in one pocket but cannot get people to play it.
Click to expand...
One pocket on a snooker table is fun.
 
Saturated Fats

Saturated Fats

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Been playing this game once in a while for the past few years. The rules below are from Willie Jopling who promoted the game a lot.

BILLIARD POOL, KISS POOL or LOOP​

Billiard Pool is played on a pocket billiard table and should not be confused with Billiards. Its common name is Kiss Pool. This game may be played like straight pool to fifty or one-hundred points or like one pocket with the winner making eight balls out of a rack of fifteen. Loop is pool spelled backwards.

Object of Game: To strike an object ball with your cue stick and carom it off the cue ball and into a pocket. You must call the pocket for each shot. The numbered ball you strike with your cue stick is the only ball you can score with. You may shoot any numbered ball on the table.

Setup: The cue ball and fourteen numbered balls are racked at the foot of the table with the cue ball in the rack on the foot spot. The fifteenth ball is then placed on the head spot and used as a break ball. When playing a point game such as fifty or one-hundred points, all fifteen balls are pocketed. Then the balls are re-racked as before and the shooter has the break shot to continue his run. Each break shot is always off the head spot. The total of the scores in each rack add up to fifteen.

Break: The break is to the advantage and the breaker caroms the break ball off the cue ball into one of the comer pockets at the foot of the table. The breaker continues to carom numbered balls off the cue ball until he either misses or scratches. Then it is your turn at the table and you may shoot any numbered ball calling the pocket for each shot.

Scratches: Generally, Straight Pool rules apply, You scratch if you: pocket the cue ball; do not hit the cue ball; fail to hit a rail or pocket the object ball; jump the cue ball off the table. If you scratch and make a ball on the same shot you spot the one you made and you lose one for the scratch. When your opponent scratches the cue ball into the pocket it is spotted and you may shoot any numbered ball on the table.

Additional Rules: The cue ball is always spotted on or behind the foot spot. All numbered balls are spotted on or ahead of the head spot. The numbered ball you strike with your cue stick is the only ball you can score with. All shots must go in clean as in Bank Pool. Kisses or combinations do not count. However, double kisses on the cue ball are allowed only if they are called. Any stray balls pocketed from the force of the cue ball are spotted after each inning. Each ball legally pocketed is one point.

Scoring: Playing a point game like Straight Pool you are penalized a ball for each scratch or foul. Should you make a ball and scratch you spot the ball you made and take one off your score for the scratch. If you scratch without making a ball you just take one off your score. In the first rack you must keep track of your scratches and take them off your score at the end of that rack. When playing by the rack like One Pocket and you scratch you must spot the ball you made (if you made one) plus a ball for the scratch. This keeps the total scores at fifteen.

Local rule: Two points to bank a ball in.

We usually play this game last because it leaves chalk on the object balls.
 
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