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

[fjk]

The locals in Binghamton, NY used to play Razzle a lot. Also known as Chicago I believe. Whoever made the 1 ball was partner with whoever made the 9 ball, you could shoot any ball and have it count as long as you MOVED the lowest numbered ball on the table. Win the game with 61 points. Other rules I can't recall at the moment. I think Bob Jewett or Bob Byrne had an article in Billiards Digest years ago about a game called 2 Ball. I have it printed out somewhere.

Razzle is a fun, interesting gambling game. Here's a little more explanation:

-You play by the numbers on the balls (the 1 ball is worth 1 point, the 10 ball is worth 10 points...etc.). When you (or you and your partner) get 61 points, you win three "ways". So if you're playing for $5 per way, getting 61 points or more is worth $15.

-The following balls are "money balls", in other words, each is worth one "way": 5, 8, 10 & 15. So if you get 61 points or more, and all the money balls, you get seven "ways" (or $35 at $5 per way).

-Every time someone doesn't move the lowest ball on the table, they have to "feed the kitty". That means put whatever they were playing for in the "pot". At $5 per way, not moving the lowest ball on the table cost you $5. If you don't move the lowest ball on the table and scratch, that's a double ($10). The winner(s) split whatever is in the pot at the end of every rack. If there are safeties involved in a game, the pot can get pretty big.

-If we pot money balls, those are worth money to you whether you win game or not. So if you pot the 5 and 10 ball for example, you have two ways. Whoever wins the game gets 3 ways plus the 8 and 15 ball = 5 ways. Minus your two ways for the 5 and 10 ball means you owe them three ways so at $5 per way, $15.

-It can be played with 2, 3 or 4 players. With four players who can have a partner. Partners change every rack. Whoever sinks the one ball is partner with whoever sinks the 5 ball. If someone have the 1 and 5, they are partners with whoever sinks the 8 ball...and so on with all the money balls. If someone runs the rack, they win 7 ways from all three players (at $5 per way, that's $35 per person plus whatever is in the pot). So $105 plus per rack.

-I would guess running a rack or razzle is about 50% more difficult than running a rack of 10 ball.

-Whoever is shooting last when the game is done breaks next game. Everyone else draws pills for the shooting order.

Try that game, you will love it. If not, let me know how much you lost and I'll reimburse you.

 

[Black-Balled]

Razzle is a fun, interesting gambling game. Here's a little more explanation:

-You play by the numbers on the balls (the 1 ball is worth 1 point, the 10 ball is worth 10 points...etc.). When you (or you and your partner) get 61 points, you win three "ways". So if you're playing for $5 per way, getting 61 points or more is worth $15.

-The following balls are "money balls", in other words, each is worth one "way": 5, 8, 10 & 15. So if you get 61 points or more, and all the money balls, you get seven "ways" (or $35 at $5 per way).

-Every time someone doesn't move the lowest ball on the table, they have to "feed the kitty". That means put whatever they were playing for in the "pot". At $5 per way, not moving the lowest ball on the table cost you $5. If you don't move the lowest ball on the table and scratch, that's a double ($10). The winner(s) split whatever is in the pot at the end of every rack. If there are safeties involved in a game, the pot can get pretty big.

-If we pot money balls, those are worth money to you whether you win game or not. So if you pot the 5 and 10 ball for example, you have two ways. Whoever wins the game gets 3 ways plus the 8 and 15 ball = 5 ways. Minus your two ways for the 5 and 10 ball means you owe them three ways so at $5 per way, $15.

-It can be played with 2, 3 or 4 players. With four players who can have a partner. Partners change every rack. Whoever sinks the one ball is partner with whoever sinks the 5 ball. If someone have the 1 and 5, they are partners with whoever sinks the 8 ball...and so on with all the money balls. If someone runs the rack, they win 7 ways from all three players (at $5 per way, that's $35 per person plus whatever is in the pot). So $105 plus per rack.

-I would guess running a rack or razzle is about 50% more difficult than running a rack of 10 ball.

-Whoever is shooting last when the game is done breaks next game. Everyone else draws pills for the shooting order.

Try that game, you will love it. If not, let me know how much you lost and I'll reimburse you.

That's a lot of instructions and things to remember, but I skipped to the end and I'm in. Who are we playing?

 

[middleofnowhere]

I used to play a lot of Cribbage.
Lots of pill pool and any kind of ring game. Pill Pool and Ring games were great, they could go on for days in a 24 hour place.
When I was in high school I played in a pill pool game on weekends. It started on Friday night and went to Sunday every weekend. There were also games during the week as well but guys had to go to work. Not big money and dozens of players would wander through the game. I was a long hauler, I could play for days and would take a lot of money out of those games till they eventualy barred me. These were mostly older guys and I was young and getting better and better.

 

[GoldCrown]

One Ball in the corner. Any ball any pocket ...game ends when you pocket the One in your pocket. Call your shots. Played this in Phila in the 60's.

 

[fjk]

One Ball in the corner. Any ball any pocket ...game ends when you pocket the One in your pocket. Call your shots. Played this in Phila in the 60's.

I assume the 1 goes in the middle of the rack and you start off with a rotation-like break? Do you have to call the corner before you break? Does your opponent automatically get the other bottom corner?

 

[fjk]

I used to play a lot of Cribbage.
Lots of pill pool and any kind of ring game. Pill Pool and Ring games were great, they could go on for days in a 24 hour place.
When I was in high school I played in a pill pool game on weekends. It started on Friday night and went to Sunday every weekend. There were also games during the week as well but guys had to go to work. Not big money and dozens of players would wander through the game. I was a long hauler, I could play for days and would take a lot of money out of those games till they eventually barred me. These were mostly older guys and I was young and getting better and better.

Pill pool was a blast. It added a lot of luck and you need a good poker face to not give away your number. Lots of laughs in that game. I miss it.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Pill pool was a blast. It added a lot of luck and you need a good poker face to not give away your number. Lots of laughs in that game. I miss it.

Pill pool was so popular every pool room had them. I wonder what happened? Everybody loved it but you never see it anymore. It was 100 percent a gambling game. We played a game called Crazy 8 and sometimes One shot Harrigan but there are a number of games you can play.

 

[Tooler]

15 ball rotation. Non American(Pinoy) rules

I love that game.

 

[JazzyJeff87]

15 ball rotation. Non American(Pinoy) rules

I love that game.

This is what I practice almost all the time now. I finally got someone to play it with me the other day.

There’s some safety rules mentioned online that I hadn’t picked up from watching play. And I remember Efren explaining some rule about what you can do if you don’t have clear line of sight on a ball but I don’t remember it all now.

Maybe that was on a TAR podcast

 

[Tooler]

This is what I practice almost all the time now. I finally got someone to play it with me the other day.

There’s some safety rules mentioned online that I hadn’t picked up from watching play. And I remember Efren explaining some rule about what you can do if you don’t have clear line of sight on a ball but I don’t remember it all now.

Maybe that was on a TAR podcast

If you would rather not attempt the shot, you can pass the shot back to your opponent. He gets ball in hand behind the headstring, and the object ball gets spotted. This is great strategy when there are adjoining balls near, or on the spot. He doesn't get the option, you do.
If you are coming to the table AFTER a foul, you get the option of taking the table as is, or spot the ball, and take BIH behind the line.

If nothing else, you will get better at spot shots, or pay the price. Lots of different types of safety play.
Kicking at the object ball is a biggie.
Nothing has to touch a rail after contact on kicks.(I believe this is correct).

 

[Pushout]

Only way I could get this to post as pdf. By George Fels.

 

[Chicagoplayer]

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?

 

[bbb]

3 balls on the spot
Break from the kitchen
We both need 2
One pocket

 

[briankenobi]

My friend and I have played 3 person 8 ball before, which is fun. There is a game we play called heart breaker. You score a point if you can get the person behind you to foul. So no ball pocketing. We also play bobbleball. It is a target game similar to snooker that utilized an egg shaped pool ball.

 

[mrpiper]

Can you tell more about this? Thanks

 

[WoodyJ]

3 ball with a nail. Stand a nail (med. size -- preferably with a large thin flat head) in the middle of the 3 balls after racking.

If you knock the nail over when you are shooting, subtract one stroke.

Also, works well as a prop bet. Bet someone that they can't knock the nail over when they break from the kitchen. Then bet them that they can't break and knock the nail over from anywhere on the table with ball in hand. (Placing the cue ball frozen to the rack and doing a push shot through the rack doesn't count.)

 

[WoodyJ]

My friend and I have played 3 person 8 ball before, which is fun. There is a game we play called heart breaker. You score a point if you can get the person behind you to foul. So no ball pocketing. We also play bobbleball. It is a target game similar to snooker that utilized an egg shaped pool ball.

How does one play 3 person 8 ball? There are 14 balls other than the 8 ball and 14 doesn't divide equally by 3.

 

[WoodyJ]

I also like playing 7-ball. You can buy a special 7 ball with a stripe and a special 7 ball rack. But, it's easy enough to learn how to use a regular rack and just use any striped ball in place of a special striped 7. After the break, the non-breaker gets to choose which side of the table they want to pocket the 7 ball in (the opponent gets the other side).

How to play 7-ball:

​

 

[briankenobi]

How does one play 3 person 8 ball? There are 14 balls other than the 8 ball and 14 doesn't divide equally by 3.

I have a couple pool ball sets that are three different colors and then a black ball for the 8 ball. Its kinda like cut throat but instead of pocketing everyone elses balls, you pocket your 5 balls and then the black ball. Here is where you can get those ball sets.

Bobble Ball Egg Shaped Billiard Ball Pool Table Game

Bobble Ball Egg Shaped Billiard Ball Provides Pool Table Games For Players Of All Ages. Play 8-Ball And 9-Ball With A Cue Stick Or Play Hand Billiard Bowling Game And Roll Balls By Hand, Also Offering Markue Kicking And Banking Cue, Custom Cut Throat And Elimination Sets, Custom Pool Balls.

www.bobbleball.com

 

[garczar]

I also like playing 7-ball. You can buy a special 7 ball with a stripe and a special 7 ball rack. But, it's easy enough to learn how to use a regular rack and just use any striped ball in place of a special striped 7. After the break, the non-breaker gets to choose which side of the table they want to pocket the 7 ball in (the opponent gets the other side).

How to play 7-ball:

​

We played that some back in the 80's when it was on tv. Its ok but its too much like 9ball. You can play 9b same way if you want.