Bottle Pool & Bowlliards

Bottle Pool- The billiards game of bottle pool requires some imagination, a lot of skill, and an empty beverage container or shaker bottle. The bottle, either a leather or plastic container is more or less an obstacle in the middle of this billiards course which is meant to be a game of extreme skill. The cue ball is set up on the far right of the billiards table slightly overbalanced to one side, the bottle is placed in the middle, and the only two balls used are the 1 and 2 balls set up against the far wall at opposite ends.

Scoring in the game consists of points being given for each numbered ball being pocketed and a combination of points for more difficult, caromed shots off of the wall. The opening shooter continues his/her inning until a foul or illegally pocketed ball is performed or 31 total points are scored, which ends the game. The cue ball must contact an object ball before the bottle is contacted or the shot is a foul, if the bottle is disturbed then it is up to the rules set before the game by the players to decide whether to play it in its new position or reset it.

Bowlliards- The billiards game of bowlliards has an obvious reference to bowling in the name, but the game is even more similar. Bowlliards is one of the few billiards games that can be played without needing a partner or a competing shooter. Since there is a possibility of a perfect score in bowling it makes the game ideal for individuals, just like the game of bowlliards. The ten billiards balls are set in a 1-2-3-4 diamond rack before breaking, but any balls pocketed from the breaking shot are re-spotted.

The shooter then gets to continue shooting in an inning, or bowling “frame”, until he/she fouls, illegally pockets a ball, or achieves a score of 10. The score of 10 is the highest possible in a frame of bowlliards, meaning since the balls don’t have a point value that the shooter must pocket all ten balls without fouling or illegally pocketing a ball. If the shooter pockets all ten balls in a frame, given only the two attempts per frame that a bowler gets, then he/she is done and moves on to the next bowlliards frame.