Fifteen Ball & Forty One

Fifteen Ball- The billiards game of fifteen ball is perfect for the beginning billiards enthusiast, even though the more experienced player will still have a better chance of winning. Fifteen ball uses an easy scoring system that is as simple as pocketing a ball means you get the combined point total of the balls you pocket. So if you pocket the seven and nine balls then you get 16 points, but if you don’t pocket any you don’t get any points and it is your opponents turn to step up.

The balls should be racked at random with the 15 ball sitting at the foot spot and must pocket a ball to continue shooting. There is no demand to call a shot or make special caroms or kisses, just make the shot that is going to result in the greatest point total for you. Fouling or illegally pocketing a ball means that your turn to shoot is over and your opponent is able to step up and take the shot. Quite simply, the shooter with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Forty One- The game of forty one is perfect for parties and groups of players to play because of the secret and strategic value of the game. It works by putting 15 numbers, 1 through 15 in a bottle and each player selects a number before the game begins. That number, or “pea” as it is sometimes called remains the sole private possession of the shooter and will be combined with numbered balls to total forty one for the player to be considered the winner of the game.

Since the numbers are kept private the game is nearly impossible to play with a defensive strategy unless you can figure it out by gauging what the player is aiming for. This gives the game an almost poker like feel since you don’t know what the other player has or what they are going for. Another difference from normal billiards games is that even if the shooter pockets a ball or two his or her turn is over, only one turn per inning. The first player to total forty one by combining his or her “pea” with his or her pocketed balls wins the game!