One Pocket ring game

arluk3

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Joined
Mar 29, 2019
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2
Please forgive me if this has already been tried, but I think it would be fun to have ring games in one pocket. The format is similar to "liability snooker". Here are some rules:

1) roll a die or flip coins to establish shooting order at start of EACH frame.

2) first shooter chooses a corner pocket and starts game (spotting any ball made on break).

3) second shooter shoots at the other corner pocket. Third player shoots at the first pocket, etc. Nothing tricky here. The target pocket simply keeps alternating as it would in a heads-up match, whether the number of players is even or odd. If the number of players is odd, a player will be switching pockets with each trip to the table. If even, he keeps the same pocket.

4) if a shooter sells out and the next shooter makes X number of balls, the one who sold out pays the guy who pocketed the balls. For example, if the game is set up for $20/ball and you make 3 balls, the guy before you pays you $60. The game is over when all of the 15 balls are pocketed.

5) if you scratch or foul, you put money in a pot. The shooter who pockets the last ball on the table gets the pot.

6) the game can be handicapped by having a strong player spot a ball(s) to the field. The strong player spots balls when he is done shooting. The game can also be handicapped by having a strong player "make 2 and stop", or 3, or whatever. Perhaps the entire field should play by "make X number and stop" so that one person can't run the table (?).

I hope some of you try this and report back on your impressions. Maybe it will catch on!
 

poolandpokerman

Verified Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
70
ring game

ring game

Sounds interesting, not for me though, I can't remember which pocket is mine when I have the same pocket all game. I can see me shooting at the wrong pocket a lot in this ring game.
Tom
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,283
From
New Hampshire
Please forgive me if this has already been tried, but I think it would be fun to have ring games in one pocket. The format is similar to "liability snooker". Here are some rules:

1) roll a die or flip coins to establish shooting order at start of EACH frame.

2) first shooter chooses a corner pocket and starts game (spotting any ball made on break).

3) second shooter shoots at the other corner pocket. Third player shoots at the first pocket, etc. Nothing tricky here. The target pocket simply keeps alternating as it would in a heads-up match, whether the number of players is even or odd. If the number of players is odd, a player will be switching pockets with each trip to the table. If even, he keeps the same pocket.

4) if a shooter sells out and the next shooter makes X number of balls, the one who sold out pays the guy who pocketed the balls. For example, if the game is set up for $20/ball and you make 3 balls, the guy before you pays you $60. The game is over when all of the 15 balls are pocketed.

5) if you scratch or foul, you put money in a pot. The shooter who pockets the last ball on the table gets the pot.

6) the game can be handicapped by having a strong player spot a ball(s) to the field. The strong player spots balls when he is done shooting. The game can also be handicapped by having a strong player "make 2 and stop", or 3, or whatever. Perhaps the entire field should play by "make X number and stop" so that one person can't run the table (?).

I hope some of you try this and report back on your impressions. Maybe it will catch on!
I looked up some notes I made to myself a few years ago, about the idea for a One Pocket ring game. Some of what you had, I had also -- especially the obvious part about each shooter in turn has the opposite hole from what the last player had. I also wondered about a bonus for making the last ball -- which you have in place.

One thing I was toying with was the idea of each player starting with a token. They can use that token basically to challenge the player that follows them, in a knock out sort of manner. So if the shooter thinks they can lay down a killer trap, then they can throw down their token before they play their shot, and if the next shooter "sells out" a shot then.... a couple different possibilities lol. Knockout -- an extra payoff, etc. But what you have, with rule #4 might take care of that anyway.

I do think maybe the first time players go through, you might need to play X and stop, because you know how the first few shots after the break can go -- big time opportunities can come up early like that and if you are multi-handed 5-6 players or whatever, then somebody basically capitalizing on the strength of the break could mop up before players down the line even shoot. You would definitely want to be the "third player" and not the "second player"!! But maybe only the first time through... Or first time through 1 and safe, second time through 2 and safe, etc.until it didn't matter lol.
 

Winship

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Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
1
How do you balance a game like that though? Seems hard to balance to me, but I might be missing something.
 

arluk3

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Joined
Mar 29, 2019
Messages
2
How do you balance a game like that though? Seems hard to balance to me, but I might be missing something.

Balance could be tricky, but careful pre-game woofing should make for an even game. I think the level of betting should remain low enough so that nobody gets burned too badly. Ring games in 9-ball are a lot of fun, and I think one pocket deserves the same kind of action. As for forgetting which pocket to shoot at, a player leaving the table could move a bean bag (or other marker) to the next pocket.
 
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