Century - A Snooker Variant for 2-8 Players

In my infinite quest for little known cue sports I stumbled upon this Pakistani Snooker variant called Century.

Much like Sinuca Brasileira, Century only uses one copy of the red ball. Unlike Sinuca Brasileira, the red is re-spotted any time it is pocketed.

I'm struggling to find any rules references for this game other than an archived copy of snookergames.co.uk and this one video:

From what I gather about the game, the exact rules vary from community to community, so this is just one interpretation of the rules.

If I got any details wrong, feel free to comment.

Materials & Setup

To play this game you need

• A Snooker table (though some sources simply say "billiards table")
• 1 red Snooker ball + the other six colours

Interestingly, you are not allowed to use rests for this game, but extra long cues are okay.

The table is set up just like regular Snooker, except the red ball is spotted (and then later re-spotted) half-way between the blue and the pink.

Note that in some variants of the game, the red ball is placed behind the black up against the foot cushion.

 The Game

The aim of the game is to score exactly 100 points without going over.
Exceeding 100 points is a 10 point foul, deducting 10 points from your score.

All pocketed balls are immediately re-spotted, including the red ball.

The Break

The break is the same as in regular Snooker. Simply place the cue-ball in the D and shoot for the red ball.

Structure

Like Snooker, the game is played in innings, whereby a player keeps on playing as long as they score points.

No player can score any points until they become "open". To become open, a player must pocket the red ball at 0 points once, After that, the red ball becomes worth 10 points, and the player can then freely choose between any of the other balls.

Failing to pocket the red ball when not open results in a foul. 

Missing a shot ends the current player's inning and passes the turn to the next player.

It is also not permissible to shoot the same ball more than three times in a row. The streak must be broken up.

Scoring

The balls are worth the following amount of points:

• Red: 0 (before open), 10 (when open), 1 (at 99)
  
• Yellow: 2
  
• Green: 3
  
• Brown: 4
  
• Blue: 5
  
• Pink: 6
  
• Black: 7

The colours are all worth their usual amount of points except the red, which starts off worthless, then becomes worth 10 points. If a player then reaches 99 points, the red ball's value decreases down to 1 point to make it possible to win.

Fouls

I haven't been able to find any clear definitive answer as to what exactly constitutes a foul in this game. Break From Life's video on the topic suggests that any missed shot is a foul. But that would mean the game has no safety shots. snookergames.co.uk doesn't elaborate on what a foul is either. Going by Break From Life's video as the root assumption, here are the foul shots and their point values:

Foul points are deducted from the player who fouled. This is different from regular Snooker where they are awarded to the opponent(s). This does mean it is possible to go below 0.

• Failing to pocket red: -10 points
• Failing to pocket yellow: -2 points
• Failing to pocket green: -3 points
  
• Failing to pocket brown: -4 points
• Failing to pocket blue: -5 points
• Failing to pocket pink: -6 points
• Failing to pocket black: -7 points
• Going above 100 points: -10 points 
• Shooting the same ball a 4th consecutive time: value of the ball
  
• Other typical Snooker fouls: -10 points or whatever the value of the touched ball was.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as someone scores their 100th and final point. That player is then declared the winner.

Variants

Variant 1

A Pakistani commenter on Break From Life's video states that in their circles, all one has to do to become "open" is to simply touch the red ball, not pocket it.

Variant 2

According to a commenter on Break From Life's video, another mentod of playing the game is to play it like a regular Snooker game, where a red must be pocketed between every colour. 

In this variant, the red is worth 1 point like normal, but is re-spotted every time it's pocketed like in the rules above. The aim is still to reach 100 points exactly.

Sources

• https://web.archive.org/web/20210927005548/http://snookergames.co.uk/games15.html
• https://youtu.be/mvhy5O4_HsM?si=sfFCb77SPL3jGxGo
  

Homebrew Game: 1-7-1 Rotation Pool

As one might expect from a blog writing about obscure billaird games, I was bound to make my own.

Here's a game that started out as a Nine-Ball Pool variant that incorporates the rules of Brazilian Snooker. I call it 1-7-1 Rotation Pool, so named after its board setup.

The game came about from me being unhappy about how easy it can be to win in Nine-Ball if you get a lucky break, as it is possible to pot the 9-ball in the first shot if the balls lay favourably.

In 1-7-1 Rotation you must go through all of the balls sequentially (kinda).

Anyway, without further ado, here's the rules.

Materials & Setup

To play 1-7-1 Rotation you need

• A Pool table
• All the balls needed to play Nine-Ball.
  That is, Pool balls numbered 1 to 9 plus a cue ball.

To set up the game, place the 9-ball on the head spot, the 1-ball on the foot spot, and the remaining 7 balls randomly in a "flower pattern" (a central ball surrounded on all sides) with the centre ball on the centre spot, like so:

One at the head, seven in the middle, one at the foot. One seven one. The name of the game.

To rack up the seven centre balls, you can use a regular Nine-Ball rack:

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

 

Game set up at our local billiards club

The Game

The object of the game is to score more points than your opponent by slowly and methodically clearing the balls off the table.

Unlike Nine-Ball, there's no money ball in this game. The game doesn't end as soon as the 9-ball is pocketed. Instead, the structure is much more similar to Snooker.

In fact, the game itself plays almost exactly like Brazilian Snooker albeit with more balls and higher point values.

The Break

To break, the starting player (chosen by whatever means) places the cue-ball in the kitchen, the area at the head of the table behind the baulk line.

This player then has to shoot the 1-ball and try to scatter the balls in the middle without

a) Snookering the opponent and
b) pocketing anything.

Snookering someone simply means to put the other player in such a position that they don't have a clear shot at the ball-on (which after the break is the 1-ball).

If the break failed, the other player may either play the table from there or request a redo.

If the break fails thrice in a row, the opponent is awarded 9 points and play simply continues from there.

Structure

The game is played in frames, similar to Snooker, where a player continues playing so long as they are pocketing a valid ball.

On a player's turn they may choose between two different types of shot.

A "safe shot" and a "hazard shot" (known as a "free shot" and a "penalty shot" in Brazilian Snooker).

Play continues until all the balls are eliminated from the table. The winner is whoever has the most points.

Safe Shot

In a safe shot, the current active player tries to pocket the current ball-on, the lowest numbered ball on the table.

If they fail to pocket this ball, the frame simply ends and the turn is passed to the other player.

If they successfully pocket that ball, they score the ball's printed value in points. They then have to make a "bonus shot" (more on this later).

If the bonus shot succeeds, the active player then again has a choice between a safe shot and a hazard shot.

Hazard Shot

A hazard shot is risky. Instead of trying to pocket the ball on, the active player can nominate any other ball on the table as well as a pocket for it to enter. This nominated ball becomes the ball-on for the shot (important for fouls).

Failing to make this shot either by missing the pocket or pocketing it in the wrong pocket is a foul.

If the shot succeeds, the active player is awarded the ball's printed value in points, the ball is re-spotted, and then the active player is forced to make a safe shot.

Bonus Shot

The bonus shot is structured in the same exact way as a hazard shot, in that the active player nominates a ball and a hole.

The only difference is that failing to pocket the ball on the bonus shot does not constitute a foul.

Re-Spotting

Any ball that is pocketed either by mistake or as a result of a bonus or hazard shot is re-spotted.

To re-spot a ball, place it on the spot that is furthest away from the cue-ball.
If that spot is occupied, place it on the spot second-furthest away from the cue-ball.
If that spot is also occupied, place it on the closest spot.
Lastly, if that spot is also occupied, place it as close to the farthest spot as possible.

Scoring

Points are awarded according to the printed values on the balls. That is to say, the 1-ball is worth 1 point, the 2-ball is worth 2 points, and so on.

The maximum number of points a player can score (based on a rough back of the envelope calculation) is 189 points.

Fouls

Committing a foul always rewards the opponent the value of the current ball-on.

Fouls include

• Pocketing the wrong numbered ball (it is re-spotted).
• Failing a hazard shot in any way, this includes missing the pocket.
• Pocketing the cue-ball. Opponent gets ball in-hand anywhere on the table.
• Missing or not hitting the ball-on first.
• Not hitting a cushion (pockets count as cushions).
• Hitting a ball with anything other than the cue-ball.
• Hitting the cue-ball with anything other than the cue tip.
• Hitting the cue-ball twice in the same stroke
• Jumping a ball off the table. The ball is re-spotted.
• Jumping the cue-ball off the table. This gives the opponent ball in-hand.

Variants

I'm a very indecisive person, so I often create a whole lot of variants just because.

9-Ball Hazard Rotation

The original version of 1-7-1 Rotation.

The game is racked identically to Nine-Ball:

The only rules change is that the balls are always re-spotted on the foot spot regardless of where the cue-ball is placed.

To break, you must hit the 1-ball, scatter the balls, and not pocket anything else.

1-7-1 Rotation Pyramid

Replace the cue-ball with the 10 ball, which is worth 10 points:

The game is now played according to Russian Pyramid rules:
After breaking, any ball can be used as a cue-ball.

All shots can either be shot normally, or by hitting the object ball and perfoming a carom shot into a pocket (called an in-off in Snooker or a losing hazard in English Billiards). The only requirement is that if you plan on doing a carom shot, the ball-on must be used as a cue ball, and if planning on doing a regular shot, the ball-on must be first thing hit.

All other rules still apply with regards to safe, hazard, and bonus shots and the pocketing order.

This variant can also be racked in the 9-Ball Hazard Rotation style.

Play it on an actual Russian Pyramid table with Pyramid balls for an extra tough challenge.

The game ends once only the 10-ball remains on the table.

Chinese Pool Table

Less of a variant and more of an added challenge.

Instead of playing this on a standard Pool table, play the game on a Chinese Pool table.

It's slightly bigger and has smaller rounder pockets, which should make sinking the balls harder.

Both variants can realistically be played with this setup.

Reverse Eight-Ball

This game came up when I was researching Cowboy Pool the other day. I later learned that it's simply called Reverse or Backwards Eight-Ball, though some people call it Cowboy Pool, hence the confusion.

Quite simply, it is a standard game of Eight-Ball but played "in reverse", that is to say, you hit the object balls with the cue and try to hit the cue-ball.

One could perhaps argue that it's lazy to include a game so similar to regular Eight-Ball, but I feel like it's interesting enough that it warrants inclusion.

Materials & Setup

To play this game you need

• A standard Pool table
• A standard set of 15 Pool balls and cue-ball

Set up the Pool table like you would for a regular game of Eight-Ball, using whatever ball setup rules you're used to.

The Game

As mentioned, the game is played in reverse from regular Eight-Ball.You cue the object balls, and try to hit the cue-ball.

The aim and general rules of the game are still the exact same as regular Eight-Ball, each player must pocket all of the balls of their own suit (solids or stripes) and end with pocketing the 8-ball.

The way you do this is by hitting the ball you wish to pocket with the cue, have it bounce off the stationary cue-ball, and then continue into the pocket.

You must hit the white ball first in every shot, failing to do so is a scratch.

Using Snooker terminology, the game thus has 15 cue-balls and one object ball. The white ball is always ball on, and all pockets must be done with in-offs (aka losing hazards).

The Break

The break works the same exact way as it does in regular Eight-Ball.

It is also the one and only time the white ball may be cued.

Once the break has happened, only the numbered balls may be cued.

Structure

The game is structured the same exact way as regular Eight-Ball.

Depending on the rule-set, you must call every shot, though you don't necessarily have to cue the ball called, as long as the ball called enters the pocket.

If you successfully pocket your ball with a legal shot, you get to shoot again.

The 8-ball must be pocketed last.

Fouls

• Pocketing one of the opponent's balls is a foul. The ball stays pocketed.
• Pocketing your own ball as a result of an illegal shot also a foul.
  The ball is re-spotted on the foot spot, or as close as possible to the foot spot if that spot is occupied.
• Failing to hit the white ball as the first ball hit is a scratch and gives the opponent ball in-hand on the white ball.
• Pocketing the white ball is also a scratch, giving the opponent ball in-hand.

Sources

• http://www.billiardsforum.com/pool-rules/reverse-8-ball-rules
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-ball#Backwards_eight-ball
  

 

News: 5-Ball set ordered

As a bit of a Christmas present for myself, I've decided to order a set of 5-ball balls so that I can make a more in-depth review of the game and how it feels to play sometime in the future.

The balls were rather hard to track down, as they seem to be out of stock damn near everywhere.
Whether this is due to the various stores returning the balls due to poor sales, or if it's because the balls sold out, is hard to say, but I suspect it's the former rather than the latter.

With how little info I've been able to gather on the game, I suspect it didn't get very much hype or attention to garner any sales at all.

I ordered my set from https://eurobiljarts.nl/en/, as they were the only ones that 

1. Had a set in store
2. Shipped outside their own country.

Expect a full review of the game sometime in the new year.

Update

The 5-ball balls arrived in the mail last week, so now all that's left to do is to try out the game, shoot a video on it, and report back.