POOL LADDER
The simplest on-going competition to organise is a pool ladder. Players sign up to the ladder and are then randomly given positions on the starting ladder.
Players can then play the player above them at any agreed time. The winner of, say, best out of three (that maximises time on table and drinks bought) overtakes the loser on the ladder, with the overall aim to progress to the top of the ladder. The loser of each match drops one level.
Great for players of all skill levels and can become highly competitive especially if you limit the life-span of the ladder to 3 months and offer prizes for the top three on the ladder and a wooden spoon or some other booby prize for the unfortunate bottom placing player.
Players need to have their position (after winning or losing matches) confirmed with you or your bar staff to avoid any question of the validity of the ladder.
SPEED POOL
The aim of this variation of ordinary pool is to see who can complete all of the balls in the fastest time.
Very easy to organise with players of all skill levels and can be run as a one-off event (or a regular competition) as a straight round robin or as a knockout competition.
Balls are set up as for a normal game and the player can pot balls in any order except the black ball which must the last to be potted. Get a non-player to be time keeper and to record the times. It can be played as single frame games or best of three (again this maximises machine revenue). If the best time is tied then have a final play-off.
If the black ball is potted before all the other balls then the game is lost and no time is recorded. Similarly if the black ball is potted as a result of not being played in a separate stroke the game is lost and no time recorded.
Variation of this can include three-legged (with two players tied together as in a three-legged race and one player holding the back end of the cue and taking the shot and the other being the “rest”.
Another way to play this version is “underwater pool” – with players wearing a diving mask, snorkel and flippers – very funny and worth a photo or two!
BLIND MAN’S BLUFF
Ordinary pool for doubles. One player is blind-folded the other not. The blind-folded player holds the cue and takes the shot –the sighted player positions the blind player and angles the shot and advises on the strength of the stroke. Can take a long time to play a frame but is great fun.
RUGGER POOL
Players take red or yellow as their team colour (this can be played by teams or by solo players) and the aim is to remove all the opposing team’s players and the ref (the black ball)
The respective team balls are lined up approximately 3 inches from either end of the table with the black ball being placed in the centre of the table along with the white ball.
Tries are scored by a team potting the white ball in either of the opposing team’s corner pocket by using your team players. (The coloured balls strike the white ball – so you are hitting coloured balls all the time – best not to use your best match set for this – ask your machine operator for an old set of balls for this purpose – they will usually oblige). If a try fails then play passes to the opposing team.
After each try is scored the scoring team can then attempt to remove any opposing team player by potting one of their balls into any pocket as a conversion. If the conversion is unsuccessful then play passes to the opposing team. If the conversion is successful then play resumes with an attempt at another try.
Fouls occur in thee ways. Firstly if an opponent’s ball is accidentally potted without a try being scored and secondly if the white ball is potted in either of the two centre pockets and lastly if a player hits any other player ball before the white.
As with ordinary pool foul shots result in two free shots.
The game is lost if a team pots the black ball before all its opposing team players have been removed.
The game is won when all the opposing team players have been removed and the black ball potted (in any pocket)
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