Mr. and Mrs. Pocket Billiards
On the occasion when I can get the wife to play, finding a game that can be fun and competitive can be tricky.
The universally known 8-Ball is an obvious choice, but handicapping is trial and error. Since she’s a beginner and I’m intermediate level, finding a balance between easy and tough on both ends of the spectrum is a guessing game.
So after brushing up on my rules in the BCA handbook I found an alternative game called ‘Mr. and Mrs. Pocket Billiards’. And it actually worked well.
The game is described as being for players of widely different skill levels, and while I wouldn’t say I’m that good and she’s that bad, it worked out great.
The game rules are basic, each person gets the points on whatever number value of a ball they sink; though the skilled player must shoot balls in numerical order and the lesser skilled player may shoot at whatever they wish. First to 61 wins.
There are no ball in hand penalties, the cue ball is taken in position after a foul or miss.
So during the first game I found myself in exactly the position I expected, always kicking to the lowest ball while she sank balls, but this was a great way for me to practice my kicking game.
I found the strict three consecutive fouls/oss of game challenging and a bit overbearing, and found myself losing twice in 6 games in this manner. You win some, you lose some I suppose.
In the games where I was able to get some clean shots the beauty of this game really shined, when most of the obstacles were cleared it became a race to the finish which even she enjoyed. One game even ended with a final ball shootout that was exciting.
This game also helped me work on my position for other rotation games.
All in all she won 4 games and I won 2 and everyone was happy.
I would recommend this game to anyone looking to get their beginning level spouse, family, or friend to play.
The universally known 8-Ball is an obvious choice, but handicapping is trial and error. Since she’s a beginner and I’m intermediate level, finding a balance between easy and tough on both ends of the spectrum is a guessing game.
So after brushing up on my rules in the BCA handbook I found an alternative game called ‘Mr. and Mrs. Pocket Billiards’. And it actually worked well.
The game is described as being for players of widely different skill levels, and while I wouldn’t say I’m that good and she’s that bad, it worked out great.
The game rules are basic, each person gets the points on whatever number value of a ball they sink; though the skilled player must shoot balls in numerical order and the lesser skilled player may shoot at whatever they wish. First to 61 wins.
There are no ball in hand penalties, the cue ball is taken in position after a foul or miss.
So during the first game I found myself in exactly the position I expected, always kicking to the lowest ball while she sank balls, but this was a great way for me to practice my kicking game.
I found the strict three consecutive fouls/oss of game challenging and a bit overbearing, and found myself losing twice in 6 games in this manner. You win some, you lose some I suppose.
In the games where I was able to get some clean shots the beauty of this game really shined, when most of the obstacles were cleared it became a race to the finish which even she enjoyed. One game even ended with a final ball shootout that was exciting.
This game also helped me work on my position for other rotation games.
All in all she won 4 games and I won 2 and everyone was happy.
I would recommend this game to anyone looking to get their beginning level spouse, family, or friend to play.
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