Cowboy pool
Cowboy pool (or simply cowboy) is a hybrid
History
The parent game of cowboy pool is
Cowboy is very similar to thirty-eight, with the major difference being that thirty-eight requires the use of two cue balls.[5] It is unknown how thirty-eight transitioned to the modified ruleset mandated by cowboy pool, nor the derivation of its name. The first mention of Cowboy pool is in a 1908 rule book,[6] published about the same time that eight-ball (under a prior name) was first gaining popularity.[7] Despite being strictly amateur – aside from a small sanctioned tournament held in 1914 –[7] the game still remains listed in authoritative rule books alongside just a handful of other games.[8][9]
Rules
Conventional cowboy pool uses only four balls, the
To win the match, a player needs to score 101 points. For the first 90, points are scored in three ways:
- one point for performing a carom on the cue ball into any two object balls;
- two points for caroming into all three object balls;
- and the face value of any ball pocketed.
The maximum score possible on any single shot is 11 points, achieved by caroming off and pocketing all three balls. The failure to score in one of the delineated manners on any shot ends the player's inning at the table. All foul shots result in the player losing all points scored during the inning (not just those on the fouled stroke), and the opposing player comes to the table with the cue ball in position – except in the case of a scratch, which results in ball-in-hand from the kitchen.[7][9]
The 90th point in cowboy pool must be reached exactly, and the failure to do so is a foul resulting in a loss of turn.[9] For example, this means that a player with 89 points, who then scores 2 points rather than exactly 1, has committed a foul. Once the 90-point benchmark is reached, all points up to the 100th must be made by caroms. The pocketing of balls during this phase of the game gains no points.
The final point necessary to reach 101 and the win must be made by a losing hazard – an intentional scratch made by caroming the cue ball off of the one ball, scratching off either other ball is a foul.[7][9]
References
- ^ Phelan, Michael (20 March 1858). The Game of Billiards. D. Appleton and Company.
- ^ Shamos 1993, p. 89.
- ^ Goel, Gaurav; Handa, Dr Amita (24 May 2020). Sports Industry and Marketing. Friends Publications India.
- ^ Shamos 1993, pp. 62, 244.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 9780785826026.
- ^ a b c d e Shamos 1993, p. 61–62.
- OCLC 978565735.
- ^ ISBN 1-878493-02-7.
Bibliography
- Shamos, Michael Ian (1993). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards. ISBN 1-55821-219-1.