Six Stroke Billiard Rules
These are the rules for a less-common pocket billiard game called six stroke pool rules. Six Stroke is a billiard game that was discovered by Billiards Forum editors online. Once we had a few games, we were hooked and asked the creator and author of the rules if we could post them. The game was created by folks over at cloudbow, and we have been allowed us to post the Six Stroke rules in our billiard rules section.
Six Stroke Billiard Rules
Six stroke pool rules are designed for ease of understanding.
Six stroke Rules - The Rack
Fifteen balls in a triangle. The head ball is the One Ball, positioned on the foot spot. The remaining balls may be in random order.
Six stroke Rules - The Premise
Each player gets six strokes per inning, unless he scratches or fouls. A scratch or foul gives the opposing player ball-in-hand behind the head string.
The object of Six Stroke billiards is to pocket the most balls and accumulate the most points with a maximum of six balls per inning. If the shooting player commits a foul, the incomming player's inning begins. During play, pockets shall be approached in a specific order during the inning, beginning with the left corner pocket at the foot of the table. This pocket is known as pocket number one, with each successive pocket, in clockwise order, being numbered in order from two to six. The target pocket increments with each stroke the shooting player performs. This would mean that on the sixth shot, the shooting player would be shooting for pocket six, which is the left side pocket.
Six stroke Rules - Break Shot
The break shall count as the breaking player's first stroke only if during the break shot, a ball is pocketed in to pocket number one. Any balls pocketed in to incorrect pockets off of the break shot are spotted. Should this occur, the incomming player's inning begins, and their target pocket is pocket number two. If no balls are pocketed on the break stroke, the breaking player's target pocket is pocket number one, and the next stroke is considered their first stroke.
Six stroke Rules - Scoring
One point is scored for each ball pocketed in its target pocket. The maximum number of points that may be scored per player per inning is 6. Game total is 30 points.
Six Stroke Pool Rules - Position Play and Skipping Pockets
Position play can be valuable in Six Stroke billiards. In Six Stroke billiards, a player may utilize a stroke to attempt to move an object ball in to a favorable position for the next pocket in sequence. For example, a shooting player may pocket a ball in pocket number two. This leaves the player with no shot on pocket number three, so he or she uses a stroke to get a ball in place for pocket number four. On their next, and fourth shot, they make that ball in pocket number four. This is known as "skipping pockets," and for it to be considered legal, the cue ball must contact at least one object ball or be driven to at least one rail. There are no limits placed on the number of pockets a player may skip during their inning. Keep in mind, however, that once his or her sixth stroke has been performed, his or her inning ends.
Six Stroke Pool Rules - Missed Shots
If the shooting player misses his or her shot on a given stroke, the inning continues and the target pocket, and stroke count are incremented. Any ball that is dropped in to a pocket other than the target pocket is spotted immediately and the player's inning continues unless he or she is on stroke number six. If he or she is on stroke number six, the balls are spotted immediately, and his or her inning ends. If he or she pockets balls in an incorrect pocket on a scratch or foul shot, the incorrectly pocketed balls are spotted, and the incoming player gets ball in hand from on or behind the head string with pocket one as the target pocket.
Any shot where the cue ball does not contact at least one object ball or fails to be driven to at least one rail is an illegal shot under Six Stroke billiards rules and is considered a foul. The penalty for an illegal shot is that the offending player's inning ends, and the incoming player takes the table with ball in hand from anywhere on or behind the headstring with pocket number one as their target. Similarly, any scratch or foul gives the incoming player ball in hand on or behind the head string with pocket one as the target pocket.
Mis-pocketed Balls
Balls that drop in any pocket other than the current target pocket are immediately spotted and the player's turn continues. The exceptions to this are if the player is on his sixth stroke or if there was a scratch or foul in conjunction with the mis-pocketed balls. In case of the player's sixth stroke, the mis-pocketed balls are spotted and play passes to the opponent, whose target pocket is Pocket 1. In case of a scratch or foul, the mis-pocketed balls are spotted and play passes to the opponent, who gets ball-in-hand behind the head string and whose target pocket is Pocket 1.
Six Stroke Pool Rules
Remember: six strokes, six pockets. One stroke per pocket. The pockets must be approached in order. You may "skip" pockets by playing position on following pockets. Points are scored only when a ball drops into the numbered pocket that matches the numbered stroke.
Six Stroke billiards is a fun and addictive billiard game that is easy to learn and remember. The most basic explanation of Six stroke billiards is that the players each get six strokes to pocket six balls in six different pockets, and are allowed only one stroke per pocket. In Six Stroke billiards, the pockets are to be approached in clockwise order from the left hand side pocket at the foot. Pockets may be skipped by a position play on a stroke for the next pocket. When a ball is pocketed in the target pocket, points are scored. That is Six Stroke in a nutshell.
Six Stroke Billiard Rules
If you have any questions about Six Stroke Billiard Rules, please post them in the pool rules forum.
Six Stroke Billiard Rules History
Invented by the owner or editor of cloudbow.com from Tucson. The rules are believed to have originated in the 1990's. The owner was not available for comment.
The official Six Stroke Billiard Rules are predominently observed in North America.
How to Play Six Stroke Billiard
Questions about Six Stroke Billiard Rules:
- Title: Six Stroke Billiard Rules
- Author: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
- Published: 7/19/2008 10:38:00 PM
- Last Updated: 12/17/2008 3:04:00 PM
- Last Updated By: billiardsforum
- Source: Cloudbow Billiards
Six Stroke Billiard Rules
The Six Stroke Billiard Rules article belongs to the Pocket Billiards Rules category. Pocket billiards is a class of cue sport game commonly referred to as pool.
Six Stroke Billiard Rules Comments
John Douglas from Omaha, NE on 1/13/2016 8:50:20 PM
My friends and I play six stroke billiards, but we have a lot of questions about the rules of 6-stroke billiards which I have posted in the forum (follow the link).
If someone who knows the game of six-stroke billiards could take a look and perhaps answer some of the questions, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
John
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