Quidditch Pool
Wow, I haven’t updated in a while (who am I talking to?).
Tonight Ryan and I went to a nearby pool hall because we’ve been playing dollar-per-game pool recently and figured it would be cheaper. It turned out that Monday is Free Pool Night, so it was, in fact, cheaper.
We invented a game, and I am basically writing this post so we remember the rules. It’s based on Quidditch, the made up game that all the cool kids play in Harry Potter. I realize how retarded that sounds, really, I do.
Quidditch Pool
The balls are racked with stripes along the front, and in the back two corners, and the 8 ball goes in the center.
The game ends when the 8 ball is pocketed.
Solids are worth 10 points. When a solid is pocketed in a turn, the player continues their turn.
Stripes are worth 15 points. A striped ball does not continue the turn (although if a solid is also sunk, then play continues).
Any ball that is pocketed during the break is worth 5 points, regardless of color.
The 8 ball is worth 50 points, but is not active until one player has reached 45 points.
A scratch of any kind results in a loss of 5 points. The deduction is calculated after the points gained on the turn. If a player reaches or surpasses 45 points prior to the deduction, the 8 ball is still active.
The player with the most points when the 8 ball is pocketed wins, including the 50 points to the player who sunk that ball. The 8 ball is cannot be struck first until it is active. If the cue ball strikes the inactive 8 ball first, it is a scratch and the turn ends.
In the event of a tie, play continues until a score is made, but the act of sinking the 8 ball ends that player’s turn.
The game plays surprisingly well, providing plenty of chances for strategy. While all but one ball is technically legal to play, the choice to sink a 10 point solid and continue, or score 15 points and end the turn is always important. No player is ever “safe” until they are more than 50 points ahead, so it is generally wise to continue play only if the next shot will likely result in a score. Receiving 15 points but ending the turn can be beneficial. Once the 8 ball is active, the choice of scoring points or ‘hiding’ the cue ball is also an option, as preventing the other player from sinking the 8 ball is important when a shot on it can’t be safely made.
At least one player has to sink a minimum of 3 balls before the game can end, and if they only pocket stripes to reach the required 45 points, then they have taken 3 turns and can still lose in one shot (since the 8 ball is worth 5 points more). If one player pockets at least one ball on the break, and pockets at least one solid until the 8 ball is active, it is possible to win the game in a single turn, much like standard 8 ball or 9 ball.