Arguably, the best position (in most cases) to be on the table is in the middle of the table. Obviously, is some instances, the middle of the table isn't going to work out for some shots, but most of the time, the middle of the table is a good place to be. So this game will help you with position play to the middle of the table.
As with most of my games I create, it can be played either alone or with multiple players.
For solo practice. Rack all the balls like you would for 8-ball, order of the balls doesn't matter.
Break the balls like you would for 8-ball. Spot any balls pocketed. If you leave the cue ball in the middle of the table in the blue box as indicated on Figure 1 (see below), give yourself 2 points. If the cue ball ends up outside the blue box, but still contained within the red box (see Figure 2 below), then give yourself 1 point. The goal here is to break the balls with a good spread, leaving the cue ball in the middle of the table to have a good shot on the remaining balls.
For each ball pocketed after the break, if the cue ball ends up in the red box after coming to rest, give yourself 1 point. If the ball is pocketed and comes to rest in the blue box, give yourself 2 points.
The maximum score is 32 (15 balls x 2pts = 30 + 2 bonus pts for leaving cue ball in blue box after break = 32pts)
For multiple players. Rack all the balls like you would for 8-ball, order of the balls doesn't matter.
Player 1 breaks the balls as in 8-ball. Spot any balls pocketed. If Player 1 pockets a ball, their turn continues after any pocketed balls are spotted. If Player 1 leaves the cue ball in the middle of the table in the blue box as indicated on Figure 1 (see below) after the break, give them 2 points. If the cue ball ends up outside the blue box, but still contained within the red box (see Figure 2 below) after the break, then give them 1 point.
For each ball pocketed after the break, if the cue ball ends up in the red box after coming to rest, give the shooter 1 point. If the ball is pocketed and comes to rest in the blue box, give the shooter 2 points.
Player 1 continues shooting until a miss occurs. After a miss, the next player shoots until they miss or all the balls have been pocketed.
The player with the highest score wins that round. An alternative could be to play similar to 14.1, such as, play to 100, 150, or any number.
The maximum score is 32 (15 balls x 2pts = 30 + 2 bonus pts for leaving cue ball in blue box after break = 32pts)
Figure 1. The Inner Box. Box is formed by drawing a line from the diamonds closest to the pockets on both the ends and sides of the table.
Figure 2. The Outer Box. Box is formed by drawing a line from the diamonds closest to the pockets on the end rails and the middle diamonds on the side rails.
*Note: If half or more of the ball appears to be across the line, it is considered inside the box.
