Canadian Skittles Pool Rules
12/23/2008 6:39:26 PM
Canadian Skittles Pool Rules
Does anyone know the rules to a Canadian Skittles pool game? From what I understand it's normally played on a larger 12' table but can be played on a 8' table with traditional 6 pockets. The game is played with 3 balls (Cue, 2 ball and 3 ball). It also uses 8 or 9 pins that are placed on the table and you score points by hitting an object ball into a pocket or to knock down pins that have point values. There are also 3 or 4 black pins that if knocked down wipe out all the points you have accumulated if you knock one of them down. The skittles come into play in that you draw one and use it as a blind score to add up to what you've scored in the game. When I played it we played to 31 exactly. Does anyone know the official rules/ table setup? From what I understand it is popular in part of canada.
Some friends and I would enjoy playing it and have a set of pins and skittles but no rules...
Tom Van EssThis question relates to the following billiard rules:
Canadian Skittles Pool Rules
Replies & Comments
gully-foyle on 2/3/2009 2:18:10 PM
I'm going back 40+ years, but I posted the rules for Canadian Skittles pool as I remember them
If you need interpretations or clarifications on the rules I posted, just comment at the bottom of the rules article.
Good luck.
Gullyphil on 8/12/2010 8:16:28 PM
Hi All,
The skittles game that I used to play in Singapore and parts of Malaysia is based also on 31 points total for a game.
The equipment:
10 light colored skittles and 2 black skittles. The light colored skittles are allocated points: 2 skittles each worth 1, 2, and 4 points; one skittle each worth 3, 5, 6 and 10 points. The black skittles are the "demons". Any player knocking either skittle down will be deemed "dead" and will have to start another game from scratch.
Balls: 2 white balls (strikers or handballs) and 1 red ball (object ball)
Placement of the skittles: (As you stand at the snooker "D")
On the right-hand side of the table: starting about 3 ft from the bottom of the table and moving up about 20 ins between skittles, you have the # 1, 6, 2 and 4 in that order. On the left-hand side, in similar fashion, you have the # 3, 2, 4 and 1 skittles. The # 5 skittle is placed on the pink-ball snooker spot. The # 10 skittle is placed on the yellow-ball snooker spot. One of the two black skittles is placed inside the # 6 on the right-hand side of the table and the other black skittle is placed on the green-ball snooker spot.
The balls: one white ball placed midway between the yellow-ball spot and the right-hand edge of the table, and the other is placed midway between the green-ball spot and the left-hand edge of the table. The 2 white balls are differentiated (usually one is marked with a black spot) so that they can be placed on the correct spot. The red ball is placed on the black-ball snooker spot.
The play: Each player draws a pea or seed from 10 seeds which are numbered from 7 to 16. They do not reveal their seeds to the other players. Depending on the number of their seed, they will need to knock down skittles which when added to their seed will total 31 for the game. Knocking down excess points in skittles will render them "dead" and they will have to start another game from scratch.
Players may use either of the white balls as a striker to hit the other white ball or the red ball. Any ball / s entering the pockets will be replaced on their designated spot.
Players are also required to guard against the next player to prevent them completing their 31 point game. Any player who allows the next player to have a direct game-shot will have to pay for the other players (except for the "dead" games that the other players committed themselves through knocking down one of the black skittles, or scoring in excess of the 31 points).
As can be imagined, the game requires good skills in handball and object ball control, potting skills, angles skills and safety play. It is a fascinating game, and I recall spending hours and hours playing it.
I hope to introduce it to the Pot Black Snooker saloons in Perth, Western Australia where I migrated to from Singapore some twenty years ago. In fact anyone connected to billiards and/or snooker in Perth is invited to contact me...
Cheers
Hope the above helps.
guest on 12/4/2010 8:25:03 AM
And yes, i do play the game skittles in singapore. Like what phip has mentioned... this game requires great knowledge on the handball and object ball. wll improve in snooker gameplay.
Have a lot of strategy to think of, like 2 ball 1 stick, 2 ball 2 stick.... or just a very good guard. The strategy of this game is also to seperate both handballs away from each other as far as possible.
if u can master this game.... your snooker skill or your "road to snooker" will be very fantastic!
@guest - Glad to hear from someone who has played the game as well. Not sure if you're located in Canada or Singapore, but in case you visit Perth, Western Australia, I have managed to get some sets of the skittles and am introducing the game here. As a new member, I cannot email you directly, but you can reach me if you want to...
After leaving Singapore, I was sad to be informed by my friends that the younger people taking up billiards are more interested in the "simpler" forms of pool and snooker. The popularity of skittles has declined consequently, which is a pity. I hope to be able to introduce it here and build up some interest among the many players here, young and old.
I shall have to depend on some of the other "older" migrants from SE Asia who have played or know something about the game to start the trend.
bubbakid on 2/1/2011 8:54:39 AM
so where can a person obtain the components needed to play?
@bubbakid, where are you located?
The skittles are extremely difficult to find. The best place is in Singapore from:
Wiraka Pte Ltd
120 Eunos Ave 7 #01-08
Richfield Industrial Centre
Singapore 409574
Ph. (65) 67495900So if you're there or have a friend there you can buy a set for Sin dollars $14.
For locating the spots on the table, the following is a simplified guide:
- On the RIGHT-HAND side from the snooker "D" line, measure 9 inches towards the top of the table. This will be your first spot for the # 1 skittle.
- From the top of the table, measure the same distance towards the bottom (as the above # 1 skittle is from the bottom of the table). This will be the spot for the # 4 skittle.
- Divide the distance between the # 1 and # 4 skittles by 3. This will give you the spots for the # 6 and # 2 skittles.
- Do the same for the LEFT-HAND side of the table, from the bottom to get the spots for the # 3, 2, 4 and 1 skittles.
- The snooker pink-ball spot is for the # 5 skittle.
- The snooker yellow-ball spot is for the # 10 skittle.
- One of the black skittles will be spotted just inside the # 6 spot between the skittle and the cushion.
- The other black skittle is spotted on the snooker green-ball spot.
- The RED ball is spotted on the snooker black-ball spot.
- One of the WHITE cue-balls is spotted half-way between the yellow-ball spot and the right-hand cushion, while the other WHITE cue-ball is spotted half-way between the green-ball and the left-hand cushion. Note that the two cue-balls have to be distinguished so that they can be re-spotted correctly if they are potted in the course of play. If you do not have two white balls to use as cue-balls, you can use a yellow ball and a white ball.
Hope the above can get you started. If you need information on the rules of the game, let me know...
Happy skittle playing!
user1489094116 on 3/9/2017 4:15:18 PM
I used to play skittles pool in Canada, live in Florida now and have pool table in lanai. I'm trying to buy skittles but can't find anyone selling them. Can anyone help?.
I bought mine from F.G. Bradley in Canada:
http://www.fgbradleys.com/Product/133/Maple-Skittle-Pins-3-1-2------178
That's the link for the Skittles pins.
Good luck.
billiardsforum on 3/9/2017 7:14:22 PMA few sets with decent prices on amazon.com...
...but I didn't see any with the two black pins like the ones mentioned above from wiraka.com
user1687790160 on 6/26/2023 10:36:01 AM
I learned to play skittles pool (or similar) on a snooker table in the late 1970s in Hong Kong. It was a fun gambling game as several players would play at a time and pot in HK$20—each, winner takes all.
However, as I remember it, we also played to the 31 count, and if you went beyond that, you are out. We also drew a numbered dice from a bag. It was bad luck if you picked no. 1, and better luck if you picked the higher number of 15. You'd keep the dice number secret until you made your shots tally plus your dice tally equal to 31.
It was simply "gentlemanly" to declare yourself out rather than impeded falsely to continue playing when dead.
Canadian Skittles Pool Rules
- Title: Canadian Skittles Pool Rules
- Author: Tom Van Ess
- Published: 12/23/2008 6:39:26 PM
