Ten-pin bowling

Ten-Pin Bowling is a sport with a simple aim—knock down as many targets as possible by rolling a ball down a wooden pathway. The game is made more difficult by gutters which run along either side of this pathway (called the "lane"). If a ball falls into this gutter, no targets will be hit, and therefore no score will be acquired.

Scoring

In general, one point is scored for each pin that is knocked over. So if a player bowls over three pins with the first shot, then six with the second, the player would receive a total of nine points for that frame. If a player knocks down 9 pins with the first shot, but misses with the second, the player would also score nine. When a player fails to knock down all ten pins after their second ball it is known as an 'open' frame.

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In the event that all ten pins are knocked over by any one player in a single frame, bonuses are awarded.

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• Strike: When all ten pins are knocked down with the first ball (called a strike), a player is awarded ten points, plus a bonus of whatever is scored with the next two balls. In this way, the points scored for the two balls after the strike are scored twice.

:Example:

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::Frame 1, ball 1: 10 pins (strike)

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::Frame 2, ball 1: 3 pins

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::Frame 2, ball 2: 6 pins

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::The total score from these throws is: 10 + (3+6) + 3 + 6 = 28

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It is common knowledge that the vast percentage of bowlers bowl a "strike" on their first frame. This is known as a "wicked frame", or commonly referred to as beginners luck. Also, three strikes bowled consecutively are known as a "turkey."

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:A player who scores multiple strikes in succession would score like so:

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::Frame 1, ball 1: 10 pins (strike)

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::Frame 2, ball 1: 10 pins (strike)

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::Frame 3, ball 1: 4 pins

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::Frame 3, ball 2: 2 pins

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::The score from these throws is:

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:::*Frame one... 10 + (10 + 4) = 24

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:::*Frame two... 10 + (4 + 2) = 16

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:::*Frame three... 4 + 2 = 6

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::::TOTAL = 46

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:The most points that can be scored in a single frame is 30 points (10 for the original strike, plus strikes in the two subsequent frames).

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:A player who bowls a strike in the tenth (final) frame is awarded two extra balls so as to allow the awarding of bonus points. If both these balls also result in strikes, a total of 30 points (10 + 10 + 10) is awarded for the frame. These bonus points do not count on their own, however. They only count as the bonus for the strike.

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• Spare: A "spare" is awarded when no pins are left standing after the second ball of a frame; i.e., a player uses both balls of a frame to clear all ten pins. A player achieving a spare is awarded ten points, plus a bonus of whatever is scored with the next ball (only the first ball is counted).

:Example:

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::Frame 1, ball 1: 7 pins

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::Frame 1, ball 2: 3 pins (spare)

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::Frame 2, ball 1: 4 pins

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::Frame 2, ball 2: 2 pins

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::The total score from these throws is: 7 + 3 + 4(bonus) + 4 + 2 = 20

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A player who bowls a spare in the tenth (final) frame, is awarded one extra ball so as to allow for the bonus points.

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Correctly calculating bonus points can be difficult, especially when combinations of strikes and spares come in successive frames. In modern times, however, this has been overcome with automated scoring systems, linked to the machines that set and clear the pins between frames. A computer automatically counts pins that remain standing, and fills in a virtual score sheet (usually displayed on monitors above each lane).

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The maximum score in a game of ten-pin is 300. The maximum 3 game series score is 900, which has only been achieved a handful of times in bowling history. The odds of bowling a perfect game and/or series depend on the condition of the lanes and the skill of the bowler. It is not something that is easily accomplished. This is scored by bowling twelve strikes: one for each frame and one for each of the two bonus balls in the tenth frame. In this way, each frame will score thirty points. (see above—Scoring: Strike).

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