There are several traditional table
shuffleboard games that are played. The most
common table shuffleboard game played in major
tournaments is called "Knock
Off".
Other commonly played table shuffleboard games are "Crazy Eight" and "Horse Collar". "Target" & "Tap & Draw" and
"Baseball (a Horse
Collar variation)" are less commonly played
games.
Crazy Eight - Overview
Crazy Eight
is a singles game played with 2 or more players and is
played in frames allowing all players to have an equal
chance. Players alternate ends of the board between
frames, each player using all eight weights/pucks [red and
blue]. The Game is played until one player scores
some agreed upon number of points (e.g., 1-point,
15-points, 21-points, etc.). You continue frames
until a winner is determined. Scoring the agreed
upon points first does not necessarily make that player
the winner. Every player gets to finish that frame and the
highest score that is equal to or greater than the agreed
upon game point (e.g., 1-points, 15-points, 21-points,
etc.) is declared the winner. If the player that scores
equal to or greater than the agreed minimum required
points has the hammer (the last player to play), then
he/she is declared the winner. If the last player ties
with a prior player, then another round must be played to
determine the winner. Before a player can score, the
first 4 weights (same color) must be thrown simultaneously
with one hand and all 4 weights must stay on the board and
be past the long foul line (the foul line furthest from
the shooter). If all 4 weights do not stay on the
board, then that player gets no points for that round and
the next player is up to play. If all 4 weights do
stay on the board past the long foul line, then the
player must shoot all 4 weights/pucks (in four shots) of
the opposite color and must knock off those first four
weights thrown past the foul line before any points can be
scored for that frame. After all 4 original weights
are knocked off, the remaining weights left on the table
are scored. For instance, if a player does not get
all four of their first 4 weights past the long foul line,
no points are scored; if a player does get all 4 weights
past the foul on first throw, but does not knock them off
and keep at least one of the final 4 weights on the board,
no points are scored; if a player gets all 4 first weights
past the foul line, knocks them all off and has at least
one of the final 4 weights left on the board, points are
added and count.
OPTIONAL:
Sometimes players will also have a "Hickey"
count which means every time a player does not score, it
constitutes a "Hickey", and each player that
does not score in a round puts an agreed upon amount of
money into a "Hickey Jar" (e.g., $.25, $1,
$5, etc.) and the final winner of the game gets the
contents of the Hickey Jar. This is just something
that can be done to make the game more interesting, but
may or may not be part of your agreed upon Crazy Eight
tournament rules.
How To Play
Take 4
weights [of same color], group them together, and throw
them with one hand.
If
all 4 weights do not pass the long foul line and stay on
the board, no points are scored for that round [and player
gets a "Hickey" if your tournament includes a
"Hickey Jar"], and next player is up on the
opposite end of the board for their turn.
If all 4
weights of the same color group did pass the long foul
line and stay on the board, then player shoots the
remaining 4 weights [of opposite color] one at a time and
attempts to knock off the 1st 4 weights and keep at least
one of the last four weights of the opposite color on the
board to score points (this is great practice for knock
off, making combination shots to remove more than one of
the 4 weights with one shot, and to be able to either
stick a final shot or lag with the weights you have left
after you've knocked off all 4 weights of the original
color group). If all of the first color group
weights are knocked off and you still have at least one of
the second color on the board and past the long foul line,
this is your score; otherwise, no point is scored
[and player gets a "Hickey" if your tournament
includes a "Hickey Jar"]. In either case,
the next player is up on the opposite end of the board for
their turn.
How
To Count Player's Scores
Scoring (e.g., 1-point, 2-points, 3-points, or 4-points)
is similar to "knock off" with the
exceptions noted above where first 4 weights of the same
color must remain on the board and past the long foul
line, and then they must all be knocked off with the
remaining 4 weights of the opposite color while keeping
one or more of these weights on the board.
A weight scores 1-point if it is located between the long
foul line and the "2" line.
Weights completely across the "2" line
count 2-points; weights across the "3" line
count 3-points, a weight hanging over the end of the
board (a.k.a. hanger) counts 4-points, etc.
To judge if a weight is completely over a
line it should be viewed from above (i.e., look down over
the top of the weight, positioning your nose approximately
to the center of the weight --do not lean over too far or
you get an inaccurate view-- the entire weight must be
over the line for it to count as the next higher point
value--you should be able to see some wood between the
line and the weight for it to count as the next higher
point.)
If any portion of the weight is hanging over the end of
the board (not the side) it is called a "hanger"
and counts 4-points. Close calls can be checked by holding
a weight so the top of a weight is along the back end of
the board. The weight is then slid along the back end of
the board. If it hits the "disputed"
hanger the weight is indeed hanging and is worth 4-points.
Miscellaneous Rules
(Re:Board Talk Open Rules/Guidelines)
Before a player shoots, the player can dust the board if
dry spots are showing. Note: In tournaments this may
be restricted to the edge of the board or left to the
discretion of the Tournament Director(s).
Shooters must have one foot behind the playing surface
while they are shooting.
Hitting or shaking the table is never allowed.
