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Bowling is an exciting game to play, whether you’re just bowling rounds with friends or trying to win a competition. While many of us understand how to bowl, the scoreboard is a whole other story. Scoring the most points is the goal of the game, but how are the points totaled, and why are there X’s and dashes on the screen?
We’ll prepare you for the game by explaining how the scoreboard works.
First: General Bowling Rules
To begin to understand how scores work, you need to understand how bowling works. This part is straightforward: each person gets two turns to bowl during each frame.
The only exception to this is during the tenth frame or last frame, where players only get one turn to bowl unless they can knock all the pins down on their first try. Those who score a strike during the tenth frame then get additional throws to earn more points.
Scoring Rules
The maximum number of points you can earn in a game of bowling is 300, which is also known as a perfect game consisting of 12 strikes. Each turn, you receive a point for each pin that you knock over with your bowling ball. Turns that have a strike or a spare result in bonus points. Here’s what to know:
Strike
A strike is when you knock down all 10 pins during the first shot and is indicated on the scoreboard using an “X”. This leads to 10 points plus the sum of points in your next turn.
For example, if you bowl a strike on the first turn and you knock over 6 pins in your second turn, the points from your first turn would be 10 + 6, and your second turn would be 6, leading to 22 total points earned.
Spare
A spare is when you knock down all 10 pins during both shots and is indicated by a “/”. For spares, you receive 10 points plus the number of pins knocked down during your next roll.
For example, if you bowl a spare and then you knock over 2 pins and then 3 pins in your next frame, you will add 10 + 2 to get your score for your spare.
Open Frame
An open frame is when you don’t knock over all 10 pins during your turn. This is marked by writing down the number of pins bowled over during each turn.
Foul
A foul is when you step past the foul line during a turn and is marked using the letter “F”. You can still finish out your turn and bowl your second shot if you foul during your first roll.
Gutter Ball
A “-“ is used to mark a turn where your ball goes into the gutter or misses the pins for any other reason. This horizontal line shows that no pins were knocked over.
10th Frame
During the tenth frame, you get two more shots if you score a strike and one more shot if it’s a spare. Otherwise, you receive points for the number of pins you’ve knocked over.
Types of Scoreboards
In addition to the traditional paper-based scoreboards, there are now electronic scoreboards in modern bowling alleys. These can be more user-friendly and offer additional features such as keeping track of individual player statistics over time.
Some advanced electronic scoreboards also have interactive games and challenges that players can participate in during their game. This adds a new level of excitement and engagement to the overall bowling experience!
What Are Average Scores?
If you’ve never been bowling, you may be wondering what a good score is. Here’s a short breakdown:
- Average Score: About 100 is considered a decent score for beginners. With some practice, you can easily improve your average score to 150.
- Good Score: Anything between 150 and 250 is impressive and shows skill in the game. This is where most casual bowlers aim to be.
- Great Score: Scores above 250 are considered great and are usually achieved by more experienced bowlers or professionals.
For your first few games, don’t worry too much about your average score. Just focus on learning the basics and having fun!
Test Your Knowledge at Stars and Strikes
Scoring is easy once you’ve had a few tries to practice. Find a bowling alley to get the hang of it and get as close to 300 points as you can!
If you’re stuck looking for the perfect bowling alley, come check out the fun we offer at Stars & Strikes. We welcome bowlers of all levels, and we make it fun with great food and drinks, more games like laser tag and bumper cars, and even AR bowling!
Get in touch with the location nearest you.
