Golf (billiards) - "Around-the-world" Variant

"Around-the-world" Variant

In New Hampshire, a local variant that has been subject to organized tournament play since 1947 in the Queen City Pool League, is called "around-the-world" or "roundy" for short. It differs from standard golf pool in several ways:

• The pockets, beginning with the same pocket as the standard game, are numbered counter-clockwise, and the table is a standard 4.5 foot by 9 foot pool table, not a snooker table, and ball-in-hand shots are taken from behind the head string, as there is no "D".
• All players use the same target object ball (the 1 ball).
• All of the object balls are racked in a triangle with the apex ball on the foot spot, and the game opened with a hard break (as in eight-ball); the 1 ball is played from where it lies after the break (unless pocketed on the break, in which case it is spotted back on the foot spot just as if it had been legally pocketed.)
• Scoring is simpler: 0 to 6 points, for the number of 1 ball shots successfully made, and there are no "hickeys"; whoever reaches 6 points first wins that game. A match consists of five games.
• Failure to contact a cushion with a ball is not a foul (as a consequence, particularly challenging safeties can be set up).
• One may shoot at any ball, and use other balls to pocket the 1 ball; there is no requirement that the 1 ball be hit first or even at all.
• One may shoot at and pocket any ball other than the 1 ball into any called pocket (for no point award), and continue play; this is usually done to gain a better position on the 1 ball to pocket it in the necessary pocket. Balls pocketed in this manner are not returned to the table during the game. Pocketing the 1 ball into the wrong pocket remains a foul.
• If a shot fails to contact any object ball at all, the opponent may optionally require (in lieu of taking the turn) that the original shooter to re-shoot the shot from the original cue ball position (a subsequent failure ends the original shooter's turn, spots the 1 ball and gives the incoming player ball-in-hand behind the headstring) (Compare the push-out in nine-ball.)
• Jump shots were banned in the tournament rules as of 1996 due to equipment damage concerns.