Easy Way to Happiness

Keeping score in a game of bowling may seem complicated, but it really just comes down to adding up the number of pins each player knocks down. Each frame, a player has two opportunities to knock down ten pins. A game consists of ten frames, and the player with the highest score at the end of the tenth frame, wins.

If you are bowling at an alley without a scoring computer, you’ll probably be given a paper scoresheet. Before you start playing, record each players name in the appropriate area of the scoresheet.

A player throws their first ball, and you’ll record the the number of pins knocked down. A pin setter then lifts the remaining pins, clears any knocked down pins, and then replaces the standing pins back into position.

The player should then throw their second ball. The pins knocked down are counted, and added to those knocked down with the first throw. The two scores are added together, then to the score from the previous frame (if any), to calculate the running score for the game.

Most bowling scoresheets have small boxes into which you can record the number of pins knocked down with each attempt. The running score is entered into the larger area for the frame.

As an example:

A player, call him Joe, knocks down two pins on his first attempt, and six on his second. Joe’s score for the frame is 2+6, or 8.

In his second frame, Joe knocks down seven pins on his first ball, and one on his second. His running score is now 16.

This simple scoring applies only when a player is unsuccessful in knocking down all ten pins in a frame. When they bowl a strike or a spare, they get bonus points, based on their performance on the next one or two balls.

Should a player bowl a strike (knock down all ten pins on the first attempt of the frame), the scoring is delayed until the following frame is completed. Mark an X on the scoresheet, in one of the small boxes, and then add 10 to the number of pins knocked down with both rolls of the following frame.

After a strike, the next frame should be scored as usual. If a player bowls another strike, then ten points should be added for the first strike along with ten for the second strike, and the number of pins knocked over on the first attempt of the next frame.

A player that knocks down all ten pins on the second ball roll is noted as rolling a spare.

A spare should be recorded as a / for that frame, and a players score will be the ten pins that were knocked over plus what they knock over on the next roll.

The scores in a bowling game will continue to accumulate until each bowler plays all ten frames. If one bowler rolls a strike or spare on the 10th frame, then that bowlers score will continue to rise as the bowler throws rolls their bonus balls.

Once each player has finished the ten frames, all of their scores are added up to determine the winner.