Carpetball

Carpetball is a recreational game that involves attempting to knock all of your opponent's balls into their end of the carpetball table before they knock all of your balls into your end. It is often found at camps and in youth facilities. Carpetball is suitable for play by a wide range of ages, and skill is not tied to age.

Table

A carpetmall table is a 12' (4m) long tray approximately 2.5' (1m) wide and 3' (1m) off of the ground. It is covered with green fabric or indoor/outdoor carpet (hence the name) and has a shallow pocket running the entire width of either end. The end pockets are deep enough for a standard pool ball and should be broad enough that most balls will drop in, but not so broad that a ball moving with great force will not ricochet off. There are no official guidelines, so tables tend to vary somewhat in dimensions.

Balls

Carpetball is played using standard pool balls. The cue ball is used similar to conventional pool. While carpetball may be played with five balls on a side, games with only three or four balls on a side are not uncommon. This generally occurs when balls have been lost.

Rules

* Balls may be arranged in any position within arm's reach of your end.
* Win by knocking all of your opponent's balls into their tray.
* When all a player's balls are knocked in, they get a last roll (A "mercy shot").
* If a ball goes into the tray and then bounces out, it is still in play.
* In the event of a tie, start over with only one ball.
* add a ball with each tiebreaker.
* The winner goes to the champion's end and the next challenger in line starts at the challenger's end.
* if you knock any ball out of the table you must put one one your balls in the tray. (penalty)
* if you knock one of your balls into your opponent's tray it goes into your tray.

Dangers

Carpetball is generally considered a safe game suitable for players of all ages. The last two rules are important for safety reasons to discourage wild throws.

trategy

Pattern of initial ball placement is the primary strategy decision in Carpetball. The two most common initial setups are 1) half of the balls on each side of your end, and 2) all balls in a row straight up the middle. There are many variations on these schemes. Since balls must be within an arm's reach of your end, this is the only part of the game where size or age may make an impact.

For good players there is also some strategy in the decision of which of the opponent's balls to target first. Depending on the opponent's board setup, it may be beneficial to disrupt one side of their pattern first.

External links

* [http://www.carpetball.net Carpetball.net]

* [http://www.rockmfg.com Rock Manufacturing Carpetball Manufacturer]

* [http://www.duke.edu/~mfc5/ultracarpetballplans/index.html Carpetball plans]