UNCBALL RULES

START WITH ONE SHOT.

Two players. Twelve balls each. Roll toward the scoring islands and make your shots count.

  1. Choose a color and level the table.

  2. Aim for scoring slots worth 1, 2 or 5 points.

  3. Score to keep your turn. A miss, non-scoring shot or foul passes play.

A match has two six-minute halves. Open the sections for scoring details, fouls and how each half finishes.

Candidate version 1.0 — approved for playtesting; not yet released for official competition.

  • Two players use different colors, with 12 balls each. Level the table. The player on the right starts.

  • Play two six-minute halves. Reset the balls and switch sides between halves; keep the accumulated match scores. Release behind the foul line. A legal scoring shot keeps your turn going. A miss, non-scoring grouping or foul passes play to your opponent. If your shot scores for your opponent, credit their scoring balls and end your turn.

  • Nearest island: 1 point. Middle island: 2 points. Farthest island: 5 points. The numbers engraved on an island may identify the island rather than its point value.

  • When your scoring ball joins a connected run of your color, that shot earns the island’s point value multiplied by the number of balls in the completed run. Example: creating a four-ball chain on the two-point island earns 8 points.

  • Filling every slot on an island with your color earns twice the island’s point value multiplied by its slot count. This replaces the ordinary and chain award for the closing shot. Previously earned points remain. Example: completing a five-slot, two-point island earns 20 points for that shot.

  • Retrieve your legally returned balls for reuse. A gutter ball—jUNC—is out for the rest of that half. Balls stranded outside scoring slots stay in place and earn no points.

  • Crossing the release line, interfering with live balls or deliberately moving the table is a foul. Void the shot, remove the played ball for that half and pass the turn. A referee resolves displaced-ball situations.

  • A ball released before time expires may finish its movement. Add one point for each unused ball remaining in hand. If one player runs out of available balls, the other may bank one point per held ball and end the half, or attempt a final sequence. Each held ball may be played once before time expires; returned balls cannot be replayed. A foul ends that sequence without points for unplayed balls.

  • Play a three-minute sudden-death period. The first legal scoring shot wins. If neither player scores, repeat and alternate the opening player. SlamdUNC describes a great scoring shot. Its points still come from the scoring rules above.