Some time back (many months in fact), I stumbled across a game called Scottish Billiards on a site dedicated to obscure pool & billiards games. Since I’m a) Scottish in heritage and b) love pool & billiards games, I read the rules. I did not, unfortunately, print them or otherwise memorise them. That site has now hidden itself and neither my best efforts, nor the efforts of my pool buddies has resulted in the resurfacing of that site or the rules to Scottish Billiards. So, I will present the rules for Scottish Billiards here for all to read and, hopefully, enjoy. These rules are a combination of my memory of the original rules as I read them, and of play-testing with those rules. I have removed some of the more cumbersome elements of the original set of rules and, if necessary replaced them with more modern and meaningful rules. I have also added a scoring system that was not, to my recollection, part of the original rules but which seemed to be a requirement to the game. Onto the rules:
Scottish Billiards: Being a variation of the genteel sport of billiards.
Players: 2 - 6
Equipment: 15 coloured balls & one cue ball
Objective: To sink the 15 (money ball) while holding the greatest number of points.
Setup: Place the one ball on the rail at the diamond nearest the right foot of the pool table. Move up the rail toward the head of the table placing the balls in sequential order. Therefore on the right hand rail, the balls 1 - 6 will rest at a corresponding diamond. 
Begin again at the foot of the table on the left hand rail this time and place the 7 - 12 balls in sequential order from foot to head. Back to the foot rail, place the 13 & 14 balls on the right hand & left hand diamonds respectively. At the head of the table, place the 15 at the centre diamond.
Break: Lag to determine who will go first. I recommend lagging prior to the setup of balls. Since this is a rotational game, the one ball becomes the object ball and must be struck on the break. As in traditional billiards, the cue ball must be placed behind the headstring for the first strike.
Play: Scottish Billiards is a rotational game. This means that each ball, in it’s turn becomes the object ball. The object ball does not change until the current object ball has been successfully pocketed. At the start of the game, the one-ball is the de facto object ball. Each shot that takes place must strike the one-ball first or be deemed a scratch (see Scratches). The one-ball will remain the object ball until it is pocketed. Once the one-ball has been pocketed, the next ball in sequence becomes the object ball.
Scratches: If a scratch occurs on the break, all balls are returned to their spot on the rail and play passes to the next player. The next player must play as though he was breaking by placing the cue ball behind the headstring. Any balls pocketed on the same turn as the scratch are removed from the pocket and placed back at their initial starting point against the rail. No points are scored on a scratch shot. There are three types of scratches.
- Pocket scratch: If the cue ball comes to rest in any of the six pockets.
- Table scratch: If the cue ball comes to rest on the table without having struck the object ball.
- Ball scratch: If the cue ball first strikes any ball other than the object ball first or fails to drive any ball to the rail (including the cue ball)
Scoring: When a player pockets a ball, the player is awarded points. There are two methods of scoring that we have devised for this game. I will present them both although I prefer to play with the set I present first.
Scoring System 1: Each ball has a point value equivalent to it’s number. Thus the one-ball is worth one point while the 13-ball is worth thirteen points. If the fifteen-ball is pocketed during regular play when it is not the object ball, then the player gains 15 points and shoots again. The fifteen-ball is removed from the pocket and placed against the rail in it’s original position. If a player pockets the fifteen-ball when it is the object ball, then that player gains 15 points plus 1 point for each ball he had previously pocketed in the game. When the fifteen-ball is pocketed as the object ball, then the game is over and the points are tallied.
1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3…13 = 13, 14 = 14, 15 = 15
Scoring System 2: The balls are assigned values based on their location on the table. The diamonds nearest the foot & head of the table are worth 1 point, the second nearest are worth 2 points, while the diamonds nearest the middle-side pockets are worth 3 points. The two diamonds at the foot of the table are worth 2 points each, while the centre diamond at the head of the table is worth 4 points. If the 13, 14 or 15 are pocketed while they are not the object ball, then the player gains those points, removes the ball from the pocket & places it back on it’s original position. If the 13, 14 or 15 are pocketed when they are the object ball, then the player gains the points, but the ball remains in the pocket. When the 15 is pocketed while it is the object ball, then the game is over and the points are added up.
1, 6, 7 & 12 = 1 Point
2, 5, 8 & 11 = 2 Points
3, 4, 9 & 10 = 3 Points
13 & 14 = 2 Points
15 = 4 Points
The player having gathered the greatest number of points is declared the winner. The player with the fewest points must now reset the table for the next game.
So, there you have it. These are my rules & scoring methods for Scottish Billiards. Please enjoy them.
Cheers.
KyleC
Ludo Ergo Sum
These rules and scoring system are
Copyright ©2008 East Wind Games
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