How to Score a Game of Bowling

Bowling can be a popular sport for dating, for college nights, and for during the summer when it is hot outside, but a sport is wanted. Most people go to a bowling alley that keeps the score electronically. However, a serious bowler, or at least a person serious about the score, will want to check that the score is correct. It is important to know how to score a bowling game. This way, fake bowling games can also be played and scored.

Get to Know the Score Card

For each person's game, there is a row of ten boxes or two rows of five boxes. Whichever one depends on how the bowling alley prints the score cards. There is no difference in the scoring. The first nine boxes will be one box with one box in the upper right corner. The tenth box will be one box with two boxes in the upper right corner.

Learn the Basic Terms

A frame is what happens in one of the boxes. The frame consists of two tries (called balls) for the bowler to knock down all the pins. Once all ten pins are knocked down or the person has rolled the bowling ball down the alley two times, the frame is finished. A spare is when all ten pins are knocked down after the two tries. This includes hitting zero pins the first ball and all ten pins on the second ball. A strike is when all ten pins are knocked down on the first ball.

There are also terms like 7-10 split, 3-8 split, and 4-10 split. These are usually not recorded, though. They refer to pins left and the position of the pins, so they do not matter for scoring a game of bowling. If they are recorded, it is only by a circle around a number and they still do not affect the score.

A turkey is when a player bowls three strikes in a row, but this is just a term and is not recorded on a score card.

Learn How Frames Are Scored

A basic frame of two balls is easy to score if all ten pins are not knocked down. The number of pins knocked down with the first ball goes to the left of the little box in the box. Then the number of pins knocked down on the second ball goes into the little box in the upper right corner. The total of this is then added together. The total of the score is added and put under both balls. If this is the first frame, it is the number of the two balls. For example, if this were the first frame and three pins were hit on the first ball, then three goes to the left of the small box in the corner. Then if six pins were hit on the second ball, three and six would be added. Then nine would be written in the space under the two numbers. However, if there were already a score of 30 in the lower part of the box, three and six would be added to get nine and then nine would be added to 30 to get 39 and 39 would be written in the space below the six and the nine.

Note that zero pins hit is scored by marking a straight line rather than writing zero, although either can be used.

Scoring A Spare: A spare is when ten pins are knocked down in two balls. The score for a spare is 10 plus the total of the next ball. This means that you have to wait until the next ball is thrown to score. When a spare is rolled, put a slash in the box in the upper right corner for the frame. Then wait for the bowler's next frame so it can be scored. If the bowler then bowls a frame where the first ball hits 2 pins, the total score for the spare is 12. The second ball in the frame does not influence the score of the spare. The 12 is then added to the previous score, which was 39 in the example. The score of 51 is then written in the bottom of the box for the spare. The bowler rolls the second ball. If four pins are hit, this is a regular frame. A total of six pins were hit, so six is added to 51 and 57 is written in the space in the bottom of the box that has the two and the six.

Scoring a Strike: If a person rolls a strike, which is hitting all ten pins down on the first ball, the score is ten plus the next two balls. From our example, we have 57 as the score. If the next frame bowled is a strike, an X is marked. The player would then bowl the next frame after all other players bowled their frames. If the bowler hits one pin one the first ball and then eight pins on the second ball, that is a total of 9 pins knocked down. It is also the next two balls. This means that to the 57, ten and nine is added. In the bottom of the box with the X, 76 is written. Then in the next box, nine is added to 76, so 85 is written under the box.

In the chance that another strike is rolled, the next ball also has to be rolled. It is possible for a person to bowl a game of 11 strikes. This is referred to as a perfect game and the score is 300.

The last frame: The last frame is different only if a strike is scored on the first ball or if a spare is scored in the two balls. Then an extra ball is rolled at the end of the frame and it is added to the score.

If you did not understand this tutorial, refer to the image that helps explain how to score a bowling game.

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