Po nts! A New Game in Billiards By Albert Charbonneau
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reetings from South Carolina. The birthplace of the new billiards game, Points. This challenging game was invented by Mr. Albert Charbonneau as an alternative to the most common billiard games that many players are used to. Points was designed to be played in a multitude of ways including as a solo game for practice and a two or more-player game. It can be a tournament game and it can even have its own league. Albert also wanted to add in a few small life lessons within the game that we all could use to improve ourselves. The most important part of Points is that all shots must be called and made as they were called. There’s no slop allowed. You know in your heart if the shot really went the way it was called and when it doesn’t, always be the bigger person and take the zero. Here’s one of those small life lessons. Have a high level of integrity so no one can call you out when the shot failed to go as it was called. Points has two versions to play, both with two methods to choose from. The first version is Solo-Practice and it’s all about practice. The first method is a half table setup which represents a soft break during the
actual game. It’s easier to make shots when someone is just starting to learn how to play. The other method is a full table setup which represents a hard break. There is no breaking during solo-practice. Simply spread out all 15 balls randomly on either half of the table or the full table & start with cue ball in hand. Solo-Practice has a permanent shot limit of no more than 30 shots with the goal to always try to beat your best score within the 30-shot limit. Mr. Charbonneau said it best, “If you are taking more than 2 shots per ball to make points, you might not do very well when you start playing against someone who can make points with every shot.” Another one of those small life lessons is right here. Always strive to be better. The second version is the actual game of Points. It also has two methods to choose from. Points can be played with a set shot limit with the winner being the player with the highest score within the agreed set shot limit. The other method is to play with a set point amount with the winner being the player who reaches the agreed set point amount in the least number of shots. Scoring points is what makes the game stand 18
