How to Play Nine Pin Skittles

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Nine Pin Skittles is an indoor bowling game traditionally played in pub skittle alleys, though it works perfectly well in gardens and sports halls. Nine wooden pins are set in a diamond formation and players take turns hurling a ball or a flattened disc called a cheese along a wooden lane to knock them down. It is loud, physical, and thoroughly sociable.

The game suits mixed groups well because raw power is far less important than a consistent, accurate delivery. Children and adults compete on roughly equal terms, rounds move quickly, and the scoring is simple enough that everyone always knows where they stand. That combination is why it has remained a fixture of pub league culture across the West Country and the Midlands for generations.

A little history

Skittles in various forms has been played in Britain for several centuries, and Nine Pin Skittles is among the oldest documented variants. Its precise origins are unclear, but written references to pin-bowling games appear in England from at least the seventeenth century. Regional versions developed independently across the country, which is why equipment dimensions and rules still vary noticeably from county to county. The game was traditionally administered at local level through pub leagues, particularly in Somerset, Gloucestershire, and the East Midlands, where formal league structures and standardised lane dimensions became established during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Setting up

1. Place the nine pins in a diamond formation on the pin spot at the far end of the lane. The front pin faces the throwers, with rows of two, three, two, and one pin behind it.
2. Mark or confirm the throwing line (the ditch or toe line) at the near end of the lane. Players must release the ball before or at this line.
3. Agree the number of legs or rounds to be played before scoring begins. Three legs is standard in league play; casual games often use five rounds per player.
4. Decide the throwing order. A single practice throw per player is customary when new players are involved, but does not count toward the score.
5. Place the scoresheet where all players can see it and nominate one person to keep score throughout.

How to play

1. Players take turns in the agreed order. On your turn you throw the ball or cheese three times at the pins.
2. Throw from behind or at the toe line. Any throw where your foot crosses the line before the ball leaves your hand is a foul and scores zero for that throw.
3. After each throw, count and record the pins knocked down, then reset all pins to their original nine-pin diamond before the next throw in the same turn. This is a key rule: pins are reset after every single throw, not after three throws.
4. If you knock all nine pins down with your first throw, that counts as nine. The pins are reset and you continue with your second throw. You can score up to 27 in one turn (three strikes of nine).
5. A pin that is knocked down by another pin rebounding off the side cushions or back board still counts as down.
6. A pin that wobbles but does not fall fully flat is not counted as down. The pin must be lying on its side or removed from the lane to count.
7. Once all three throws are complete, record the total for that turn and the next player takes their turn.
8. Play continues until all players have completed the agreed number of rounds or legs.

Winning and scoring

The player with the highest cumulative pin count at the end of all agreed rounds wins. In a standard three-leg game, scores from all three legs are added together. The maximum possible score per throw is nine, giving a maximum of 27 per turn. In league play a tie is often resolved by a single sudden-death throw each; the player who knocks down more pins wins, and if scores are still level the throws are repeated until a winner emerges. In casual play a tie can simply be shared.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the pin reset rule. Some casual players reset only after all three throws, as they would in tenpin bowling. In Nine Pin Skittles the correct rule is a full reset after every single throw in a turn. This matters because it makes three consecutive nines achievable and keeps scoring consistent regardless of how many pins fell on the previous throw. If your group plays any other way, agree it explicitly before the first throw and note it on the scoresheet.

A second common argument involves dead balls: a throw that leaves the lane before reaching the pins, or one that strikes the back board without touching any pin first due to a clear mis-aim off the lane edge. The standard ruling is that a dead ball scores zero but counts as one of the player's three throws for that turn. A ball that travels the full length of the lane and genuinely misses all nine pins without leaving the surface scores zero but is not a dead ball and is subject to normal play.

How to win more often

• Aim at the front pin with a straight, controlled delivery rather than trying to generate maximum power. Accuracy consistently outscores brute force.
• Watch where your ball contacts the front pin. A slightly off-centre hit to the left or right tends to produce a better spread of pin falls than a dead-centre strike.
• Keep your delivery consistent across all three throws in a turn. Changing your line or speed between throws makes it harder to learn from the first throw and correct for the next.
• In team or pairs formats, note which players in the opposing side struggle with the second and third throws after a clean first. Those players can feel pressure to repeat a strike, which often leads to wayward follow-up deliveries.
• When practising, bowl at a full reset each time rather than at broken formations. Nine Pin Skittles always resets to nine, so practising at nine pins is the only useful preparation.

Variations

Devil Among the Tailors (Table Skittles)

A miniature tabletop version in which a small ball on a chain is swung around a central post to knock down nine small pins arranged in the same diamond formation. The scoring and reset rules mirror the full alley game, but the whole apparatus fits on a pub table. This version is particularly common in northern England and the Midlands.

Aunt Sally

A related outdoor throwing game popular in Oxfordshire in which players throw batons at a single white skittle mounted on a post rather than at a nine-pin formation. Scoring is binary (you either hit the doll or you do not) and there is no pin reset mechanic, making it a simpler but equally competitive outdoor variant.

Killer Skittles

Each player is given a set number of lives, typically three. On your turn you must score at least one pin or you lose a life. The last player with lives remaining wins. This variation works well for larger groups of up to twelve and keeps eliminated players watching closely since the pressure mounts as lives dwindle.

Cricket Skittles

Teams of two or more take turns as batting side and fielding side. The batting side scores runs equal to pins knocked down. The fielding side bowls and when they achieve a pre-agreed total or knock down all nine with one throw it counts as a wicket. Ten wickets ends the batting side's innings. This format suits pub league nights where team rivalry adds to the occasion.

Nine Pin Skittles: frequently asked questions