Bowling scores is a rather complex system that is not as intuitive as scoring in mainstream sports such as basketball or soccer. However, you don't need to be a professional to count how many pins you need to attain a specific score. Once you get the hang of how to score bowling points, you will be a more educated and strategic bowler, especially when it comes to maximizing your output within 10 frames.
If you want to learn more about scoring in a bowling game, most especially for ten-pin bowling, then spare some time and continue reading!
Scoring Rules in Bowling
There are a lot of rules and concepts to take note of when it comes to how to score a game of bowling.
Let us run through each and discuss what they mean before we proceed to scoring. This will help better understand how to fill out a scoring sheet.
These concepts may seem a bit challenging at first but once you relate them to the scoring mechanics, you will have a better overall understanding and frame of reference.
Balls
Balls, alternatively known as trows or roll, is a concept that refers to every attempt you make to roll the bowling ball down the lane to collide with the 10 pins. The best outcome is to get a strike and the second best is to get a spare (more on these concepts in a little bit).
Frames
Frames are equivalent to the turns you take in bowling. However, unlike in chess or other board games, each frame in bowling gives you the chance to roll twice (unless you roll a strike, in which case you will immediately transition into the second frame from the first frame). The 10th frame is the final frame of the game.
Open Frame
An open frame is a term that refers to a turn, instance, or frame where you are unsuccessful in knocking down all 10 pins. This means that, for that particular frame, you will only get fewer than 10 points.
Last Frame (Tenth Frame)
The tenth frame is a special frame as the maximum number of attempts for frame 10 is 3 attempts. If you get a strike on the first roll, you get to avail of the next two rolls within frame 10. If you get a spare (knocking down all 10 pins after two attempts), you get a next roll. However, if you fail to knock down all 10 pins within the first two shots, then your turn is over. There is no next frame after frame 10.
Frame Score
Frame score is the tally of your score for a particular turn in addition to your previous score from the previous frame. For example, if you get 7 pins on the first frame and 9 pins on the second frame, the score for frame 1 is 7 and the score for frame 2 is 16. It is a totally different story if you get a strike or spare for frame 1 and frame 2, which will be discussed later.
Spare
A spare occurs when you are able to knock down 10 pins using two shots. If you roll a spare, you get a bonus of one roll or shot, which will be counted toward the frame where you knocked down a spare. In this scenario, the total number of points you can obtain for a particular frame where a spare was thrown is 20 points. (10 points plus 10 points).
Strike
A strike occurs when you are able to knock down 10 pins with just one shot. If you roll a strike, you get a bonus of two rolls or shots, which will be counted toward the frame where you knocked down a strike. In this scenario, the total number of points you can obtain for a particular frame where a strike is knocked is 30 points (10 points plus 10 points plus 10 points)
Bonus
Bonus, as gleaned from the previous two concepts, is an instance where you get a higher possible score because the next one shot or two shots are counted towards the tally or score of the previous frame.
Total Score
At the end of 10 frames, your total score is tallied. In simpler terms, you can obtain your total by adding your score in frame 10 and frame 9 as the scoring system for each frame is cumulative.
Maximum Score
The maximum score is the highest possible score you can get if you play perfectly (every shot thrown is a strike). For a ten-pin game, the maximum points total is 300.
How to Keep Score in Bowling (Ten-Pin Bowling and Number of Pins Knocked)
The goal of the sport is simple as it is essentially all about the number of pins you knock down in a game. If you knock down all ten pins (which is the total number of pins), then frame scoring will be pretty high for you.
However, there are several unique instances across different games that require you to not only count the pins you knocked but also take a look at the spare balls and strike balls. This section will present you with different scenarios/examples in order to fully understand how to score in each and every game.
Example A - Frame 8: 6 pins knocked, Frame 9: 7 pins knocked
For frame 8, the score to be listed is 6 points plus whatever the score listed in frame 7 was (open frame). For frame 9, the score to be listed is 7 points plus whatever the score listed for frame 8 was (open frame). This is the best representation of back-to-back open frame turns.
Example B - Frame 3: Ten pins knocked with one shot (strike), Frame 4: 5 pins downed
If you knock down ten pins with one shot in frame 3, then you just scored a strike. This means that your turn for frame 3 is over with the first ball but a score is not listed yet as the frame will have to include the score to be obtained from next two shots.
In this example, you were only able to knock down 5 pins with the next two shots. This means that the score for the third frame is 15 (the 10 points from the first shot/strike and the 5 points from the next two shots) plus the score listed in frame 2. The score for frame 4 will be 5 points plus the score listed in the third frame.
Example C - Frame 1: Ten pins knocked with two shots (spare), Frame 2: 2 pins downed in first roll, 3 pins in second roll
If you score a spare in the first frame, that means the first shot (first ball) of your second frame will count toward your score in the first frame to properly frame a spare.
In this example, you were only able to roll down 2 pins in the first ball of the second frame. This means that the score to be listed in frame 1 is 12 (10 from the first frame, and 2 as a bonus under the second frame). Even if you were able to roll a spare in the second frame of this game example, only the number of pins knocked in the first ball (first roll) will be counted towards the previous frame and not the second ball.
Example D - 10th Frame, roll 1: All pins hit with one shot (strike), next two rolls (two balls): All pins hit each
If strike ball after strike ball after strike ball are achieved in the 10th frame, then your 10th score will be 30 points. Bowlers who achieve this have an excellent chance of netting a high score, regardless if it is the tenth frame or otherwise.
Example E - 10th Frame, roll 1 and roll 2: All pins hit with two shots (spare), next roll (final roll): All pins hit
If you are able to get a spare in the 10th frame, you are granted one more ball. If your final roll is a strike, then the total number of pins knocked is 20, making your score for this frame 20 points plus whatever the score was in your 9th frame.
Example F - Multiple strikes across frame 1, frame 2, and frame 3
In cases of multiple strikes in succession, the first roll will have to consider the next two rolls, and so on and so forth. If frames 1, 2, and 3 were all strikes, the score for the first frame would be based on all three strikes, which means a score of 30 is granted. For the frame two, the point total will be based on the strike in frame two, the strike in the third frame, and whatever number of pins were downed in the fourth frame's first attempt.
The same logic applies for the third frame. Having multiple spares will be good for any bowler, but chaining multiple strikes in succession is better than any combo of spares.
Tips and Shortcuts
Automated
Most alleys have an automated or computerized system, eliminating the need to do manual computations.
Scoring Calculator
There are several applications and websites available online that would only require you to plug in the number of pins downed in a specific ball.
Actual Calculator
Alternatively, you can use a manual calculator or your phone's calculator application to do the computing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good bowling score?
For beginners, we recommend targeting the range of 100-150, but anywhere around 80 points is good for first-time bowlers.
Is 200 a good bowling score?
200 is a great score for the experienced bowler, but the experts average around 230-250.
How much is a spare worth?
A spare can be worth up to 20 points if the next roll is a strike.
Conclusion
There are several possible bowling scores, and although most of the alleys offer automated scoring, it would still benefit you greatly to learn how exactly each frame is scored. We hope this guide has been helpful in teaching you how to keep score in bowling.