5 Most Common Types of Bowling

When the average person thinks of bowling, the age-old picture of a long lane with 10 white pins at the end is usually what comes to mind. What they don’t realize, though, is that there are actually many different types of bowling. Here we will dive into the five most popular games of bowling.

Ten-Pin Bowling

This form of bowling is by far the most popular. The set-up is simple by putting out, you got it, ten white bowling pins at the end of the lane in a pyramid, with the point towards, you, the bowler. On the bowler’s end, all you need is a heavy bowling ball. The object of this game is to knock over as many pins as you can in two tries at the most. Each pin knocked over is worth 1 point and the player at the end with the most points wins.

Nine-Pin Bowling

Primarily played in Europe, nine-pin bowling is played with a much smaller ball than ten-pin, which originated in the United States. The pins are arranged in a diamond, with 8 pins on the outside, and the ninth pin in the center. Each player gets 120 throws, and points are added up with each throw. The player at the end with the most points wins.

Candlepin Bowling

This form of bowling is more similar to ten-pin bowling, but the ball for this game is also very small. The pins are set up in the same pyramid shape, however the pins themselves are much skinnier and a bit shorter than regular bowling pins. Another difference is that instead of two tries per player, they each get three, and each turn is comprised of two lanes of pins. This game is played in many different parts of the world, but is popular in New England.

Duckpin Bowling

Compared to ten-pin bowling pins, those used in duckpin bowling are short and stout. The same general game play and ball as that of candlepin bowling applies here, but with a differently-shaped pin.

Five-pin Bowling

In this final form of bowling, pins are about 75% the size of regular ten-pin bowling pins. The pins are arranged in a wide arrow pointing towards the bowler and the ball is hand-sized and made of rubber. This game is most often played in Canada, as it originated in Ontario.

There you have it: the five most popular types of bowling. Looking for something to do this weekend? Test out your bowling skills and see if you can master any of these five. When you do, you’ll be the hit at the next bowling party!

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