How to Play Bowling: Frames, Strikes, Spares and Scoring
Updated
Ten-pin bowling is played over ten frames. In each frame you roll the ball down the lane up to twice to knock down all ten pins, and a strike or a spare earns bonus points from your next rolls. The highest possible score is 300, which takes twelve strikes in a row.
The rules below follow the United States Bowling Congress playing rules and the Wikipedia article on ten-pin bowling. Five-pin, candlepin and duckpin are different games with their own rules.
The lane, the pins and the ball
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Lane | The strip you roll down, 60 ft (18.29 m) from the foul line to the head pin |
| Foul line | The line between the approach, where you walk up, and the lane |
| Pins | Ten pins in four rows, forming a triangle with four pins on a side; the front pin is the head pin, or 1-pin |
| Gutters | The channels on each side of the lane |
| Ball | A ball of up to 16 lb (7.26 kg) |
How a game works
- A game has ten frames. Each player bowls one frame, then the next player does, in the same order for the whole game.
- In frames one to nine you get up to two rolls. If you knock down all ten pins with the first roll, that is a strike and the frame ends.
- If any pins are left standing, you roll again at the pins that remain.
- When the frame ends, the pins are set up again for the next one.
How bowling is scored
| Result | What it means | Frame score |
|---|---|---|
| Strike (X) | All ten pins on the first roll | 10 plus the pins from your next two rolls |
| Spare (/) | All ten pins with two rolls | 10 plus the pins from your next roll |
| Open frame | Pins left standing after two rolls | Just the pins you knocked down |
Say you roll a strike in frame 1, then 3 and 6 in frame 2. Frame 1 scores 10 + 3 + 6 = 19, frame 2 scores 9, and your total is 28.
Say you roll a spare in frame 1 (a 7, then a 3), then 4 and 2. Frame 1 scores 10 + 4 = 14, frame 2 scores 6, and your total is 20.
Bonus pins count twice: once in the strike or spare frame, and again in the frame where you rolled them. Strikes in a row add up fast. Two in a row, called a double, score 20 plus the next roll for the first strike, and three in a row, called a turkey, score 30 for the first. Twelve in a row make 300.
The player with the highest total after the tenth frame wins.
The tenth frame
The tenth frame has bonus rolls, so that a strike or a spare can be paid in full. The pins from those extra rolls count once, as the bonus.
- A strike gives you two more rolls.
- A spare gives you one more roll.
- An open frame gets no extra roll.
A perfect game is a strike in every frame: nine strikes, then three in the tenth, twelve in all.
Fouls, gutter balls and splits
- Foul: stepping on or over the foul line and touching the lane, equipment or building as you roll or just after. The roll counts, but you get no credit for the pins it knocks down.
- Gutter ball: a ball that leaves the lane before it reaches the pins knocks nothing down.
- Split: a leave where the head pin is down and the standing pins have gaps between them, such as the 3 and 10 pins. A split is hard to turn into a spare.
Tips for a better score
- Keep track of what you are owed. A strike is still owed two rolls and a spare one before its frame is complete, so mark X and / on your sheet as you go.
- Aim for the pocket. For a right-handed bowler, the ideal strike hit takes the 1, 3, 5 and 9 pins, so aim between the head pin and the 3 pin. A left-hander mirrors it.
- Do not chase a perfect game. A spare after a poor first roll still scores 10 plus a bonus.
Bowling games in your browser
Browser bowling puts the throw on your mouse or finger. The descriptions of these games mention strikes and knocking down pins but do not spell out their scoring, so play a frame and compare the scoreboard with the table above. All of them play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
- Ten Pin Bowling is a simulation of ten-pin bowling. Its description says the physics are close to real bowling and that the aim is not just points but an impressive strike.
- Bowling Stars is a 3D bowling simulation. You control the ball with the left mouse button.
- Bowling King uses a flick forward with your finger to throw the ball. Swipe across the screen to add spin.
- 3D Bowling Game is built around a 3D physics engine and plays with the mouse.
- Bowling Fun 2019 asks you to aim at the target and knock the pins down, using the mouse.
More sports are in the sports category and the sports games guide, and how to play darts covers another target game.
Common questions about bowling
How do you score a strike in bowling?
A strike scores 10 plus the pins you knock down with your next two rolls. Those two rolls also count in their own frames.
How do you score a spare in bowling?
A spare scores 10 plus the pins you knock down with your next roll.
What is the highest score in bowling?
300, which takes twelve strikes in a row. Every frame then scores 30.
How many frames are in a game of bowling?
Ten. You get two rolls in each of the first nine frames unless you roll a strike, and up to three rolls in the tenth.
Count the bonus rolls, stay behind the foul line, and a ten-frame game is easy to follow.
