Frames and balls
A game of ten-pin bowling has ten frames. In each of the first nine frames you get up to two balls to knock down all ten pins. If you knock them all down with the first ball, the frame is over. The tenth frame works a little differently, and it gets its own section below.
If you leave pins standing after two balls, your score for that frame is simply the number of pins you knocked down. Nine on the first ball and none on the second is a frame worth 9. This is called an open frame.
Strikes
A strike means all ten pins fall on the first ball of a frame. It is marked with an X. A strike scores 10 plus the pins you knock down with your next two balls. Those next two balls might be in the same following frame, or in two different frames if you throw another strike.
That is why strikes in a row add up fast. Three strikes in a row give the first of them 30 pins: 10 for itself and 10 for each of the next two balls.
Spares
A spare means you knock down all the remaining pins with the second ball of a frame. It is marked with a slash (/). A spare scores 10 plus the pins you knock down with your next ball only. A spare followed by a strike is worth 20. A spare followed by a first ball of 7 is worth 17.
For a newer bowler, spares matter more than strikes. A game with no strikes at all but a spare in every frame, and 9 pins on each first ball, adds up to 190. The spares guide shows how to make the common ones.
The tenth frame
The tenth frame gives you the bonus balls you would otherwise miss at the end of the game.
- Strike on the first ball: you get two more balls, and they all count.
- Spare with your first two balls: you get one more ball.
- Open frame: no extra balls. The game ends after two.
So the tenth frame can hold three balls. A perfect game is twelve strikes in a row, nine in the first nine frames and three in the tenth, for a score of 300.
Scoresheet symbols
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| X | Strike: all ten pins on the first ball |
| / | Spare: the rest of the pins on the second ball |
| - | A miss: no pins on that ball |
| F | Foul: the bowler crossed the foul line, and the pins from that ball count as zero |
| A circled number | A split was left after the first ball (see splits) |
A worked game
The scoresheet below is calculated from the balls listed under it. The top boxes show each ball and the bottom number is the running total.
- 1X20
- 27/39
- 39-48
- 4X76
- 5X95
- 681104
- 76/124
- 8X143
- 99-152
- 10X9/172
- Frame 1 is a strike. Its bonus is the next two balls, 7 and 3, so it is worth 20.
- Frame 2 is a spare. Its bonus is the next ball, a 9, so it adds 19 for a total of 39.
- Frame 3 is open, 9 and 0, for a total of 48.
- Frames 4 and 5 are strikes in a row. Frame 4 gets 10 plus the strike in frame 5 plus the 8 that follows, so it is worth 28. Frame 5 gets 10 plus 8 plus 1, worth 19.
- In the tenth, a strike earns two more balls. The 9 and 1 count, so the frame is worth 20 and the game ends at 172.
Fouls
The foul line is the line between the approach and the lane. If any part of your body touches the lane or anything past the line while you deliver the ball, it is a foul. Under the usual ten-pin rules the ball still counts as a delivery, but any pins it knocks down score zero. If you foul on the first ball, the pins are reset and you bowl at a full rack with your second ball. Automatic scoring systems at most centers detect fouls with a sensor at the line.
Do I need to keep score by hand?
Rarely. Almost every center scores automatically. Knowing how it works still helps, because it shows you how much each spare is worth and lets you spot a scoring error.
What is a good score for a beginner?
There is no fixed answer, and early games often fall well under 100. Scores rise as your spares improve. Track your average over several weeks rather than any one game.