Whether you have yet to pick up a bowling ball or have thrown numerous strikes in your life, a bowling score sheet is still pretty perplexing. No Worries, We’ll Tell you How Many Frames are in a Game of Bowling!
Computing your total score is a real endeavor, particularly if you don’t have a machine do to it on your behalf.
Also, the number of pins struck down on a specific throw does not always mean one-to-one to your bowling game score. Remember that the points scored in a game depend on both the previous frames and the next frame.
Often, things could get wilder from there when spares and strikes keep coming.
Are you still not confident of the difference between a mark and an open frame? Are you currently in the dark about what a bowling frame is and how it impacts your score?
Keep reading and enjoy a guide on how many frames are in a bowling game.
What are strikes and spares in bowling?
A strike takes place when a bowler knocks down all 10 pins with the first throw. Spare happens when you knock down the remaining spins with the second throw.
How to score a strike?
Let’s say a bowler roll a strike and roll another one. They got a double.
If they get two strikes in a row but knock down a few pins in the following frame, the second strike from the first non-strike throw is included in the frame of the first strike.
Two non-strokes are included after that to the second strike’s frame and the ten points for getting a strike.
- 1st frame: 10 + 10 + 8 = 28
- 2nd frame: 28 + 10 + 8 + 1 = 47
- 3rd frame: 47 + 8 + 1 = 56
How to score a spare?
For the first throw, you scored a five. In the second throw, you knocked down the remaining pins.
- First frame: 10 + 6 = 16
- Second frame: 16 + 6 + 2 = 24
What is an open frame?
An open frame is where a bowler has thrown the two balls but didn’t knock down all ten pins. That’s the simplest type of frame to score.
How many turns per frame does each bowler get?
A bowler gets two turns to knock down as many pins as possible in frames one through nine. A player can throw as few as two balls in the tenth frame and as many as three.
To finish a bowling game, a player can throw as few as twelve balls and as many as twenty-one.
How are pins knocked down tallied towards a bowling score?
That depends on how the player knocked them down and the results of the previous ball and the next ball.
A pin knocked down is worth one point. Meanwhile, nine points are worth nine points.
Ten points knocked down are worth ten points. However, if no pins are left standing in a frame, and a spare or strike is recorded, bonus points are awarded as the game progresses. The frame’s score is similar to the number of pins struck down during open frames where less than ten pins are felled.
Nonetheless, one or two shots from that frame might be utilized to compute a bonus from the earlier ball.
What happens when I knocked down all ten pins on the first ball of a frame?
A strike is given when 10 pins are knocked down on the frame’s first throw or the first shot of a sequence in the 10th frame. A bonus is given equally to the pin count of the following two rolls if a ball thrown knocks down all 10 pins of the first shot of a frame.
That bonus is included in the frame where the strike took place.
What happens when I knocked down all ten pins after the second ball of a frame?
A spare is given when all 10 pins are knocked down in 2 rolls during a frame or when two sequence rolls are in the 10th frame.
A bonus equivalent to the pin count from the 1st roll after the spare conversion is given and is included in the frame in which the spare was converted.
What happens if you get two or more strikes in a single row?
You have unlocked the secret to a high bowling score. Multiple strikes boost your bonus potential, as the strike comes along with a bonus equivalent to the pin carry of the next roll and the roll after that.
The first strike gets a bonus of at least ten, with two strikes in a row and as much as 20 depending on the results of the next roll. Also, the bonus maxes out at twenty points, with a possible thirty per frame.
The more strikes you roll, the more bonus points you can accumulate.
How are bonus points awarded on a bowling score sheet?
In most bowling alleys in the US, an automatic scoring system keeps a running tally of the score during the game. The score from the next throw or two is included in the frame’s score after the fact, especially when bonus points are given for a spare or strike converted in a single frame.
How many frames are there in a bowling game?
A game of bowling has ten frames. The object of a frame for every bowler is to knock down the ten pins in as few shots as possible.
Examples of a sample bowling game scored from frame to frame
- First Frame (Score: 9)
You knock down 8 points. You knock down the two-pin on your second shot but fail to knock down the ten-pin. You write an eight in the small box and one in the next, with nine for the frame. No bonus points are given.
- Second Frame (Score: 19)
You laugh off your first frame and hammer a strike home with a hook shot. You put an X in the first box and get a bonus in the frame similar to the value of your next two shots.
- Third Frame (Score: 49)
You crushed the pin pocket but yet again for your second consecutive strike. You put an X in the first box, add a bonus of 10 to your second frame, and get a bonus similar to the value of your next two throws.
- Fourth Frame (Score: 65)
You hit the headpin directly, leaving the vexing seven to ten split. You fail to convert, knocking the seven-pin down on your second shot and picking a 9. You put an eight with a circle around it in the first box. You write a one for the second ball tally. You get 8 more points for the second frame with a total bonus of 9 for the third frame. You get nine points for the fourth frame.
- Fifth Frame (Score: 75)
You leave one pin on your first shot and knock it down with a spare ball. Without bonuses pending, no added points are given for the previous frame. Nonetheless, you put a 9 and a / in two frame boxes and get a bonus similar to your next shot.
- Sixth Frame (Score: 95)
You throw the ball strangely, hitting the opposite pin pocket of your right hand. You put an X in the first box and get a bonus of 10 points for the earlier spare. You get a bonus similar to your next two shots.
- Seventh Frame (Score: 115)
Double! You put together your second duo of strikes. You put an X in the small box and get a bonus of 10 points for your earlier strikes with one shot to go. You get another bonus equivalent to your next two shots for the frame.
- Eighth Frame (Score: 145)
You nail your third strike in a row for a turkey. You put an X in the first box and get another bonus of 10 points for your sixth game, with thirty points. You get a bonus of 10 for the seventh frame with one more bonus shot spending. You get another bonus of 2 shots to include in that frame.
- Ninth Frame (Score: 172)
You leave the eight-pin and miss it on your spare conversion. You score a nine, breaking your streak of marks at 4 frames. You place a nine in the first small box and a zero in the next. You get a nine bonus for the seventh frame, concluding the scoring total of 29. You get a total bonus of nine for your eighth frame, making for nineteen in the frame. You get nine points for your ninth frame.
- Tenth Frame (Score: 199)
You begin strong in the first 2 frames. You get more shots but struggle to find your mark, leaving 3 pins up. No bonus carry-over is given to consecutive strikes in the frame without a former strike. You put 2 Xs in the first two small boxes and a seven in the last. You have 27 points for the final frame.
Final Thoughts
We did our best to illustrate how many frames are in a bowling game and how points are given. Remember that it takes immersion and practice to learn what is going on.
The more time you spend at the bowling lane, the better chance you will become familiar with things.