Low Ball

This game involves trying to bowl the lowest score possible. Sounds easy but if you score a gutter ball as a strike or spare (depending on whether it’s bowled on the first or second ball), you will end up with incredibly high scores. The lowest score possible is 20, which is 2 in each frame (1 pin on each ball - usually the 7 pin and 10 pin);

Best Frame

 This game is a combined game in which each player contributes to a collective score. For each frame, the best score from all players playing is counted towards a “phantom” player. If, for example, there are three bowlers and in the first frame, the first bowls a 5,4; the second a 4 spare; and the third a 9 spare, the phantom bowler gets the 9 spare as it’s score. This continues throughout the game to attempt to get the highest cumulative score of all players. It’s also a great team game;

3-6-9

This is where “free strikes” are given in the 3rd, 6th and 9th frames. The bowlers do not need to bowl in these frames;

Odds and Evens

 This is where there is only one ball per frame. If the number of pins knocked down is even, the bowler scores a strike. If the score is odd, the frame is scored as a spare where the first score of the frame is the number of pins the bowler knocked down. Gutters are scored as zero for the whole frame;

Scotch Doubles

This is a doubles format where each bowler takes it in turns to throw the ball. There is only one game scored between the two bowlers. Bowler A bowls the first ball of each frame in game 1 and bowler B must try to spare whatever bowler A left behind. In game 2, bowler B gets to go first;

Baker Format

The is actually widely used as a Tournament format but it is great for team building. As in Scotch Doubles, all bowlers contribute to the score of only one game. If, for example, there was 5 bowlers, then bowler A would get bowl frames 1 & 6, bowler B 2 & 7, and so on, bowler E bowling the 5th and 10th frames to complete the game. Scotch doubles is actually similar to this in that a Baker Format with only two bowlers mimics a Scotch Doubles;

No Tap

This game where the first ball of any frame knocks down 9 or 10 pins, you are credited with a strike. All other scoring is as in regulation play.

Triplex

This game is where 3 games are bowled in total. The three games are compared frame by frame and the best score from each of the 10 frames is transposed to make up the "Triplex" game.