Billiards Gift Exchange

Holiday Billiards Gift Exchange
Supplies: Billiard/Pool Table, Gifts, Up to 15 people

Love your game room, have a group of friends that enjoys playing pool / billiards or does your pool table just not get enough use? Well for small groups, a Billiards Gift Exchange might be the perfect holiday party activity for you.

Each guest brings a gifts and once everyone has arrived the gifts are numbered 1 up to 15, (use post-its) based on the number of gifts. FYI – It is important that the numbers remain on with gifts and visible in Round 2.

On the pool table, rack up the number of balls as there are gifts, so 11 gifts = 11 billiard balls (1-11). Make sure there is a billiard ball number for each corresponding numbered gift.

Rack the balls that will be used and determine the order of shooting. Pull numbers out of a hat, 1st person breaks the rack, then #2 is next, #3, etc… Each player then shoots at ball of choice (except on the break – if they make more than 1 in the can choose which gift they want to keep, the other ball gets placed back in play) and has to call their shot. If they shoot that ball in, they select the gift with that number and unwrap the gift.

If they sink the wrong ball, that ball has to be spotted (placed back on the table and you proceed to the next player. Once a player has shot a ball in a pocket and selected the corresponding gift, they are done shooting pool until the next round. After all the balls are off the table and each person has a gift, then you rack the balls again and start a second round, know as the  Keep or Steal Round. You can keep the same order as the first round or randomly pick the order again.

Keep or Steal Round – Now Every Shot Counts!
In order to keep the gift you selected – You must sink your own ball before anyone else does. If someone else sinks you ball they can steal your gift! If two balls go in at the same time, that person choose either gift, but the ball of the gift that remains in play is placed back on the pool table.

Example:
Player #3 has Gift #7
It’s Player #3’s turn, Options include:
a. They can choose to try to shoot in the number 7 ball and keep the gift that they have. (#7) In this case the #7 ball remains off the table as the gift is no longer in play.
b. Shoot at any other ball, the sink ball #2 and steal that gift, by trading their current gift for the #2 gift. In this case the ball is pulled from the pocket and placed back on the table since the gift is not safe.
c. If the shooter does not sink any balls then the next player goes. This continues until all the balls have been cleared from the table and everyone has a gift.

Once a player has their “safe” gift, they are done with the Billiards Gift Exchange. The gift exchange continues until the next to last person selects their safe gift and then the very last person gets the gift that the have at that time.

For small groups this Billiards / Pool Gift Exchange is a fun, challenging way to exchange gifts during the Holiday season.