Triple Play is a game that’s fun and calls for the entire range of shot making, safety, and strategy play. In addition, it’s fast moving, spectates very well, and gives you more bang for the buck on a coin-op table than anything else, and is a great game for three players. The rules are solid, and are backed by years of pool tradition. Good players like to play this game, and everyone likes to watch it when it’s played well.

Elephant Balls founders Tom Simpson and Joe Oshins developed Triple Play in 1996 while working on the generally recognized problem in pool that Nine Ball, the standard game played by the pros, is not a good differentiator at that level. Many players feel that the pro Nine Ball tournaments tend to come down to who is breaking better.

Triple Play could prove to be a much better game for televised tournaments. It will be an exciting game to watch, due to the need to make difficult cuts, kicks, banks, and safeties. Further, because of the game’s scoring incentives and the dynamics of ring game play, something is always about to happen. Let’s look at how it works:

Essentially, it’s Nine Ball played with all fifteen balls and three “money balls” instead of just one. Here are the twists:

• Rack up all 15 balls. 1-ball in front, 2 and 3 on the corners, 15 in the middle, 5 & 10 directly behind the 15.
• There are three money balls – the 5, the 10, and the 15.
• Each money ball is worth one point (one jellybean, one dollar, whatever).
• If the same player sinks all three money balls in a rack, that player receives a bonus of one additional point, giving them 4 points for the rack.
• If a player runs out all 15 balls in a rack, finishing with the 15-ball, they are awarded an additional bonus point, giving them 5 points for the rack.
• Players race to some number of points, for example, 10 or 20 points.
• Play standard Texas Express type 9-Ball rules.
• Shoot a rack until all three money balls are down. Then rack again, and the player that sank the third money ball breaks.
• Play until someone scores the number of points needed to win.

Triple Play can be played by two players or more. This is where the televised matches could get very interesting. We suggest having three pros play together, in a “ring game” format. In a ring game, the three players take turns, all playing the same game together. This will bring a new level of interest, excitement, and competition to the game.

A few minor adjustments to the rules make the three-player version work properly. Here are the differences:

• If a player fouls on three consecutive shots, their opponent is awarded one point.

Three-Player Version:

• When a player fouls, the next player may opt to have that same player shoot again. If the player fouls again, the incoming player again has the right to make the shooter shoot again. If the shooter fouls three times consecutively in this manner, they are penalized one point.
• When a player commits a cueball scratch in the Two Player Version, it works just like Nine Ball. The incoming player gets Ball In Hand anywhere on the table. However, in the Three Player Version, the incoming player gets Ball In Hand in the kitchen. If the lowest numbered ball on the table is also in the kitchen, it is considered down, and it is removed from the table. If the lowest numbered ball is in the kitchen AND it is a money ball or the ball prior to a money ball, it is spotted. Example: Cueball is knocked off the table. The lowest balls on the table are the 2, 3, 4, and 5, and they are all in the kitchen. The 2 and 3 would go down, and the 4 would be spotted. Of course, since the shooter fouled, the incoming player could choose to have the shooter shoot again.

The scoring incentives make it possible for a player who is down to make a dramatic comeback or take a commanding lead. The fact that the action is always within a few balls of a money ball keeps the excitement level up – something is always just about to happen. Having fifteen balls on the table makes for a lot of imaginative shots. The dynamics of three pros competing makes for suspenseful, exciting situations. And if the prize money was paid out strictly according to who scored how many balls, that too would create interest and suspense. Example: The prize fund for the match is $10,000, and it’s a race to 15 points. The score ends up with Player A at 15, Player B at 4, and Player C at 6, totaling 25 points scored. Each point would then be worth $400 (10000/25), so Player A wins $6000, B wins $1600, and C wins $2400. There are many creative ways to work this out. This may be a good way for TV because getting paid for every money ball will cause the players to play aggressively no matter what the score is.

The rules of Triple Play are copyrighted. Triple Play may be played by anyone, anywhere, without restriction. Matches may be taped and sold, rented, or broadcast, without restriction, and without the permission of the copyright holder.