The basic rules of ten pin bowling: lane and equipment dimensions, how a game is played, how strikes and spares are scored, and how the tenth frame works.
Ten pin bowling is played by rolling a ball down a lane at ten pins and knocking down as many as possible. The rules below are the ones a first time visitor needs. Lane and equipment Lane: a straight lane about 18.3 m long, with an approach area at the player end and the pin deck at the far end. Ball: a ball of roughly 3.6–7.3 kg, about 21.6–21.8 cm in diameter, made from rubber, plastic or composite material, with three finger holes. Pins: ten pins per lane, set in a triangle — one pin in front, then two, three and four — each about 15 inches tall. How a game is played A game has ten frames. In most frames the player has two balls to knock down all ten pins. Knocking down all ten pins with the first ball is a strike, and the frame ends there. Knocking down the remaining pins with the second ball is a spare. Leaving pins standing after both balls is an open frame. A strike scores ten plus the pins from the next two balls; a spare scores ten plus the pins from the next ball. In the tenth frame, a player who strikes or spares gets the extra balls needed to complete the score for that frame. The game ends after all players have finished ten frames, and the highest total wins. Rules vary slightly between leagues and regions — some run shorter formats or different handicap systems — but the sequence above is the standard game. For the vocabulary used in scoring, see strike terminology and bowling parts and terms. To equip a lane, see bowling facilities and equipment.