Extra Action During Bowling League

One of my favorite nights of the week is bowling night. And sometimes when I am feeling positive, I try and turn my night into a little profit. In many of the leagues that I bowl in, some volunteers run sidepots or card games to give you a shot at making a few bucks. For those of you who know how these work, skip to the following paragraph.

Card games are typically cost a dollar per game, and everytime you throw a strike, you get to pull a card. At the end of each game, whoever has the highest poker hand wins the pot. Sidepots are a one on one match play competition. They usually cost around 5 bucks, and you get lined up in a bracket. If you win against your opponent, you move on. If you finish in first or second, you can make some money. Also, you can run a high game pot where the highest score in each game wins the money.

The above games are very common, but I have spent the last few days thinking of more creative ways of running these small cash events. Here are some of the ideas I have had.

1. One idea I had could be played by 5 players. One impartial person will shuffle the cards, and deal out 10 cards to each player. The two remaining cards will not be played and remain face down, along with the 10 cards you as a bowler will have. Whenever you do not throw a strike, you must give up one of your cards without knowing what you are giving up. At the end of the competition, whoever has the best poker hand wins.

2. My second idea has nothing to do with cards, but more with making something out of a difficult situation. You could run a small side pot for almost anything, so why not for the most spare converions, or the most split conversions. This way if you are struggling to carry, you can still come home with a few dollars and maybe a little dignity if you are picking up your spares.

If you win a couple of the events above, you can make a decent amount of money, maybe enough to enough to cover your bowling expenses, or in my case sometimes, the bar tab.