Goriziana rules (9 pins)

Goriziana is the discipline of Italian billiards played with nine pins instead of five. The balls and the table are the same as in 5 pins, but the castle is bigger, the points are higher and kick shots count double.

In short: as in 5 pins you must hit your opponent’s ball first. The red centre pin knocked down on its own is worth 30 points and every indirect shot doubles the score. Games are usually played to 150 points.

The cross-shaped castle

The nine pins form a cross in the middle of the table: the red pin in the centre and two pins on each of the four arms. The pin closer to the centre is the inner pin, the other is the outer pin.

What each shot is worth

Indirect shots count double

If your cue ball touches at least one cushion before hitting your opponent’s ball (an indirect or kick shot), all the points of the shot are doubled. The centre pin on its own with a kick shot is therefore worth 60 points. That is why in goriziana kick shots such as the candela or the due al volo are played much more often than in 5 pins.

Pins knocked down by your own ball, and fouls

The rules are the same as in 5 pins:

• if your cue ball knocks down pins, all the points of the shot go to your opponent;
• it is a foul not to touch your opponent’s ball, or to touch a pin or the red ball first;
• a foul gives your opponent 2 penalty points (4 if you hit the red ball first) plus the single value of the pins knocked down, and ball in hand. The penalty is never doubled.

How to win

The winner is the first to reach 100, 150 or 200 points, as agreed at the start. With scores this high a game can turn on a single shot: a lone centre pin, perhaps with a kick shot, is worth more than a whole turn of side pins.

These are the rules applied in the game, based on the rules of the Italian Sports Billiards Federation (FIBiS).