Whether you’ve yet to pick up a bowling ball or you’ve thrown multiple strikes in your life already, a bowling scoresheet is still pretty confusing stuff. Calculating your total score is a chore, especially if you don’t have a machine to do it for you.

The number of pins knocked down on a particular throw doesn’t always translate one-to-one to your bowling game score. The points scored in a game are contingent on both the previous frame and the next frame sometimes, and things can get even wilder from there when strikes and spares keep coming.

Not sure of the difference between an open frame and a mark? Are you in the dark about what a bowling frame is and how it affects your score? Read on and enjoy our insider’s guide about all things scoring in bowling!

An Insider’s Guide To Bowling Scoring: How Do You Keep Score At The Alley?

How many frames are there in a bowling game?

A game of bowling consists of ten frames. The object of a frame for each bowler is to knock down all ten pins in as few shots as possible. The number of balls thrown per frame and all the pins felled is recorded to calculate a bowling score. This includes bonus points for accomplishments such as strikes, consecutive strikes, and spares.

How many turns per frame does each bowler get?

In frames one through nine, a bowler gets two turns to knock down as many pins as they possibly can. In the 10th frame (and final frame), a bowler can throw as few as two balls and as many as three. To complete a game of bowling, a bowler can throw as few as twelve balls (in a perfect game) and as many as twenty-one.

How are pins knocked down counted towards a bowling score?

It depends on how a bowler knocked them down and the events of both the previous ball and the next ball (or two). One pin knocked down is ostensibly worth one point. Nine pins are worth nine points. Ten pins knocked down are ostensibly worth ten points. If no pins are left standing in a frame and a strike or spare is recorded, bonus points are awarded as the game continues to progress. During open frames where less than ten pins are felled, the score of the frame itself is the same as the number of pins knocked down. However, one or two shots from that frame might be used to calculate a bonus from a previous ball.

What happens when you knock down all ten pins on the first ball of a frame?

A strike is awarded when ten pins are knocked down on the first throw of a frame, or the first shot of a sequence in the tenth frame. When a ball thrown knocks down all ten pins on the first shot of a frame, a bonus is awarded equal to the pin count of the next two rolls. This bonus is added to the frame in which the strike occurred.

What happens when you knock down all ten pins after the second ball of a frame?

A spare is awarded when ten pins are knocked down in two rolls during a frame, or after two rolls of a sequence in the tenth frame. A bonus equivalent to the pin count from your first roll after the spare conversion is awarded and is added to the frame in which the spare was converted.

What happens if I get two or more strikes in a row?

If you roll two strikes in a row in different frames, you’ve unlocked the secret to higher bowling scores. Because a strike comes with a bonus equivalent to the pin carry of your next roll and the roll after that, multiple strikes increase your bonus potential. With two strikes in a row, the first strike gets a bonus of at least ten and as much as twenty depending on the results of the next roll. The bonus maxes out at 20 points, with a potential high score of 30 per frame. The more strikes you roll, the more bonus points you can accrue!

How are bonus points awarded on a bowling score sheet?

In most bowling alleys around the United States, an automatic scoring system keeps a running tally of your score during a game. When bonus points are awarded for a strike or spare converted in one frame, the score from the next throw or two is added to the score of that frame after the fact.

What is the maximum score in a game of bowling?

Frames one through nine can be ended in one shot with a strike. If you get nine consecutive strikes to start a bowling game, the tenth frame consists of three strike opportunities. Convert consecutive strikes #10 through #12 to finish off your perfect game and record a 300 score.

How many frames is a perfect bowling game?

While it takes twelve consecutive strikes to roll a perfect game, all bowling games consist of ten frames. The extra balls earned in the tenth frame do not constitute separate frames. In other words, you have twelve shots in ten frames to achieve perfection!

What do the boxes on a bowling score sheet mean?

On a typical bowling scoresheet, frames one through nine are denoted by a large box with two small boxes and a large space beneath them. The small boxes are used to write down the results of each ball, and the bigger space is used to keep a running tally of a player’s score. The tenth frame has three smaller boxes with three possible shots awarded to a bowler.

A Sample Bowling Game Scored From Frame To Frame

For this single-game scoring exercise, we will call our sample bowler “John.” After reading some of our handy articles with bowling tips a-plenty, John is ready to play his first game of the night at the local bowling alley in his town. He’s also ready to score the game on his own!

First Frame

On his first shot of the 1st frame, John knocks down eight pins. On his second shot, John knocks down the 2-pin but fails to knock down the 10-pin.

How To Score: John writes an 8 in the first small box and a 1 in the next, adding to a total of 9 for the frame. No bonus points are awarded.

Running Score Tally: 9

Second Frame

John laughs off his first frame and hammers a strike home with a sweeping hook shot.

How To Score: John places an X in the first small box. He’ll receive a bonus in this frame equivalent to the value of his next two shots.

Running Score Tally: 19 (bonus pending)

Third Frame

John’s in a groove! He crushes the pin pocket yet again for his second consecutive strike — a double in bowling lingo.

How To Score: John places an X in the first small box. He adds a bonus of ten to his second frame and receives a bonus equivalent to the value of his next two throws.

Running Score Tally: 49 (bonuses pending)

Fourth Frame

Oh, that’s rough! John hits the head pin almost directly, leaving the vexing 7-10 split. He fails to convert, knocking the 7-pin down on his second shot and picking up a nine altogether.

How To Score: John places an 8 with a circle around it in the first box. That is the symbol for a split. He writes a 1 for his second ball tally. He receives a bonus of eight more points for his 2nd frame and a total bonus of nine for his 3rd frame. He receives just nine points for his 4th frame.

Running Score Tally: 65

Fifth Frame

That’s much better. John leaves just one pin on his first shot and knocks it down with a well-placed spare ball.

How To Score: With no bonuses pending, no extra points are awarded for the previous frame. However, John places a 9 and a / in the two small boxes of this frame and receives a bonus equivalent to his next shot.

Running Score Tally: 75 (bonus pending)

Sixth Frame

Boom! John throws the ball oddly, hitting the opposite pin pocket of his dominant right hand. It still works and he picks up a loud strike.

How To Score: John places an X in the first small box. He receives a bonus of ten points for the previous spare and will receive a bonus equivalent to his next two shots.

Running Score Tally: 95 (bonus pending)

Seventh Frame

Double! John is feeling it, putting together his second duo of strikes of the game.

How To Score: John places an X in the first small box. He receives a bonus of ten points for his previous strikes with one shot to go. He also gets another bonus equivalent to his next two shots for this frame.

Running Score Tally: 115 (bonuses pending)

Eighth Frame

There it is! John nails his third strike in a row for a turkey! Gobble, gobble!

How To Score: John places an X in the first small box. He receives another bonus of ten points for the 6th frame, totaling 30 points for the frame. He receives a bonus of ten for the 7th frame with one more bonus shot pending. He gets another bonus of two shots to add to this frame.

Running Score Tally: 145 (bonuses pending

Ninth Frame

Ouch! John leaves the 8-pin and just misses it on his spare conversion. He scores a nine, breaking his streak of marks at four frames.

How To Score: John places a 9 in the first small box and a 0 in the next one. He receives a bonus of 9 for the 7th frame, finalizing that frame’s scoring total at 29. He receives a total bonus of 9 for his 8th frame, making for 19 in that frame. He receives just 9 points for his 9th frame.

Running Score Tally: 172

Tenth Frame

John starts strong in the first two frames, converting back-to-back strikes! He gets one more shot but struggles to find his mark — leaving three pins up for a game-ending seven.

How To Score: Because of the nature of the tenth frame, no bonus carry-over is awarded to consecutive strikes in the frame without a previous strike to factor in. John places two Xs in the first two small boxes and a 7 in the last. He totals 27 points for his final frame.

Final Score Tally: 199

Closing Thoughts

While we did our best to illuminate the ins and outs of bowling scoring and how points are awarded for everything from an original strike to multiple strikes in a row, it takes practice and immersion to understand what’s going on. The more time you spend at the lanes, the better chance you’ll have at getting the hang of things!