How Do You Keep Score In Shuffleboard: Knock Off Edition

The wax is on the shuffleboard table and you’ve chosen the color of your puck, but one crucial question remains: How do you keep score in shuffleboard? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to find out. With a little skill, practice and luck, you will become a shuffleboard Sensei, but first… You must learn how to keep score.

The Basic Rules of Knock Off

In the tournament version of Knock Off, players use the short foul line (the one further from the player throwing the weight) to designate the area in which one point is scored. Casual games generally use the long foul line instead, making it easier for novice players who are just starting out. Regardless of which foul line is used, the weight must go past the second line for two points and past the third line for three points. The weight must be fully past the line to get all of the allotted points.

The Hanger

If you’ll recall from our Ultimate Glossary of Shuffleboard Terms, the best score that one can receive is called a Hanger. In the Knock Off scoring rule book, a Hanger is a puck that lands in the third scoring section and hangs over the lip of the table. The player that maintains this type of shot until the end of the round is awarded four points for each Hanger they shoot.

When there is a Hanger in dispute, official scorers and those learning how to keep score in shuffleboard will often use a puck as a measuring option. Slide another weight along the back end of the board, if that weight hits the disputed hanger, the player has received four points. While it’s rarely ever seen in a game of Knock Off, there is a possibility of 16 points being scored in one round with four hangers. Be our guest and shoot for it, but all we have to say is “Better luck next time!”

Scoring a Frame of Knock Off

Now comes the tricky part of scoring Knock Off. Remember, at the end of each round only one player will actually score the points they had in that frame. The player with the weight furthest down the board is the winner of the points. They receive points for all of their pucks that are past the opponent’s farthest weight. For example, the photo above shows that the red player only gets points for the pucks that are past the last blue puck. The score for this frame would be six points for red. Most people play to anywhere in between 11 and 21 points, but the official game ending score for Knock Off in tournament play is 15.

Learning how to keep score in shuffleboard isn’t complicated, especially for a game like Knock Off. Once you’ve learned these basic scoring rules, you’ll have the potential to be the ruling party on all shuffleboard games and referee other friends’ games. Remember though, the most important aspect of table shuffleboard is having fun. Don’t let your love for the rules get in the way of a fun time. Play clean, score clean and enjoy your shuffleboard table.

Bonus: Check out this video of a game of Knock Off on a McClure shuffleboard table and get some further insight into the rules.

How to Play Shuffleboard: Scoring a Knock Off from McClure Tables on Vimeo.