Bowling Scoring: Strikes? Spares? Maximum Score?
Share
A standard game of bowling consists of 10 frames. In each frame, you have up to two rolls to knock down all 10 pins. An exception is the 10th frame: if you score a spare or a strike, you get a third extra roll.
Scoring is based on:
- Pins knocked down
- Bonuses for strikes and spares
The goal is to achieve the highest possible score.
What is a strike in bowling?
A strike occurs when you knock down all 10 pins on your first roll of a frame.
How it’s scored:
- Worth 10 points
- Plus the points from your next two rolls
Example:
If you roll a strike, then knock down 5 and 4 pins in the next frame:
10 + 5 + 4 = 19 points
| Turnos | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Tiradas | 3 | 5 | X | 5 | 4 | |
| Puntos | 8 | 27 | 36 | |||
What is a spare in bowling?
A spare occurs when you knock down all 10 pins using both rolls of a frame.
How it’s scored:
- Worth 10 points
- Plus the points from your next roll
Example:
If you roll a spare, then knock down 5 pins in your next roll:
10 + 5 = 15 points
| Turnos | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Tiradas | 3 | 5 | 5 | / | 5 | 4 |
| Puntos | 8 | 23 | 32 | |||
Maximum Score
The maximum score is 300 points.
This is achieved by rolling strikes in all frames: 10 strikes plus the 2 extra strikes in the 10th frame, for a total of 12 consecutive strikes.