Pool and billiards nights for a private members club

The problem

Collecting a cash buy-in does not fit the room, and members will expect a standings table that is accurate to the week.

A plan that works here

1. Run entry through member accounts rather than cash, and use the app only to track who has entered — mark everyone paid, and let the club's own billing do the money.
2. Keep a proper season. This is a crowd that will check the standings and query them.
3. Export the results. A club secretary will want the numbers in a spreadsheet.
4. Formality helps here: write the ruleset down and post it.

What actually matters in this room

Season standings

Expected, and expected to be correct.

CSV export

The club will want its own records.

Staff accounts

The night is usually run by staff, not by a member.

A run sheet you can steal

Sized for 1–4 and a Free or charged to the account buy-in on Thursday. Shift the clock to suit your own closing time; the gaps between the rows are what matter.

When	What happens
T−30	Sign-ups open. Names down, money in. Nothing starts until the pot is complete.
T−5	Entries close. Say the pot out loud. State the three rules that cause arguments: scratch, slop, and the free break.
T	Draw the order in front of everyone, then break.
T+45	Roughly half the field has a strike or two. This is when the room is fullest.
T+90	Down to the last few. Put a shot clock on if it is dragging.
End	Pay out in front of people, and announce the next one before anybody leaves.

The verdict

Well suited, with the money handled outside the app. The features that matter are record-keeping rather than the pot.

If three strikes is not right for this room

It usually is, because it is the only common format that does not care how many people turn up. But if your crowd is small or very mixed, scotch doubles pairs strong players with beginners, and golf pool needs no pool knowledge at all. The full ranking is here.