HT Games
Older Traditional Games
Historically, popular pub games have always maintained a presence in a few die-hard areas. Currently they are increasingly being re-instated elsewhere, as interest in old traditions is re-ignited. Shove Ha'penny, billiards, bar billiards and indoor quoits are examples. Shove Ha'penny boards are marked with target sections and a coin is hit, or shoved, from the end of the slate by the players. Winners are the first to have their coin land in each target area. Billiards and bar billiards are games played on felt-covered tables with balls hit by a cue. As well as potting balls, players have to avoid knocking over strategically placed pins, or skittles. Indoor quoits is based on a similar outdoor game played with a horseshoe. Rubber rings are used for indoor quoits. They are thrown at a square raised platform several paces away. Encircling the center peg scores maximum, while landing on painted outer circles earns fewer points.
Newer Traditional Games
Darts, pool (also called "eight ball" in America) and skittles have been firm favorites for the past few decades. If a pub has a dart board or pool table, most customers can get a turn to play for fun, but a skittle alley may be open only for regular teams. Skittles dates back further than the other games and is similar to ten-pin bowling, although the ball, alley and skittles, or pins, are less sophisticated. Also, only nine skittles form the diamond target pattern. Table football and air hockey tables have also enjoyed some popularity in pubs in the last 20 years.
Modern Pub Games
Recent additions to games provided by pubs are oversize versions of games like Jenga, chess and backgammon. Few pubs would complain if you took your own, ordinary sized, board games in to play, if this type of game appeals to you. Some even keep a selection behind the bar.
Games of Chance and Drinking Games
A game of chance called "spoof" popularly decides who buys the drinks. Rules vary, but usually a group of players hold out closed fists, concealing between zero and three coins. Group members guess how many coins there are in total, each taking turns at guessing first. A correct guess exempts a player from further rounds. The last person left in buys the drinks. In "thumbmaster," a designated person puts their thumb on the bar at a chosen moment. Other players follow suit and the last to do so has to drink two fingers of spirits, or buy the next round. In the "empty glass" game, players must touch their empty glass on another empty glass before putting it down. If a player forgets, he must replace his drink and drink it down in one draft. Other players have fun distracting their opponents.