Stop And Even Avoid Arguments
My Family Does With These Simple Rules

If you want to stop or have a way to avoid arguments in your home game room or out at the pub with friends then you need a simple way to establish a few easy to remember fun and generic rules.

Now laying the groundwork for rules won't stop every argument but they will stop many, because before an argumentative thought pops in someone's head they'll realize that there are "rules" that need to be followed.

And don't forget that even playing the same game many people have different rules and that is especially true for billiards. "Where do you place the cue after a scratch? Who gets to break first? Who's my partner?" and so on.

So before you head out to your next party just remember to avoid arguments and lay the groundwork for a few simple and fun ways/rules that everyone can agree on. Below you'll find out how my family has handled crazy arguments over the years of good old family fun during the holiday seasons.

As everyone who has a game room in their home knows arguments will arise. Whether it’s about the rules of the game or about who was next in line to play, an argument may begin. But there are ways to avoid some game room arguments before they even begin.

Over the years our family has had it’s share of arguments. Some were pretty big and others were basically about nothing at all. But the bottom line is that we had them.

We’ve come up with a few different ways of avoiding those arguments. After years of gaming in our home I’d like to share a few of these ideas with you below.

These ideas are pretty basic and possibly most of you out there have already implemented them into your game room.

But for those of you who are just starting to create your game room then it may be a good idea to read on below.

You may be able to use a few of our ideas and stop arguments before they happen!

Who’s Next List

I know that having a “Who’s Next List” sounds pretty basic but trust me, over the years a simple list has solved many arguments.

In our home game room we just had a pen and paper by the pool table. Every person or team who wanted to play had to write their name down.

By doing this simple thing order was kept and no “he said she said” argument occurred. If your name wasn’t on the list then you’re not up, simple as that. Just write your name down for the next available game. When your turn is up cross off your name and if you lose the game just write your name on the bottom of the list once again. Of course this can be used for any game in the basement.

A friend of mine bought a nice billiard chalkboard and you could write the name of the team/person who was to play the winner.

We also keep running tabs of who wins the most games on party nights. You have to love those bragging rights.

Other people buy white boards to keep track of who is playing what game and who is up next in order.

Again this may sound pretty simple but you’d be amazed at how many people do not have this in their game room.

It’s something nice to have and saves many arguments especially if you’re having a party with many friends and family over.

Deck Of Cards

One other simple idea is to have a deck of cards handy. Make sure that deck stays in the game room at all times. If you don’t have a deck of cards handy in your game room and you have a big party then you may run into trouble.

You’re probably thinking why do I need cards? Well let me explain how our family has used them over the years.

You use the cards as a way to pick teams in pool or any game that you may be playing in your game room.

Say you have 10 friends and family over for a get-together and are going to play pool. If this is the case you should only take out 10 cards or 5 pairs. Each person will pick a card and pairs are on a team.

If you have an odd number of people then just add a single different card or the joker. The odd person out will get on the losing players team. The two losers will pick a card and low person is out. And on and on it goes throughout the night.

Make sure you only use the number of cards for the number of people playing. If you have three cards that are the same then you may run into a needless argument.

Well what happens if the two best players end up partners for the night? There is an easy solution for this!

Changing Players

Another important rule we implemented years ago was that the two best players must have a chance to be split up. Of course there were times we let the winners continue on without splitting up but in fairness and fun we usually implement the “split the winners” rule.

What we did was have a rule that said if a team won more than 5 consecutive games then all the players must re-pick cards for new teams.

Which teams plays first, second and so on? Well the highest two pairs would play first and the next lowest pair had winner. It’s as easy as that. Just remember to write the team names on your whiteboard or piece of paper.

We had a rule within this rule also that said the following. If the same two players who had the 5 game winning streak picked to be teams again then they DO stay partners. It’s the luck of the pick.

Of course on some nights we’d have too many people to use the 5 game winning streak rule. In that case we use a 3 game winning streak and switch partners rule.

This has pretty much kept order in our home game room. It also added an extra dimension of fun and challenge for everyone involved.

Remember you want to be a winner and want a mark in the win column by your name so all the games were full of fun competition. Whether you had the pool shark on your team or the beginner it was fun!

Keeping Records

It’s also fun to have a chalkboard with the records for each game posted in the basement.

If you don’t want it posted for everyone to see then at least keep a notebook handy with the high scores for each game. This way nobody can argue who had the highest score ever on such and such game. It happens and if it hasn’t happened yet then it will someday. So just keep a simple “record” book somewhere in your game room.

An example of records to keep could be which pool team had the longest winning streak or who had the highest score at pinball.

Just write the names and the dates, it keeps the fun going and avoids fights on over who actually had the highest all time score on the pinball machine.

Home Rules

Lastly you could add a rule board to your game room outlining the rules for each game.

Remember the old saying, “Home Rules”. That is such a true saying. I’ve played pool at many different friends homes and they all seem to have different rules when it comes to how the game is played.

Do you lose on a scratch? Can you place the cue ball anywhere on the table after a scratch or is it in the kitchen? Must you call your pocket on every ball or just the 8 ball?

Many different people so many different rules. Just make a quick rules of the game board so friends and family can refer to it and you’ll save many arguments over who is right and wrong.

Because always, I mean ALWAYS “Home Rules” are always right and you can’t argue that, especially if they’re posted on your wall.

Enjoy Your Game Room

I hope the above suggestions can be of some help. They’ve helped my family and friends through the years and I hope they help yours.

I’m sure you have many more ideas and rules for your game room. If you have any other suggestions please send an email and we’ll post you’re ideas on this website for others to see. Please use our Contact Us Page to send your email.

Thank You For Visiting This Page And I Hope The Rules My Family Use Are Of Some Help For Yours. I Sincerely Hope You Have An Argument Free Game Room!

And always remember, if you need to start fresh with some of the best game room ideas it's best to start by looking at the Game Room Decorating Ideas Home Page.