It is sold in a container that looks similar to powdered bleach cleanser, complete with holes that allow for even distribution across the table. The silicone beads act like tiny ball bearings, enabling a puck to slide down the table with a minimal amount of effort.Īlthough it is also known as shuffleboard wax, it is indeed a powder made from dried silicone beads and cornmeal (long ago it was made from sawdust), as opposed to a liquid. Shuffleboard powder enables the puck to slide smoothly across the board. To keep play smooth, large amounts of a product made called “shuffleboard powder” are sprinkled generously on the table. Pucks that fall or are knocked into the alley are considered out of play for that round. Around the table is a gutter, called the “alley”. A shot must pass the foul line closest to the player, or else it is removed from play. The lines that separate the centre of the table from scoring areas is called the “foul line”. This section is roughly four times as long either of the other two sections. Next to this is the “1” section, for one point. Equal in length is the adjacent scoring area, marked with a “2” for two points. The area closest to the edge of the table, marked with a “3” meaning three points, and is roughly four to five inches in length. Each scoring area covers the width of table although they can vary in length. The official shuffleboard table length is twenty-two feet long by twenty inches wide, although unofficially sizes can be as short as nine feet, still preserving the width.Īt each end of the table, roughly one third is covered by three scoring areas. The 1990s saw the formation of the TSA, or Table Shuffleboard Association, which established a hall of fame to immortalize the very best players of the sport. Although the sport declined over the next couple of decades, in the mid-80s it began to see a revival. Tournaments were nationwide, often sponsored by shuffleboard manufacturers. The 1950s saw shuffleboard reach its peak in popularity. Its base of players grew, however, and even Hollywood celebrities were having tables installed in their homes. For some it was a source of intense competition, for others it was merely an enjoyable way to pass the time. The Great Depression of the 30s was a source of trouble for many people however, so when prohibition was lifted, shuffleboard once again became popular as an outlet for stress.ĭuring the war, the 1940s were also troubled times, and once again shuffleboard provided a sense of release. In the 1920s many taverns closed, leaving their shuffleboard tables idle. Newspapers reported the results with the same regularity as baseball, boxing and other sports.Īs shuffleboard was primarily played in taverns, prohibition had a very detrimental impact on the game. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, shuffleboard was taking off as a competitive sport, particularly around New York City. The judge, however, ruled that shuffleboard was indeed not a game of chance, but a game of skill.
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Bishop was a tavern owner accused of running a game of chance in the form of a shuffleboard without a license to do so. The play “The Crucible”, which chronicles the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s, mentions 1692 as a year where there were plenty of “ne’er do wells” (lazy, worthless individuals) gathered around the shuffleboard in the local tavern.Īlso of historical significance is an 1848 legal case, The State vs. Shuffleboard is also reported to have been popular with early American colonists. He is also known for having outlawed the game with commoners, as he felt it distracted them from their daily duties. King Henry the VIII was known to be a shuffleboard player, as he is on record as having lost nine pounds to Lord William playing the game. At that time, players would play a game called “Shoffe-Groat”, sliding a large 4-pence coin (a “groat”) down a long table with points being scored for getting the coin as close to the edge of the table as possible, without falling off.
Shuffleboard is believed to have its origins in England, around the 1400s. The end of the table is marked with specific areas for scoring. Table Shuffleboard is a game where players take turns sliding weighted pucks down a long, smooth table made of wood.
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