Fishki (skittles on pyramid table)

5 wooden skittles in center — points for knocked pins. Pocket table, but pockets do not score.

ClubClub game · not Italian 5-pin caromPyramid

Essence

Amateur game on the same 12 ft pyramid table with tight pockets. Five wooden skittles (pins 8–10 cm) in a cross at center. Use 2–3 balls or full set — by agreement.

Points — only for skittles knocked by legal ball contact. Pocketed ball alone does not score; pockets only remove balls from play.

Play head-to-head or in rotation; win to 30, 50, or 60 points.
Popular in clubs as warm-up or parallel format when tables are busy with tournaments.

Skittle and ball setup

Cross on center lines; center (red / king) higher than others.
Distance between skittles — slightly more than ball diameter so pins do not freeze.
Cue ball and object balls — by agreement: often 2–3 balls, sometimes full pyramid set.
After knocked skittles reset before next shot (or only king — per hall rules).

Play

Shot from hand in kitchen or from cue-ball position after previous shot — by agreement.
Only skittles knocked via cue-ball contact with another ball (or ball chain) count.
Direct cue-ball hit on skittle often foul — points to opponent.
Ball in pocket — out of play or returned to table — per club rules.
Run: while knocking skittles without foul, you keep the table.

Points (typical in clubs)

White skittle — 2 points; red with whites combination — 4; red only (king) — 10.
Value variants and full-house bonus (all 5 in one shot) vary by hall — fix before frame.
Play to 30, 50, or 60 points; tie — extra round or replay to win.

Violations

Direct hit on skittle with cue ball without contacting another ball.
Double hit, ball off table, cue contact not on cue ball.
Penalty — points to opponent (often 2 or 4) and change of inning.

Not carom billiards

Italian 5-pin — separate discipline on 10 ft carom table without pockets: different sizes, stroke rules, and scoring.

Russian fishki on pyramid table — standalone club format, not in RBF program.

Historical note: fishki (skittles on pyramid)

Fishki — five wooden skittles on a pyramid table; points for knocked pins, pockets do not count. Club format, not to be confused with Italian billiard a cinque pin.

Origin on the Russian table

Pin games on billiard tables are known in Europe (Italian and French variants with pins). Russian fishki — local adaptation: five wooden skittles on the table, players strike them with the cue ball per hall rules.

Pockets do not score — only knocked skittles. Direct cue-ball hit on a skittle is often a foul; points go to the opponent. Run: while you knock skittles without foul, you keep the table.

The format needs no ICP tournament infrastructure — a skittle set and players who know local regulations.

Not to be confused with Italian carom

Billiard a cinque pin — carom table without pockets, different balls and rules.
Russian fishki — on 12 ft pyramid pocket table.
Points only for skittles, not balls in pockets.

Equipment and setup

Five wooden skittles (pins), usually in the central zone. Layout and shot zones — per club rules.

Balls — standard pyramid 68 mm. Cue ball — colored, as in other disciplines on this table.

Not every hall has a set; confirm with staff before visiting.

Where it is played

Fully equipped clubs — Moscow, major regional centers.
Amateur play more often than rating series.
On billiard.guru the table may be pyramid; fishki — by agreement in the hall.
ICP tournaments — discipline not represented.

Club culture

Fishki — entertainment and stroke-precision training, alternative to evening kolkhoz. Rules are highly local: one hall allows carom to skittle, another — only indirect hit.

Fishki rules do not carry over to tournament free or Moscow pyramid — separate game.

This is a short guide. The exact regulations are in the tournament description on billiard.guru or from the organizer. Official event rules take precedence.

All games: Pyramid Table types