The POISON SHOOTER Rule

The original Rules of Ringer used “the poison shooter rule” as explained below.

RULE II- PLAN OF PLAY

Section 4. Starting the game, each player in turn shall knuckle down just outside the ring line, at any point he chooses, and shoot into the ring to knock one or more marbles out or the ring, or to hit or knock out of the ring the shooter of an opposing player, or players, if any remain inside the ring.

Section 5. If a player knocks one or more marbles out of the ring, or hits the shooter of an opponent, or knocks an opponent's shooter out of the ring, he continues to shoot. He ceases to shoot after his first miss, and then is credited with the marbles he has scored.

Section 6. If, after a miss, a player's shooter remains inside the ring, he must leave it there and his opponents are permitted to shoot at it.

RULE.  III --PLAYING REGULATIONS

Section 3. A player hitting an opponent's shooter inside the ring but not knocking it out, shall pick up any marble he chooses and shall proceed to shoot. However, he shall not hit the same opponent's shooter until after he hits another shooter, or knocks a marble out of the ring or he comes around to his next turn to shoot.

Section 4. A player knocking an opponent's shooter out of the ring shall be entitled to all the marbles won by that opponent, and the opponent whose shooter has been knocked out of the ring is out of the game, "killed." If the opponent who was knocked out of the ring has no marbles, the player who knocked him out shall not be entitled to pick up a marble for the shot.

Section 5. If a shooter knocks out two or more marbles, or hits an opponent's shooter and a marble, or hits two opponents' shooters, or completes any other combination play, he shall be entitled to all the points scored on that shot.

Section 7. A game shall end when the last marble is shot out.

EXPLAINED

Because of the “poison” shooter rule, it meant the contestants had to keep playing until all the marbles were knocked out - all 13 of them.  A player leading the match by a score of 12-0, if on his next shot he "missed" and left his shooter inside the ring, it became “poison.” So, the opponent still has a chance to win the match, even though he is down 12-0, if he can knock the ‘poison shooter’ out of the ring. In this way, the game was not over until the 13th marble was shoot from the ring.     

The “poison” shooter rule made the game more challenging, more exciting, interesting, entertaining and required more strategizing. Today there is no similar challenge or strategy other than hitting marbles out one by one until you knock out the 7th of 13 marbles and the game ends.

The “poison” shooter rule was dropped, I believe because it was thought the winner should be the player with the best shooting skills, period! In a 1988 letter from one of the committee members of the National Marbles Tournament – he expressed his want to further improve the chances for the “better shooter”. This idea might explain the reason for eliminating the “poison” shooter rule  - it made the game easier for the “better shooter” i.e.; it made the game easier for a player who used the dead-eye shooting technique (dead-eye being one who couldn’t shot with back-spin and could not control where his shooter came to rest) -- i.e.; to make the game easier for the player with the best aim -- i.e.; to make it easier for the player who didn’t understand the complex strategies of the game, -- i.e.; to make the game easier for “pussies” and harder for new kids.

DROPPING the “poison” shooter rule also made the game much more difficult for lower skilled players.

There used to be a shot called "babying in" or "baby in" in some cases they also called this “lagging-in,” which wasn’t as derogatory.  This was often a player’s first shot taken during the game. The idea was to intentionally shoot your marble into the center of the ring where it would be perfectly placed for their next turn. They took the risk of their shooter being "poison" and knocked out, but it was somewhat protected being surrounded by 13 mibs. On their second turn their shooter sat near the center of the ring, where they could easily nail mib after mib in succession remaining only inches away from their targets the whole time. This kept the game from being a bore for the younger mibsters who might otherwise shoot a dozen times from the ring edge before they actually hit a mib out. Today you have the "Bored Referee Rule" or “6 Innings” rule, where after 6 innings if a winner has not been decided, you lag for winner.

In the old rules, the player must be ever mindful of where his shooter is going to end up after he's taken his shot – like in billiards. A player must plan every shot carefully least his shooter becomes poison. The best players rarely left their shooters in the ring. Today, if a player shoots and misses and their shooter comes to rest in the ring, the player picks it up and that marks the end of his turn.

Also a stick back in the days of “the poison shooter rule” meant 13 marbles were knocked out of the ring in one turn - Al Huey, in his second game in the finals missed a stick by one marble, shooting 12 mibs out in one turn. A 13 mib stick - that's damn impressive. Today a “stick” is shooting 7 marbles out in one turn.

The poison shooter rule made the game of Ringer an exciting spectators sport, which was important for journalists promoting the game in the pages of their press. Today it would make is a game suitable for television coverage – the present game is as suitable for TV as watching someone shot tin cans. 

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