Shuffleboard
Created | Updated Oct 20, 2010
Take the weight in hand and place it on a freshly 'waxed'
1
table. Take careful aim and with a decent push, attempt to slide the
weight as close to the other end of the table as possible without
throwing it off. Simple concept as far games go. However, mastery of
this game is far from simple. Probably the best description given of
this game has it somewhere between bowling and pool or billiards with
elements of beer thrown in.
The game of shuffleboard or 'slideboard' appears to have originated in
England around the 15th century. It was originally played with a
four-pence coin referred to as a groat.
2
Later pennies were utilized earning the game the name 'shove-penny' or
'shovel-penny'.
Two major variations of shuffleboard are widely
played. One involves the use of an instrument, a 'shovel' shaped
instrument if you will, to push larger weights across a playing field
on the ground. The second is a table based game played on a polished
table using the hands to move the weights. The latter version will be
the focus of this entry.
Shuffleboard has evolved through the centuries facing ebbs in interest
and even political opposition. It lends much to the charm of the game
to know that it has weathered such odds and is still a widely enjoyed
pastime.
The game consists of a 'board' or 'table', granulated wax and eight weights, four red and four blue.
1The wax in question is often a form of granulated silicone.
Don't get it in your eyes unless you enjoy the sensation of your optic
nerve being seared out of your skull.2Due to the amount of information and lengthy history which I
won't even pretend to understand I have provided this link in case you
want to know more about this fascinating piece of monetary
history.
Don't get it in your eyes unless you enjoy the sensation of your optic
nerve being seared out of your skull.2Due to the amount of information and lengthy history which I
won't even pretend to understand I have provided this link in case you
want to know more about this fascinating piece of monetary
history.
