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Bowling Spares and Pin Numbers
How the pins are numbered, the seven spares bowlers leave most, and how to pick up each one
Bowling pins are numbered 1 to 10 from front to back: the head pin is 1, the second row is 2 and 3, the third row 4, 5 and 6, and the back row 7, 8, 9 and 10. The spares bowlers leave most are a single corner pin (the 10 for right-handers, the 7 for left-handers), the 2-4-5 and its bigger cousin the bucket, the 3-6-10, the 2-8 and 3-9 sleepers, the washout and the 7-10 split. Most are picked up with a plastic spare ball thrown straight from a set starting spot for each leave.
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How bowling pins are numbered
Ten pins stand in a triangle, and every spare is named by the numbers of the pins left standing. When a bowler talks about a 2-4-5 or a 7-10 split, these are the numbers.
- Pin 1, the head pinThe front pin, the one closest to the bowler.
- Pins 2 and 3The second row, directly behind the head pin.
- Pins 4, 5 and 6The third row.
- Pins 7, 8, 9 and 10The back row. The 7 and the 10 are the corner pins.
Left-handers see the same deck in mirror. The 7 becomes the common corner pin, the bucket is the 3-5-6-9 and the washout is the 1-3-6-7. Every leave below has its left-handed twin listed.
The most common bowling spares
These are the leaves you will see most often, from the simplest single pin to the split nobody wants. The cause tells you what went wrong on the first ball; the conversion tells you where to put the second.
| Spare | Pins left | Why it happens | How to pick it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single pin | 10 pin (right-handers), 7 pin (left-handers) | A slightly off-angle shot leaves one corner pin. | Use a plastic spare ball, throw it straight and aim across the lane. |
| The 2-4-5 | 2-4-5 (left-handers: 3-5-6) | The ball deflects after hitting the head pin light, leaving pins on the left side. | Move your starting spot slightly right so the ball catches all three pins clean. |
| The bucket | 2-4-5-8 (left-handers: 3-5-6-9) | A light pocket hit that does not drive through the pins. | Hit the 2 pin square. Too thin and you chop the 2 off the front; too thick and you miss the 8 behind it. |
| The 3-6-10 | 3-6-10 (left-handers: 2-4-7) | The ball goes high and leaves the back corner. | Target the 3 pin straight on and let the ball’s angle take the 6 and the 10. |
| The sleepers | 2-8 or 3-9 | One pin hides directly behind another, so a hit on the front pin alone leaves the back one. | Focus on a straight line through the front pin so the ball drives through to the pin behind it. |
| The washout | 1-2-4-10 (left-handers: 1-3-6-7) | The ball misses the pocket entirely. | Hit the head pin on the inside and let it deflect into the corner pin. |
| The 7-10 split | 7-10, the goal posts or bedposts | Left by a strike ball that hits the pocket a little light, with nothing carrying to the back corners. | The ball cannot reach both, so one pin has to slide across the lane into the other. Even pros rarely convert it, and many bowlers play for one pin to keep the count. |
The diagrams show the right-handed leave. A left-hander’s version is the mirror image, listed in the second column.
A washout is not a split. It looks like one, but the head pin is still standing, and under the playing rules a leave only counts as a split when the head pin is down. That is why a washout gets no split mark on the score sheet.
Why spares matter more than strikes
- Consistency winsStrikes come in streaks; spares are the part of the game you control.
- Higher averagesMost bowlers raise their scores more by practicing spares than by chasing strikes.
- ConfidenceKnowing how to handle the common leaves takes the frustration out of a missed pocket.
How to shoot spares more consistently
- Use a spare ballA plastic ball goes straighter than a reactive one, which takes the hook, and the guesswork, out of a spare shot.
- Stand and target the same way every timeBuild a system for each common spare, for example: for the 10 pin, stand far left and target the second arrow. The same leave then gets the same shot.
- Practice the tough onesBuckets, sleepers and washouts deserve extra lane time, because they are the leaves that cost the most pins when they are missed.
Looking for a spare ball? See plastic bowling balls.
Questions bowlers ask
How are bowling pins numbered?
From front to back. The head pin is 1, the second row is 2 and 3, the third row 4, 5 and 6, and the back row 7, 8, 9 and 10. From the bowler’s side, the 7 is the back left corner and the 10 the back right.
What is the most common spare in bowling?
A single corner pin: the 10 pin for right-handers and the 7 pin for left-handers. It is usually left by a shot that comes in at a slightly off angle.
What is a bucket in bowling?
The diamond-shaped leave of the 2, 4, 5 and 8 pins for a right-hander, or the 3, 5, 6 and 9 for a left-hander. It usually follows a light pocket hit. Pick it up by hitting the 2 pin, or the 3 for a left-hander, square.
Is a washout a split?
No. A washout, the 1-2-4-10 or the 1-3-6-7, leaves the head pin standing, and a leave only counts as a split when the head pin is down. It is converted by hitting the head pin on the inside so it deflects into the corner pin.
What is the 7-10 split?
The two back corner pins, nicknamed the goal posts or bedposts. It is one of the hardest spares in bowling because no ball can hit both: one pin has to be driven across the lane into the other.
Has anyone made the 7-10 split on TV?
Four bowlers have converted it on a live PBA telecast: Mark Roth in 1980, John Mazza and Jess Stayrook in 1991, and Anthony Neuer at the 2021 U.S. Open, the first in 30 years.
Should I use a spare ball?
Yes, for most spares. A plastic ball rolls straighter than a reactive ball, so it is easier to aim at a single pin, especially the corner pins, where a hooking ball can miss on either side.
Sources and method
Pin numbering and splits. The standard ten-pin numbering, and the rule that a split needs the head pin down, follow the bowling playing rules used by leagues and tournaments.
Spare advice. The causes and conversions are from the original BowlersMart article and reflect the basics taught to new bowlers. Left-handed versions are the mirror images of the right-handed leaves.
The 7-10 on television. The PBA counts Anthony Neuer’s 7-10 at the 2021 U.S. Open as the fourth converted on TV and the first in 30 years (pba.com, September 2022), after Mark Roth in 1980 and John Mazza and Jess Stayrook in 1991. The video is BowlersMart’s own 2020 compilation.
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