A strike is knocking down all ten pins with the first ball of a frame, marked with an X on the scoresheet. Crucially, a strike isn’t worth just 10 points — it scores 10 plus the total of your next two rolls as a bonus. So consecutive strikes compound: three strikes in a row makes the first frame worth 30. This bonus structure is why a perfect game (twelve strikes) scores 300 rather than 120. Stringing strikes together is the fastest way to build a high score, though consistent spare conversion is the more reliable foundation.
Key points
- All ten pins on the first ball
- Scored as 10 + next two rolls
- Consecutive strikes compound the bonus
- Twelve strikes = perfect game of 300
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