A strike waits for your next two balls; a spare waits for one. Then you can finish the frame’s score.
An open frame
Six pins on the first ball, two on the second: 8 points. You’re done with that frame. There’s no bonus to add later.
A spare
Seven on the first ball and the remaining three on the second is a spare. That’s 10 plus your next ball.
If the next ball knocks down six, your spare frame is worth 16. That six still counts in the new frame too.
A strike
All ten on the first ball: 10 plus your next two balls.
A strike followed by six and two is worth 18. Only your own balls count for the bonus, even if someone else bowls between your turns.
Extra balls in the tenth
If you leave an open frame, you get two balls. Make a spare and you get one more. Strike and you get two more. Add those balls together for your tenth-frame score.
After a strike, you get a fresh rack. If the next ball knocks down seven, you shoot at the three left standing on your last ball. If you strike again, you get another fresh rack.
Three strikes in the tenth is 30. There isn’t an eleventh frame.
Pending frame totals
A strike in the eighth can’t have a final score until you’ve thrown two more balls. So that frame, and the running total after it, may stay blank for a while.
See the bowling scorer or ten-pin rules.
Scoring reference: USBC keeping score.
Common questions
How many points is a strike?
Ten plus the pins from your next two deliveries. A strike frame can total up to 30.
Do you always get three balls in the tenth frame?
No. An open tenth has two deliveries. A spare earns one fill ball; a strike earns two.