The Basic Rules of Bocce Ball
If you’ve never played Bocce before, you’re missing out on an incredible game. The basic rules of Bocce for home courts are reasonably easy to grasp, but they can differ between regions and competitive play.
The game is played with two types of balls. The Pallino (or Pallina) is a (typically white) target ball that players aim for during rounds. There are eight Bocce balls in total divided into two colors to differentiate the two teams.
Players and teams
Bocce can be played one-on-one or in teams of two or four. The four balls on the team are divided between the players for each round. In team play, the rotation doesn’t have to remain constant throughout the rounds.
Beginning play
At the beginning of the game, teams choose who will toss the Pallino into the court, usually after a coin toss. The team that won the toss can choose between throwing the Pallino or picking their Bocce ball color. In tournaments, the trailing team in the round scoring usually gets the honor by default.
The Pallino is tossed into the court. To be considered ‘in play,’ the ball must pass the center line and stay in the court. This is also called seating the Pallino. If the first team doesn’t seat the Pallino, the other team gets their toss until a successful toss is made.
The game
After the Pallino is in the court, the player who seated the Pallino throws their first Bocce ball. If the ball lands within the court, it is ‘in’ and counts as the point ball. If not, the next player on the same team throws until the team makes an ‘in’ ball or runs out of Bocce balls. After that, the other team makes their toss, and the teams alternate whenever their ball ends up closer to the Pallino than any of the other team’s balls.
If the Pallino is struck during a toss, the throw doesn’t count. All balls in the field are returned to their previous positions. However, players can modify this rule to only affect throws that displace the Pallino outside the court. If the Pallino is removed from the court, players can also start a new round with the current one not getting scored.
All tosses must be underhanded, and the ball can roll or bounce off the court and still be a legal toss as long as it follows the ‘closest ball rule’ and remains within bound.
Scoring
After all throws are made, the teams score. Only one team scores during a round, with their score equaling the number of Bocce balls closer to the Pallino than any opposing balls are. Balls that are tied don’t score, which can cause the round to remain without a scoring team. After a round is scored, the next round starts, and the scoring team tosses the Pallino into play. Alternatively, the team that didn’t toss the Pallino makes their toss if the round has no score for any reason.
Bocce lasts until a team reaches 16 points, regardless of how many rounds are played.
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