Rules to Roll By

Bocce federations are forming to standardize the rules of the game, but the details vary. For instance, some teams allow lobbing the ball while others do not. Court sizes can vary, too, but the basics are the same. Bocce can be played on a court or on any hard surface where the ball can easily roll.

A standard backyard bocce
court's layout. Standard courts
are 60 x 12 feet.

• Bocce can be played with teams of one, two, or four. On two- or four-member teams, players from each side are stationed at opposite ends of the court and alternate throwing the balls.
• The team that wins the coin toss (Team A) throws the pallino. The pallino must cross the court's centerline and cannot hit the backboard or go out of bounds. If Team A does not place the ball successfully, Team B gets to try. But Team A always throws the first bocce.

The referee measures between
the balls.

• The object of the game is to toss the bocce closest to the pallino. One Team A player throws the first bocce, trying to roll it as close to the pallino as possible. Then a Team B player throws. Team B players continue to throw until someone throws a bocce closer to the pallino than Team A's first ball. When that happens, Team A throws again until a player rolls one closer to the pallino. The frame continues in this manner, with each team's players throwing in rotation, until all the bocce balls are thrown. Once all the players have thrown their balls, a referee, chosen by both sides, helps decide which team won points by measuring between the balls and the pallino.
• The team with the ball closest to the pallino wins the frame. That team receives one point for each ball that is closer to the pallino than the opposing team's closest ball. Teams generally play to 12 points, but can play to 16 or 18 if there are more players.