Rule card
Bocce ball rules and scoring
Bocce is a game of finesse, not fitness: get your balls closer to the little white pallino than the other team's. Here are the backyard rules, from the first toss to the final measure.
On this card
- Teams and balls
- The play
- Scoring
- Choosing a bocce ball set
- Replacement parts
Teams and balls
A bocce ball set has eight balls in four colours plus the pallino. Play one against one with four balls each, two against two with two each, or four against four with one ball each.
The play
- A player from the starting team tosses the pallino down the court; it must go past the halfway point.
- The same player rolls the first ball, trying to get as close to the pallino as possible.
- The other team rolls next and keeps rolling until one of its balls is closer, or it runs out of balls.
- Whichever team is farther away always rolls next.
Hitting the pallino or knocking an opponent's ball away is allowed — it is often the best shot on the court.
Scoring
When all eight balls have been rolled, only one team scores in that frame: the team with the ball closest to the pallino gets one point for each of its balls that is closer than the other team's best ball. Use the measuring rope or tape for close calls.
Games usually go to 12 points; longer games go to 16. The scoring team tosses the pallino to start the next frame.
Choosing a bocce ball set
Official tournament bocce balls are 107mm resin balls. For the backyard, a 100 mm polyresin bocce ball set is the closest to that feel: heavy enough to hold its line, durable and waterproof. The 90 mm size is lighter in the hand, and the soft PE set is the gentlest for beginners, kids and decks.
Look for a set with a carrying bag that has a strong handle — eight balls are heavy — and a measuring rope or tape included. All ApudArmis bocce sets come in four colors (red, green, blue and yellow) in a zip-up canvas carrying bag.
Replacement parts
The pallino is the piece most often lost. A replacement pallino in hard resin, 40 mm for 90 mm sets or 51 mm for 100 to 107mm sets, keeps your bocce set complete. It is worth keeping one spare in the bag for the next gathering; it weighs almost nothing and saves the whole game.
