Sign up to play Bocce Ball! See below for rules on how to play. Please remember that you may only sign up for one game at this time to allow everyone an opportunity to play. You will not be able to pick your opponent.

How to Play and Score

Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called a pallina. There are four balls per playerplayer and they are made of a different color or pattern to distinguish the balls of one player from those of the other team.

The game is played with two players, with each player throwing four balls. 

A game begins with the toss of a coin. The player that wins the coin toss can choose to either have first toss of the pallina or the color of the balls they will use. To start a game, the pallina is rolled or tossed by the player having won the coin toss. A player can toss the pallina any distance as long as it passes the center line of the court and stays within the boundaries of the court. If the player fails to toss the ball properly into play, the opposing player will toss the ball into play. If the opposing player fails to properly toss the pallina into play, the toss reverts to the original player.

The player tossing the pallina must deliver the first ball. If the ball lands outside of the boundaries of the court, that player must roll again until the first ball is put into play. Otherwise, that player steps aside and the opposing player will then deliver their balls until one of its Bocce balls is closer to the pallina or has thrown all its balls. The "nearest ball" rule governs the sequence of thrown balls. The side whose ball is closest to the pallina is called the "in" ball and the opposing side the "out" ball. Whenever a player gets "in", it steps aside and allows the "out" player to deliver. The other player throws until they gets their ball closer (not ties) to the pallina. This continues until both players have thrown all their Bocce balls. After both players have exhausted all their balls, a frame is over and points are awarded. The game resumes by players throwing from the opposite end of the court. The player that was awarded points in the previous frame begins the next frame by tossing the pallina into play. 

All balls must be thrown underhanded. A player has the option of rolling, tossing, bouncing, etc. its ball down the court provided it does not go outside the boundaries of the court or the player does not violate the foul line. The foul line is used to deliver all balls down the court with the intent of getting a ball closer to the pallina, knocking the opponent's ball away from the pallina, or hitting the pallina so that it ends up closer to their own ball. 

A player should not step on or over the foul line before releasing any ball. If a player steps over the foul line, the player will receive one warning. For a player that commits a second foul line infraction, the player fouled against will be awarded points as they were immediately proceeding the foul and the frame will end. The player committing the foul will be awarded no points for the frame. Or, the fouled against player may have the option of declining the penalty and completing the frame.

Any ball that goes outside the boundaries of the court is considered a dead ball and is removed immediately from play until the end of a frame. If the pallina is knocked outside the boundaries of the court during play, the frame ends with no points awarded and a new frame is started.

At the end of each frame, points will be awarded. Only one player scores in a frame. One point is awarded for each ball that is closer to the pallina than the closest ball of the opposing player. In the event that the closest ball of each player is the same distance from the pallina, no points will be awarded and the pallina returns to the player that delivered it. Only balls which are distinguishably closer to the pallina than any of the opponent's balls are awarded points. All measurements should be made from the center of the pallina to the edge of a Bocce ball. Games are played to 16 points with the first player reaching 16 points being the winner of a game. Or until the game time is complete.In this instance the player with the highest points wins. Winners will turn in their score card to the Game Table to receive their winner's medals.