While these are the official rules for the Philly bocce league. We’re generally not super strict, about the rules, but if you’re looking for the house rules, here’s a quick rundown of how we play.
Getting Started
Each game needs two teams, and you’ll need at least two players on each team (3 players needed for playoffs!). Every team gets to throw four balls per round.
To kick things off, the team captains will do a coin toss or a game of rock, paper, scissors. The winner gets to choose: who throws the pallino first, or they pick their favorite bocce ball color. The losing team makes the other decision.
Let the Game Begin!
The team that starts will toss the pallino. It needs to land somewhere between the halfway line and the far end of the court. You can take up to one step onto the court when you throw. If the pallino isn’t easy to see, we can mark it with a flag.
The player who threw the pallino then throws one of their team’s bocce balls. After that, they step aside. The other team then takes their turn, trying to get their ball closer to the pallino. After both teams have thrown 1 ball, the team that is farthest away is the one that throws next, until they get closer, or have run out of balls.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
If you have four or fewer players on your team, everyone needs to throw at least once each frame, and you’ll still alternate throws.
When your team gets a ball closer to the pallino than the other team, you step aside. The other team then throws until they “beat” your closest ball (no ties!). This continues until both teams have thrown all their balls, and that’s the end of the frame!
Did the Pallino Go Rogue?
If the pallino gets knocked out of bounds don’t worry! That frame is called “dead,” and we just restart. The same team that originally threw the pallino will get to throw it again. No points are given for a “dead” frame.
Bocce out of bounds?
If a bocce ball is thrown out of bounds, and it doesn’t touch any other balls, it’s remains in play.
If an in-play ball, which is located out of bounds, is hit by another ball, both balls that collide out of bounds are no longer in play.
Bocce balls that are thrown in bounds, but are later knocked out of bounds, by either team, are no longer in play.
Scoring: How to Win!
A frame is complete when all eight balls and the pallino have been thrown. The goal is simple: get as many of your team’s balls closer to the pallino than the other team’s balls.
Only one team scores per frame. For example, if you have three green balls closer to the pallino than the closest red ball, the green team gets 3 points! The most points you can get in one frame is 4.
The team that scored in the last frame gets to throw the pallino to start the next one.
We don’t play “win by two” – once a team hits 16, that’s it!
Forefits
A game will be considered a forefit if 2 players are not present at game time (3 players during playoffs).
If a team forfeits, the score will be 16-0.