Elakai Bocce Ball User Guide

: June 3, 2024
: Elakai

Table of Contents

Scoring Examples
The Rules
House Rules
Documents / Resources
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)

Bocce Ball
User Guide

Scoring Examples

White Team is the closest to the Pallino. The next closest ball is Brown Team’s Ball. White Team has won this frame and receives 1 point. The brown ball serves as defense scoring 0 points but prevents the White Team from getting more points. The other balls do not affect the score.

White Team has the closest 2 balls to the Pallino. White Team wins this frame and receives 2 points. Brown Team scores 0 points. The other balls do not affect the score.

Brown Team has the closest 3 balls to the Pallino, winning this frame with 3 points. The white ball serves as a defense, scoring 0 points but prevents the Brown Team from scoring a fourth point.

Brown Team has the closest 4 balls to the Pallino, winning this frame with 4 points. The white ball does not serve as a defense and does not score any points.

The Rules

Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called a pallino.
There are four balls per team, and they are made of a different color or pattern to distinguish the balls of one team from those of another. For multiple player teams, a playing rotation is determined at the start of a game and is maintained throughout the game.

Singles, Doubles, or Quad Play
Individuals – Singles Play
Player 1 competes against Player 2

Each player throws 4 balls

Teams – Doubles Play
Team 1 competes against Team 2.
Each team is comprised of two people.

Each player throws 2 balls

Teams – Quad Play
Team 1 competes against Team 2
Each team is comprised of four people.

Each player throws 1 ball

The Court
While regulation Bocce courts are normally around 13 feet wide and 91 feet long, the dimensions of home courts can be whatever size fits your playing space. To create your own court, establish a perimeter of the playing area on a level surface, a foul line from which balls will be thrown, and a mid-court line. You’ll want to make sure there are no obstructions in the court that would interfere with a straight-line delivery of a ball from any direction (excluding grade variations or terrain consistency). A suggested backyard court size is 12 feet wide and 60-70 feet long. Suggested placement of the foul line is 10 feet from the perimeter edge.

The Play

A game begins with a coin toss. The winning team gets the first toss of the pallino and chooses the color of balls they will use.
From the foul line, the pallino is tossed any distance as long as it passes the centerline of the court and stays within the boundaries of the court.

If the starting player fails to toss the pallino properly into play, a member of the opposing team will toss it into play. If the opposing team fails to properly toss the pallino into play, the toss reverts to a member of the original team.

The team that first attempted to place the pallino delivers the first ball. Once the first throw has taken place, the other team has the opportunity to throw. From then on, the team that does not have the ball closest to the pallino has a chance to throw, up until one team has used all four of their balls. Once this happens, the other team throws its remaining balls.
After both teams have exhausted all their balls, a frame is over, and points are awarded.
The team with the closest ball to the pallino is the only team that can score points in any frame.
The game resumes by teams throwing from the opposite end of the court. The team that was awarded points in the previous frame begins the next frame by tossing the pallino into play.

Throwing and Fouls

All balls must be thrown underhanded.
Players may roll, toss, bounce, etc. the balls down the court provided the balls do not go outside the boundaries of the court or a player does not violate the foulline.
Any ball that goes outside the boundaries of the court is considered a dead balland is immediately removed from play until the end of the frame.
If the pallino is knocked outside the boundaries of the court during play, the frame ends with no points awarded, and a new frame is started.
The foul line is used to deliver all balls down the court with the intent of getting aball closer to the pallino, knocking the opponent’s ball away from the pallino, orhitting the pallino so that it ends up closer to your team’s 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’s second foul line infraction, the opposing team will be awarded points as they were immediately preceding the foul, and the frame will end. The team committing the foul will be awarded no points for the frame. However, the opposing team can decline the penalty and complete the frame if desired.

Scoring

Points are awarded at the end of each frame. Only one team scores points.
One point is awarded for each ball that is closer to the pallino than the closest ball of the opposing team.
In the event that the closest ball of each team is the same distance from the pallino, no points will be awarded and the pallino returns to the team that delivered it.
Only balls which are distinguishably closer to the pallino than any of the opponent’s balls are awarded points.
Measurements should be made from the center of the pallino to the edge of a Bocce ball.
The length of a game varies but is typically between 7-13 points. The first team to reach this score is the winner.

House Rules

a. Rules not found in a game’s manual
b. Made-up rules followed within one’s specific household

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