How to Play Bocce Ball Game

Bocce is played competitively around the world, but it’s also easy for anyone to pick up and play for fun. Before you begin to play, it’s important to understand the basics of the equipment, court and teams.

Game Play:

1. The first player to roll will toss the pallino to set the target for the frame. The pallino must fall behind the center line.

2. After throwing the pallino, the same player will bowl a bocce ball. Try to cup the ball from the bottom and toss it underhand. The goal of the toss is to get the bocce as close to the pallino as possible.

3. Next, a player from the opposing team will throw one of their bocce balls with the intent of getting closer to the pallino than their opponent. If they succeed, the ball will be considered “inside.” If they do not, they will continue throwing all of their balls, rotating turns among their players, until one is inside.

4. The team that does not have the ball closest to the pallino will always be the one to throw. Frames will end once all balls have been thrown.

Bocce Scoring:

Each ball that is inside is typically worth one point. If a team has multiple balls closer to the pallino than the opponent’s closest ball, they will receive a point for each one.

Some versions of the rules allow bocce balls that are directly touching the pallino — referred to as a “kiss” — to count for two points.

The game will continue until one team scores the predetermined number of points, which is typically 12, but can be any number that meets personal needs or time constraints.