Bocce Ball Rules & the Pallino

Bocce is a simple outdoor game played by two teams on a long, flat court. A small target ball, the pallino, is tossed onto the court at the beginning of a match. Teams then take turns rolling their bocce balls onto the court. The team whose bocce land closest to the pallino scores points and the game ends when one team has scored a total of twelve points. Bocce can be played casually or competitively and is an enjoyable addition to any outdoor gathering.

  1. Set-Up

    • Players divide into teams and agree on the size of the court. The standard bocce court is 91 feet by 13 feet, but players can adjust the size of the court according to the space they have available. First toss is decided by flipping a coin. The team with the first toss throws the pallino onto the court. If the pallino does not pass the center line of the court, or if the pallino hits the back wall of the court, the second team retrieves the pallino and tosses it onto the court. Once the pallino is properly put into play, the game begins.

    Playing

    • The team that won the coin toss throws the first bocce ball. Once the first ball rolls to a halt, the opposing team takes its turn (so long as the ball is not a dead ball). The team with the bocce closest to the pallino is the “inside” team. The “outside” team throws their bocce until one of their balls lands closer to the pallino than the “inside” team. Play passes back and forth between teams; the “inside” team does not roll unless the “outside” team has placed a bocce closer to the pallino or thrown all its balls. Once all eight balls have been rolled, players score the match.

    Scoring

    • Once a match ends, the “inside” team scores a single point for each of their bocce that is closer to the pallino than the closest bocce of the “outside” team. If the inside team has two bocce closer to the pallino than the outside team’s closest bocce, they score two points. Measurements are taken from the center of the bocce to the center of the pallino.

      If the closest ball from each team is equidistant from the pallino, neither team scores points. Once a match is scored, the bocce and pallino are collected. The team that lost the match takes the first turn of the new match and throws the pallino. The game ends when one team scores twelve points.

    Dead Balls and Moved Balls

    • Any ball that hits the back wall of the court is considered a dead ball and does not count towards scoring in the game. If the first ball tossed is a dead ball, the team that threw the ball must throw another ball onto the court. Stationary bocce that are moved before the end of a match are replaced to their original position. If the pallino is knocked out of the court by a thrown bocce, the match ends and no points are awarded.