How to Play Bocce in 2026: Rules, Scoring and the Pallino Toss

Everything on this page comes from the USBF Open Rules, the version updated on 23 March 2023 and published on the federation's site as of November 2026. They're written for tournaments and leagues, so I've flagged the places where a garden game usually loosens up, and the one gap in the sheet you'll want to settle before the first roll.

Bocce in a minute

You need two teams, eight balls and the pallino. One team throws the pallino down the court, then both teams roll their balls at it. The team with the closest ball holds the point, and the other side keeps rolling until they beat it or run out of balls. When every ball has been played, the frame is over, it's scored, and you go again from the other end.

The USBF is keen to stress that anyone can play. Bocce is part of the International Special Olympics and the Senior Games, and the sheet says there's no race, sex or age discrimination in the sport. That's part of why it works so well at a family gathering: a grandparent and a ten-year-old can play on level terms.

Kit and court size

The basic set is 8 balls, four matching balls for each team in different colours, plus the pallino. The sheet also says a measuring device helps, and lists tape measures, antennae, expanding pens, string devices and laser tools as the usual options.

What	USBF Open Rules figure
Official court	86.92 ft long and 13.12 ft wide
Unofficial court	Can be smaller
Tournament ball	106-107 mm across, 900-920 grams (about 2 lbs)
Foul line	One line for pointing and shooting, recommended 13 ft from the back wall
Balls per side	4 matching balls each (12 balls in all for triples)

Surfaces vary more than anything else. The sheet lists carpet, crushed stone, dirt, oyster shells, clay and newer synthetic carpets among the courts in use. A lawn plays slower and bumpier, which is half the fun.

For tournaments, directors usually announce if only house balls can be used. Players can bring their own set of four matching balls if the specifications are approved before the games start.

Singles, doubles, triples and foursomes

Format	Balls per player	How the ends work
Singles	4	Both players alternate use of each end of the court
Doubles (pairs)	2	Teammates alternate use of each end
Triples	2	Played like doubles, with 12 balls instead of 8
Foursomes	2	Two members of each team stationed at opposite ends

The sheet says regional variations on foursomes are fine at an organiser's discretion. It also leaves the throwing order inside a team up to you: consecutive or alternating throws by teammates are at the players' option.

Starting a game: coin flip and pallino toss

1. The two captains flip a coin. The winner picks which end play starts from and gets control of the pallino.
2. The losing team chooses its ball colour (this applies when house balls are used).
3. The coin toss winner throws the pallino. It's a valid toss when it stops between the centre line and the far foul line without touching either line.
4. If the toss isn't valid, the opposing team puts the pallino in play. If both fail, it goes back to the original team, and the alternating continues until the pallino sits in a valid spot.
5. The team that originally tossed the pallino plays the first ball. Any member of that team can roll it.

On the foul line, players may step on it but can't have a foot completely over it before releasing the pallino or a ball.

Pointing, shooting and who rolls next

This is the bit new players get wrong. Turns don't simply alternate. The first team keeps rolling until it establishes a valid point. Once a point is established, the other team must point or shoot until it makes a new, closer point. Then the pressure flips back.

• Pointing means rolling for position. It's valid as long as any part of your foot is on the pointing line.
• Raffa is shooting at a target by releasing the ball at ground level, slightly lofting it or rolling it forcefully.
• Volo means lofting the ball through the air at the target. Tournament directors may ban it for safety.
• When shooting either way, even just your heel on the line keeps the throw valid, and after release you can carry on stepping up to the centre line.
• Players may use the side boards at any time.
• Roll the wrong colour by mistake and you simply swap it for the right one when it stops. Play carries on.

If a team rolls out of turn or plays more balls than it's allowed, the opposing team picks: leave everything where it lies, or remove the illegal ball and put the others back.

Scoring, ties and measuring

The Open Rules state that only one team scores in a frame, unless there's a tie. Games are usually played to 12 points, and final games to 15, which the USBF recommends. A tournament director can change the target, but should do so before the event starts.

Here's the gap I mentioned: the sheet doesn't spell out how many points a winning frame is worth. If your group has a counting habit, agree it before the first frame rather than mid-argument.

Ties have a clear rule. Balls can be measured at any time. If the closest balls are tied, the last team to roll must keep rolling until the tie is broken. If it's still tied after every ball is played, nobody scores, and the team that last scored tosses the pallino from the opposite end.

Only one member of a team can cross the centre line to measure; everyone else stays at their own end. If an official moves a ball while measuring, the balls go back to roughly where they were and the call still stands. If a member of a playing team measures and moves a ball, the point goes to the other team.

Back wall dead or back wall live

This is the house-rule argument I'd settle first. The USBF rule is called Back Wall Dead: any thrown ball that touches the back wall before touching another ball or the pallino is void and removed, and any balls it then struck are put back where they were.

Back Wall Live is the more lenient house rule. Every thrown ball that hits the back wall counts, whether or not it touched anything first, and every ball stays wherever it ends up.

Two finer points. The pallino is always a valid target and stays in play even if it hits the back wall after being struck by a valid ball. But if the pallino is knocked out of the court, or bounces back in front of the centre line, the frame is void and the team that started it begins again from the same end. That restart detail was one of the March 2023 updates.

Moving balls, getting hit and running late

Don't touch any ball or the pallino until the frame has ended. If someone moves a ball early, thinking play is over, and it can't be put back accurately, the penalty depends on who did it. If it's the non-playing team, all the remaining unthrown balls of the other team count as points. If it's the playing team, all of that team's unthrown balls are voided and the frame is over.

Players should stay out of the court where possible, or stand in front of the play area when someone at the far end is shooting. If you're standing behind the point balls and get hit by a raffa or volo shot, the opposing team gets the Rule of Advantage and chooses one of three options: leave everything as it lies, remove the ball or pallino that struck the player, or place that ball or pallino anywhere on the court.

For organised play, a team that isn't there within 15 minutes of the scheduled start forfeits. Teams may substitute once per game, announced before the next frame. Repeated delays can earn a one-minute warning and then the burned ball rule, which removes one of the offending player's balls.

My verdict for garden bocce

I'd teach three things before anyone rolls: the pallino toss, the rule that the team not holding the point keeps rolling, and Back Wall Dead or Live, decided out loud. I'd agree your frame counting at the same time, since the sheet leaves it open. I'd skip volo shots, burned balls and substitution rules until you're playing a league, and I'd skip measuring every frame unless it's close. If you're planning a bigger day around it, my party games ideas and carnival games list have plenty to run alongside a court.

Frequently asked questions

How many points do you play to in bocce?

Games are usually played to 12 points, and final games to 15 under the USBF's recommendation. A tournament director can set a different target before the event.

What is the pallino in bocce?

The pallino is the small target ball, also called the jack. The coin toss winner throws it to start the game.

How big is a bocce court?

An official court is 86.92 ft long and 13.12 ft wide. Unofficial courts can be smaller.

What is a dead ball in bocce?

Under the USBF's Back Wall Dead rule, a thrown ball that hits the back wall before touching another ball or the pallino is dead and removed from the court.