In petanque, teams take turns throwing metal boules to finish closest to a small target ball called the jack, and the first team to reach 13 points wins the game. After the first boule, the team that isn't nearest the jack plays next, until one side runs out of boules.
This page is based on the FIPJP's Official Rules of the Game of Petanque, in the English translation hosted by USA Petanque. It's the 2011 text, approved by the international federation in October 2010, so the current rulebook may differ in places, as of November 2026.
Petanque in one table
| Question | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Formats | Triples, doubles or singles; no other formula is allowed |
| Boules | Metal, 7.05cm to 8cm across, 650 grams to 800 grams |
| Jack | Wood or approved synthetic, 30mm across (plus or minus 1mm) |
| Throwing circle | Drawn: 35cm to 50cm across. Ready-made: rigid, 50cms inside |
| Valid jack distance | 6 to 10 metres from the inside edge of the circle |
| Time per boule | One minute |
| Game length | First to 13 points; leagues and qualifying heats can play to 11 |
Triples, doubles and singles
| Format | Players | Boules each |
|---|---|---|
| Triples | 3 against 3 | 2 |
| Doubles | 2 against 2 | 3 |
| Singles | 1 against 1 | 3 |
Boules have to be metal and approved by the FIPJP. They can't be lead or sand filled, and they can't be altered after they're made. Painted jacks are fine, but a jack must never be capable of being picked up with a magnet.
Terrain, the circle and the jack
Petanque can be played on any terrain. If a marked terrain is used for national championships and international competitions, it must be at least 15m long by 4m wide. Other competitions can allow smaller areas, but not below 12m by 3m.
Teams toss to decide who picks the terrain and throws the jack first. Any member of the team that wins the toss then draws or places the throwing circle. It must be more than a metre from any obstacle and, on open terrain, at least 2 metres from another circle in use.
The circle has rules of its own. During a throw, your feet must be entirely inside it, and they must stay in contact with the ground until the thrown boule has landed. So no jumping or stepping out of the circle as you release. Players with lower limb disabilities may place only one foot in the circle, and wheelchair players must have at least one wheel inside it.
A valid jack lands between 6 and 10 metres from the inside edge of the circle for juniors and seniors. It must be at least 1 metre from any obstacle and from the nearest out of bounds boundary, and it must be visible from the circle to a player standing upright with feet astride the circle's limits.
A team gets three tries to throw a valid jack, within one minute in total. If all three fail, the jack goes to the other team, which also gets three tries. The team that lost the jack still plays the first boule.
Who throws next in an end
- The team that won the toss throws the jack from the circle.
- A player from that team plays the first boule. In later ends, it's the team that scored last.
- From then on, the team that doesn't hold the point plays, meaning the team whose boule isn't nearest the jack.
- Boules are played one at a time, and a thrown boule can't be replayed, except in limited cases where something accidental stopped it, such as a boule or jack from another game, or an animal.
- When one team has no boules left, the other team plays all of its remaining boules.
- Boules are measured where needed to decide the point.
- At the next end, the jack is thrown from a circle drawn or placed around the point where it finished, with limited exceptions.
That third step is the one beginners get backwards. The team holding the point doesn't play. It sits and waits while the other side keeps throwing until it takes the point back or runs out.
You also have a time limit. Each player has a maximum of one minute to play a boule, counted from when the previous boule or the jack stops, or from when measuring is finished.
Scoring an end and measuring the point
The rules show scoring through worked cases rather than one long definition. Two of the clearest:
- If the two nearest boules to the jack, one from each team, are equally close and only one team has boules left, that team plays them and scores as many points as it has boules closer to the jack than the opponent's nearest boule.
- If both teams still have boules in that situation, the team that played last plays again, then the teams alternate until the point belongs to one of them.
Measuring is the job of the player who played last, or a team mate, and the opponents can measure afterwards too. You must use the right measuring instruments, and measuring with your feet is forbidden. The umpire can be called, and the umpire's decision is final.
Be careful with the tape. The team whose player moves the jack or a contested boule while measuring loses the point.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Dead boules, a dead jack and disputes
A boule is dead the moment it enters an out of bounds area, and dead boules are removed. A boule straddling the boundary is still valid until it has completely crossed the line.
The jack is dead in seven cases. They include going out of bounds, not being visible from the circle, being moved more than 20 metres or less than 3 metres from the circle, and not being found within 5 minutes. A jack hidden behind a boule doesn't count as invisible, so it isn't dead.
| Jack dies during the end and... | Result |
|---|---|
| Both teams still have boules | The end is void |
| Only one team has boules left | That team scores as many points as boules it has left |
| Neither team has boules left | The end is void |
A few rules exist purely to stop arguments:
- Mark your boules and the jack. No claim is accepted for a boule or jack whose position hasn't been marked.
- Don't pick up played boules before the end is complete. Once it's complete, any boules picked up before the points are agreed are dead.
- Play someone else's boule by mistake and you get a warning and the boule is replaced. Do it again in the same game and your boule is disqualified.
- Deliberately stopping a moving boule gets the player, and their team, disqualified for the game straight away.
Penalties for breaking the rules run from a warning, to disqualifying the boule played or about to be played, to excluding the player for the game, up to disqualifying the team. Any complaint goes to the umpire, and none can be made once the game is over.
My verdict before your first end
I'd teach two rules before anyone throws: keep both feet in the circle until your boule lands, and the team that isn't holding the point plays next. Get those right and the rest of a friendly game falls into place.
I'd skip the terrain sizes and the full list of dead jack cases until you're entering a competition, but I wouldn't skip marking the jack and your boules, because that's what settles most disputes. If you've played bowls-style games before, compare these with the bocce rules, or try horseshoes for another throwing game for the garden.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you play to in petanque?
Games are played to 13 points, with leagues and qualifying heats allowed to play to 11.
How many boules does each player have?
In triples each player has 2 boules. In doubles and singles each player has 3.
How far should the jack be thrown?
Between 6 and 10 metres from the inside edge of the circle for juniors and seniors.
Who plays next in petanque?
The team that doesn't hold the point, meaning the team whose boule isn't nearest the jack.
How long do you have to throw a boule?
One minute from when the previous boule or jack stops, or from when measuring is done.
