- Players, frames and the target score
- Before the first shot: wax and the coin toss
- Scoring lines and hangers
- Who scores in a frame
- Playing a frame, step by step
- Who shoots first in the next frame
- Tallying a frame without an argument
- Other games on the same table
- My verdict for new shuffleboard players
- Frequently asked questions
Table shuffleboard rules are simple: you slide your weights down a waxed table and try to finish closer to the far end than your opponent, without falling off. Only the side with the weight nearest the end scores, at 1 to 4 points per weight, and a regulation game is played to 15.
This page is about table shuffleboard, the long table you'll find in bars, games rooms and homes, not the deck version played on ships. It's based on the Shuffleboard Federation's how-to-play rules for table shuffleboard (as of November 2026). The federation says league and tournament rules can get complex, but the basics you need for family and friends are pretty simple.
Players, frames and the target score
- Singles is two players. Doubles is four, in two teams.
- A frame is eight weights, four per side, shot alternately. Once all eight are down, you tally the score and register it with the scoring buttons at either end of the table.
- A regulation game is played to 15 points. Doubles is sometimes played to 21, but 15 is the standard, because a shorter game lets more players get involved.
The strategy, in the federation's words, is to score points with your weights while stopping your opponent from scoring by knocking their weights off the board.
Before the first shot: wax and the coin toss
Before each game, clean all the old powdered wax off the playing surface and sprinkle a fresh coat evenly over it. That's part of the rules, not just tidying up.
Then toss a coin, or use a similar method, to decide who shoots first. The side that shoots first chooses its colour.
Here's the bit most new players get backwards. The last shot of a frame is called the hammer, and the federation says most of the points are usually scored by the side that has it. So the side that wins the toss generally chooses to shoot second, handing over the choice of colour in exchange for the last shot.
Scoring lines and hangers
Each end of the table has two scoring lines: the 3 line, six inches from the end, and the 2 line, twelve inches from the end. There are also two foul lines, six feet from each end.
| Where your weight stops | Points |
|---|---|
| Past the foul line closest to the shooter, but not past the 2 line | 1 |
| Completely past the 2 line, but not past the 3 line | 2 |
| Completely past the 3 line, but not over the end | 3 |
| Hanging over the end of the board (a hanger) | 4 |
To judge a close one, stand at the end of the table and look straight down over the top of the weight. If any part of the weight touches the line, it counts as the smaller number. Only a weight that's completely past the line gets the higher score.
Who scores in a frame
Only one colour scores in each frame: the colour closest to the end of the board. Every weight of that colour that's deeper than all of the other side's weights counts, and the rest don't.
Here's a made-up frame to show how that works. Red has a hanger and a weight past the 3 line, and a third weight sitting short of the 2 line. Blue's best weight is past the 2 line. Red's hanger scores 4 and the weight past the 3 line scores 3, so red takes 7. Red's third weight is behind blue's best, so it doesn't count, and blue scores nothing at all.
That's why knocking an opponent's weight off is so useful. Every one you remove can turn more of your own weights into points.
Playing a frame, step by step
- Clean off the old wax and sprinkle a fresh, even coat.
- Toss a coin to decide who shoots first; that side picks its colour.
- In singles, both players stand at one end and alternate shots until all eight weights have been delivered.
- Both players walk to the other end, tally the score and register it on the scoring buttons.
- Play the next frame from the end you're now standing at.
- Keep going until one side reaches the target score and wins the game.
Doubles works a little differently. One player from each team stands at each end of the board. After a frame, the players at the opposite end tally and register the score, and play resumes from that end.
Who shoots first in the next frame
The side that scores must shoot first in the next frame. If neither side scores, the side that had the hammer must shoot first.
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That's the balancing rule. Scoring hands the hammer to your opponent, and a frame with no score takes it away from whoever had it, so nobody can keep the last shot for long.
Tallying a frame without an argument
When all eight weights are down, walk to the scoring end and work through it in this order:
- Find the single weight closest to the end. Its colour is the only one that scores this frame.
- Find the other side's deepest weight. Only the scoring colour's weights beyond it count.
- Score each counting weight by its zone: 1, 2, 3, or 4 for a hanger.
- For any weight near a line, look straight down over it from the end. Touching the line means the lower number.
- Add the points and register them with the scoring buttons at that end.
- The side that just scored shoots first in the next frame.
Other games on the same table
The federation's rules page also lists other games you can play on a shuffleboard table: Crazy Eights, Knock Off, Horse Collar, Target Shuffleboard, and Tap and Draw. Each has its own rules, so learn the standard game first.
My verdict for new shuffleboard players
I'd learn the four scoring zones before anything else, because once you know them, every shot makes sense. I'd also take the coin toss advice seriously: if you win it, shoot second and keep the hammer.
I'd skip the other formats until everyone's comfortable with a regulation game to 15, and I wouldn't skip the wax, since the rules treat a fresh coat as part of setting up. If you like pub-style games, you'll find more ideas in these free darts games and these carnival games.
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a game of shuffleboard?
A regulation game is played to 15 points. Doubles is sometimes played to 21.
How many points is a hanger in shuffleboard?
A weight hanging over the end of the board, called a hanger, counts as 4 points.
How many weights are in a shuffleboard frame?
A frame is eight weights, four per side, shot alternately.
Who scores in a frame of shuffleboard?
Only the side with the weight closest to the end scores, and only for weights deeper than all the other side's weights.
What if a shuffleboard weight is touching a line?
If any part of it touches the line, it counts as the smaller number. It has to be completely past the line to score the higher one.
