Boccee Rulebook

Starting the Game

Coin Toss

Team captains toss a coin. The winner gets the pallino and chooses their ball color.

Sequence of Play

• The winner of the coin toss rolls or tosses the pallino and also rolls the first ball.
• The opposing team then plays balls until one of theirs is nearer to the pallino.
• This nearest ball rule governs the order of play. The team whose ball is nearest the pallino is "in," and the other team rolls next.

Placement of the Pallino

The pallino is in play when it:

• Is delivered past the centerline at 38
• Comes to rest 1 foot or more from the sideboards.
• Stops before the back point line at 6.

Lines are not considered in play.

Three Attempt Rule

The team with the pallino at the start of a frame gets three attempts to place it within the playing area described above.

• If all three attempts fail, the opposing team gets one attempt to place the pallino.
• If that attempt also fails, the original team places the pallino and play continues.

The original team never loses its pallino advantage: it still plays the first ball.

Players and Delivery

Ball Delivery

• Players may roll, toss, bounce, or bank the ball from behind the 6 pointing line, or hit from behind the 12 hitting line.
• Every delivery must be underhand. Overhand shots are not allowed.

Player Positions

Players who are not delivering a ball must stand behind the 12 hitting line and stay out of the court. Only the player delivering a ball may be in the court.

Rotation of Players

• A team may play its balls in any order, as long as the player who tossed the pallino delivers the first ball.
• The order may change from frame to frame, but no player may deliver more than their allotted number of balls in a frame.
• A team with only 3 players cannot rotate the same player every frame.

Player Designation

A player registered to a team may play only for that team. A player cannot play for two or more teams.

Sportsmanship and Disqualification

Players must act in a sportsmanlike manner at all times. Poor sportsmanship may result in disqualification.

Scoring

Game Length

A game is 14 frames or 45 minutes, whichever comes first.

Frames

A frame is the period of play in which balls are played from one end of the court to the other and points are awarded. A game has several frames.

At the end of each frame, a team scores one point for each of its balls that is closer to the pallino than the opposing team's closest ball. This can be decided by sight or by measuring. Only one team scores in a frame.

The scoring team also wins the pallino advantage for the next frame.

Measurements

Ties During a Frame

If two opposing balls are the same distance from the pallino during a frame, the team that rolled last keeps rolling until the tie

Ties at the End of a Frame

If two opposing balls are the same distance from the pallino at the end of a frame, no points are awarded to either team. The pallino returns to the team that first delivered it.

Referee Measurements

A referee's measurement is final. For close measurements, the referee may use an inside and/or electronic measurement.

Movement of Balls

Accidental Movement of a Non-Point Ball

A ball that is not a point ball and is moved accidentally is put back as close as possible to its original position.

Accidental Movement of a Point Ball or Pallino

If a player from either team accidentally moves the point ball or the pallino by any means, play can be called dead. The team fouled against chooses one of:

1. Put the ball(s) and/or pallino back as close as possible to where they were before the infraction, and continue play.
2. Take as many points as they had earned at the time of the infraction, and end the frame as dead.

Accidental Movement by a Referee After Play

After all balls have been played, if the points were obvious to the referee, they are awarded. Any uncertain points are not awarde

Accidental Movement by a Referee During Play

When there are balls yet to be played, if a referee (either in the course of measuring or otherwise) moves a point ball or pallino, the frame is considered dead and teams will start over on the same end.

Fouls and Errors

Interference With a Ball in Motion

• If a player interferes with their own team's ball in motion, the team forfeits that ball and play resumes.
• If a spectator, animal, or object interferes with a ball in motion and the ball does not touch another ball in play, it must be played over by the same player
• If the ball touches another ball in play, the frame is dead.

Wrong Color Ball

If a player delivers the wrong color ball and it does not disturb any other ball in play, let it come to rest, then the player replaces it with the correct color while an opposing player watches to verify the position.

If balls scatter and the wrong color ball cannot be identified, the frame is dead. The referee makes the final decision.

Wrong Rotation of Play

Initial roll: If a team wrongly rolls the pallino and its first ball, both are returned and the frame starts over.

Later rolls: If a player rolls a ball while their team is in and the opposing team still has balls to play, the ball stays whelay continues. This holds no matter who said which ball was in: each team is responsible for asking for a measurement when the inpoint is in doubt.

Definitions

Live and Dead Balls

• Live ball: a ball in play.
• Dead ball: a ball that has been disqualified or forfeited. A ball is disqualified as the result of a penalty, when it leavesback, or when it touches a person or object outside the court.

Hitting

Also called spocking, shooting, bombing, or bocce. A delivery thrown hard enough that the ball would hit the backboard if it misse

Bank or Rebound Shot

A ball played off the sideboard or backboard.

Pointing

Any delivery that is not a hit.