How to play

The rules of
Carom.

Traditional rules. Nothing removed, nothing invented. Play the game the way it's always been played.

The Board
White · 9 pts
Black · 9 pts
Queen · 3 pts
Striker
Scoring

Points
per pocket

Fouls

Penalty
rules

01 — Setup

The arrangement

Place all 9 white and 9 black coins in a circle around the centre. The Queen sits in the exact middle. Players sit opposite each other across the board.

02 — Striker

How to strike

Place the striker anywhere on your side's striker line. Flick it forward — it must hit a coin or the Queen directly. The striker must not cross the far line.

03 — The Queen

Cover the Queen

To pocket the Queen, you must pocket one of your own coins on the very next strike. This is called "covering" the Queen. If you fail, the Queen returns to the centre and your opponent scores 2 points.

04 — Turns

Keeping your turn

Pocket at least one of your coins to keep striking. Miss, and the turn passes to your opponent. The striker must never be pocketed.

05 — Winning

First to 29

The first player to reach 29 points wins the game. Play a single round to 29, or best of 3 for a longer match.

Same colour · Different fields — Josef Albers, Interaction of Colour

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