rev 9.12.2026
DEFINITIONS
- Match: Best of three games. Best two out of three wins the match.
- Game: First team to score 7 points wins the game.
- Frame: The throwing of eight balls, four from each team, from one end of the court.
- Do-Over: When a frame is restarted. Balls are thrown from the same side of the court and the same team throws first.
- Forfeit: When one team fails to play a scheduled match. (See “Forfeits" below)
- Makeup Match: When two teams mutually agree to play a match on a date different from the original schedule.
- Pallino: The small, white ball that is thrown out first.
- Foot Foul Line: The edge of the lowest tier of the wooden side rails at either end of the court. Players may not cross the foot foul line when throwing any bocce ball.
- Centerline: The midpoint of the court marked with several screws in the center and edge wood rails. The line is often chalked to make it easier to see.
- Backboard: the rear wall at either end of the court.
MATCH BASICS & TEAM ROSTERS
Each team must designate a Captain for that day’s match.
Matches consist of best of three games.
Team rosters can include as many players as desired, but individual games during a match must be played with the required number of players.
- 4-Player Teams
- Teams designate 2 players to throw from each end of the court. These players throw from their end of the court for the entirety of a game. Teams may rotate players between games, but not between frames.
- 2-Player Teams
- Both players will throw from both ends of the court
All teams are encouraged to play with the standard number of players per game*, however, during the regular season, teams may play as a 3-Player Variation. The purpose of the variation is to: enable 4-Player teams who may be short a player to play their match rather than forfeit, and give 2-Player teams with 3 members a chance to roll more regularly.
- 3-Player Team Variation
- 2 players throw per frame with the 3rd player rotating out. Each frame, the player who sat out the previous frame will rotate in replacing a current player. After the initial rotation at the end of the first frame, a player should throw a maximum of 2 frames in a row before being rotated out.
Teams may switch out players only between games, never between frames (excepting 3 player rotation).
A single player may be a member of up to 2 teams in the League, across all Conferences. Once they are a member of 2 teams, they are no longer qualified to join another team. If a player is on 2 teams and those teams are playing a match, the player must choose only 1 team to play with for that match.
To ensure later matches stay on schedule, teams are encouraged to keep game play moving efficiently and to finish within the allotted 1 hour time frame.
*Certain seasons or tournaments may have other roster requirements.
SUBSTITUTES
Teams may play with any number of substitutes as long as at least one regular team member is present for a match.
Teams looking for substitutes from among league players are encouraged to ask players outside their own division to avoid any "conflict of interest" concerns. League Coordinators can help facilitate finding substitutes if needed.
Teams are expected to secure substitutes prior to match time. However, in unexpected circumstances, if a team does not have the minimum required players at match time, they may, with the opposing Captain’s approval, pick up substitute players from the bar. If they can not get substitutes, or if the opposing Captain vetoes the substitution (with reasonable justification), the match is forfeit.
The League encourages teams to consider such matters with good sportsmanship and a spirit of friendly competition.
PLAY
The match begins with the Captains tossing a coin with the winner choosing which color ball set to use, throwing the pallino and throwing the first ball.
The pallino must “break the plane” of the centerline and cannot hit the backboard. If it does not meet these conditions, the opposing team is awarded the throw of the pallino and the first ball. If the opposing team also fails to put the pallino in play, teams will alternate throwing the pallino until it lands in a valid area with that team then throwing the first ball.
Only the player throwing a given ball may be on the court during play.
All balls on the court must stop moving before the next ball is thrown.
All thrown colored balls must “break the plane” of the centerline. Any ball that is thrown that does not do so is pulled from play.
If the first thrown colored ball does not “break the plane” of the centerline, the opposing team takes the next throw, with teams alternating until a valid throw is made.
All bocce balls must be thrown from behind the foot foul line. Throwing from in front of the foot foul line leads to removal of the thrown ball from play. A warning will be issued for a first offense, after which the violation will incur Standard Penalties.
Each succeeding ball is thrown by the team that does NOT have the ball closest to the pallino.
If the closest ball is not immediately obvious, both Captains should assess the layout and agree on the closest ball before play continues.
Team members can throw in any order, but each team member must throw 2 balls each.
A ball hitting the backboard without first touching the pallino or another bocce ball is a dead ball and is removed from play immediately. Standard Penalties apply.
If a player throws when the other team should throw or throws more than 2 balls, that ball is removed from play. Standard Penalties apply.
Lofting the ball in the air beyond the centerline of the court is not permitted and leads to removal of the thrown ball from play. A warning will be issued for a first offense, after which the violation will incur Standard Penalties.
If a bocce ball is knocked out of the court or backwards across the centerline during play, it is a dead ball and is removed from play for that frame.
If the pallino is knocked out of the court or backwards across the centerline during play, the frame ends with no score and is restarted from the same end of the court with the same team throwing first. This is a Do-Over.
MEASURING & TIES
If the closest ball cannot be agreed on by both Captains with a simple visual assessment, a measurement should be requested. Either team Captain may request a measurement to determine the closest ball.
Measurement tools are provided for use by League teams. If a team possesses an alternate measuring device, the opposing Captain has the option to accept its use or request the use of the League tool.
Teams are usually responsible for taking their own measurements, but if a League Coordinator is present and not a member of either team involved in the dispute, team Captains may agree to ask them to assist with the measurement.
If there is a tie for closest ball, the following rules apply:
- If a team throws a ball that ties the other team for closest ball (and there are more balls to be thrown), that team will continue to throw. They practically did not get closer to the pallino.
- If there are no more balls to be thrown and two balls are tied for closest ball, there is no score. This is a Do-Over.
- If there is a tie for any balls other than the closest ball (and there are no more balls to be thrown), only the balls closer to the pallino are used to score. In other words, if there is one red ball closest to the pallino, then a tie for 2nd place, and another red ball for 3rd place, you don’t count the third place red ball. Only the closest red ball counts as a score.
STANDARD PENALTIES
For the violation of any rule that requires the removal of a bocce ball from play, that ball is immediately removed from play until that frame has been completed. The ball should be placed on the end rail of the court so teams can see how many balls have been thrown.
If possible, any balls moved because of the action of the violation ball are reset to the approximate original position. If balls are sufficiently moved that the approximate original positions cannot be determined, the opposing team has the option to leave the balls as they lay or replay the frame.
SCORING
Upon completing a frame, 1 point is awarded for each ball of a team that is closer to the pallino than the opponent’s closest ball (1 to 4 points).
The team that scores in the previous frame throws the pallino to start the next frame. If each team’s closest balls are tied, no score is made.
The team that first scores 7 points, wins the game.
The team winning 2 out of 3 games wins the match.
At the end of a match, both team Captains must sign the score sheet confirming the result.
DISPUTES
In the event of a dispute, teams are expected to refer to the League Rules, and cooperate in determining the appropriate course of play.
If a League Coordinator is present and not a member of either team involved in the dispute, team Captains may agree to ask them for a ruling.
SCHEDULE & MAKEUP MATCHES
Teams are encouraged to make every effort to play their matches at the scheduled times.
If a team knows in advance they are unable to play a scheduled match, they are encouraged to contact the opposing team Captain and League Coordinators within 24 hours of match time to schedule a makeup match.
Each division will have a designated Make Up day at the end of the season with available slots being assigned to requesting teams on a first come, first served basis. Rescheduled matches will maintain original court assignments when possible.
During the regular season, time slots made available by a rescheduled match will also be designated as Make Up Slots. Teams needing to reschedule a make up match may contact the League to request the open slot.
If no match is assigned to a Make Up slot at the designated time, ANY League team or players may use the slot to practice or scrimmage. Teams are encouraged to exercise good sportsmanship and accommodate any players who may wish to roll together at that time. The League does not reserve slots for individuals or team practices.
FORFEITS
A team forfeits a match if…
- Their opponents have arrived for a scheduled match and the team is not present within 15 minutes after starting time.
- The team does not have the minimum required players.
- The team fails to complete a makeup match before the end of the season.
If a team receives more than 2 forfeits, they may be disqualified from the Playoff Tournament and possibly from the league, depending on circumstances.
PLAYOFF TOURNAMENTS
SPECIFIC RULES
Any team that forfeits more than two of their games during regular season may not be allowed to participate in the tournament.
Individuals who play on 2 teams in the same Conference during the regular season must declare which single team they will play with for the duration of the tournament. Individuals on 2 teams in different Conferences are eligible to play in both tournaments.
Unless otherwise communicated by the League, teams must field the standard number of players to be eligible to play a tournament match. 3-Player Team Variations are not allowed unless alternate roster rules have been announced by the League.
Each team may only have 1 substitute player which must be declared to League Coordinators at least 24 hours before match time. If the substitute is a member of another team in the Conference, that team must not have qualified to be in the tournament.
Should the nature of tournament play demand, the court on which the final match will be played will be decided by coin toss.
Should the need arise to expedite tournament play, League Coordinators reserve the right to: change court assignments as courts become available, limit the number of pre-match warm up frames, limit “huddles” to only the Captain and throwing player, and other logistic adjustments.
RANKINGS
Teams are ranked according to the following two factors:
First Factor: Rank Points
The rank point total is calculated as the sum of the following 4 factors:
- A Win is worth 2 rank points
- A Loss is worth 1 rank point
- A Win By Forfeit is worth 2 rank points
- A Loss By Forfeit is worth 0 rank points
Depending on the number of teams in a given division and the season length, a modifier may be applied to a team's Rank Points to align them with the standard number of matches.
Second Factor: Score Differential
The Score Differential is calculated as the number of points a winning team scores in all their matches (Scores For or SF) minus the number of points they have scored against them in all their matches (Scores Against or SA) divided by the total number of games played in all their matches (GP).
- Differential = (SF-SA)/GP
The net result of the calculation gives a slight advantage to teams who win a match in two games instead of three. The higher the Score Differential, the better.
If two teams have a tied score using the Rank Points, then the team with the higher Score Differential will be ranked higher.