How To Play Croquet - Gather Together Games

Game Play

Each player has a colored ball and matching mallet. The order of play is marked on the stakes from top to bottom. A player’s first turn starts with their ball between the finishing stake and the first wicket. A player will get one hit per turn unless bonus shots are awarded.

Bonus Shots

Bonus shots are awarded by scoring a wicket or stake, or by hitting another player’s ball.

After going through a wicket, or hitting a stake, the player will take another ordinary shot.

If a player’s ball hits another player’s ball, two bonus shots are awarded. The first of the bonus shots can be taken in four different ways.

1. Take a mallet head: set your ball up one mallet head’s length from the ball you hit.

2. Foot shot: put your ball touching the ball you hit. Then, using your foot or hand to hold your ball, you will hit your ball to send your opponent’s ball rolling.

3. Croquet shot: put your ball touching the ball you hit and hit your ball. This option is without holding your ball.

4. Ordinary shot: hit your ball from where it came to rest after hitting another ball.

The second bonus shot is an ordinary shot.

Rules

You can only hit another ball for bonus shots once per turn unless you go through a wicket. After going through a wicket, you can hit another ball for bonus shots.

Two bonus shots are the maximum a player can have per turn unless the player goes through another wicket. Going through a wicket forfeits any previously earned bonus shots, and the new wicket bonus shot can be taken.

A ball must go completely through the wicket to score the wicket. If the ball is only partway through, the player must wait until their next turn to score the wicket.

A player’s ball must go through the wicket in the correct direction for the wicket to be scored.

If a player’s ball hits another ball and then goes through the wicket, the wicket is not scored. The player will get the two bonus shots for hitting another player’s ball.

If a player’s ball goes through a wicket then hits another ball, only with wicket is scored.

If playing with boundaries, and a ball goes out of play, the ball is brought back into play one mallet’s length from the boundary.

If a player misses their ball with their swing, it counts as their shot, and their turn is over.

Teams

The game can be played with two to six players playing individually. The game can be played with 4 players in two teams. The game can be played with six players in two teams of three, or three teams of two. In team games, all players on a team must complete the croquet course to win the game.