How to Play Petanque: Official Rules & Scoring

How to play Petanque

Set up

Players

Petanque is a team game for 2 to 6 players. Children can play as long as their physical ability allows them to handle and throw the balls safely. Little kids should always play with an adult watching.

Teams and players

According to the official rules of Petanque in national and international competitions, two teams always compete with one, two, or three players per team.

Feel free to form as many teams as you like, with any number of players per team that suits you. The key is to make sure the teams feel fair: age, experience, and skill should all be considered.

What you need to play

In addition to the small ball, which in Petanque is called the jack, petanque balls are required for each player. How many? 3 balls for each player in individual and doubles games. For teams of three or more players, 2 balls per player will suffice.

Each team’s balls should be easy to tell apart, either by color or a mark on their surface.

The petanque court

The playing field must have a length of between 12 and 20 meters and a width of between 3 and 4 meters. You can play on any type of surface.

Throwing circle

Throws have to be made with both feet inside a circle drawn on one of the short ends of the court. The diameter should be between 35cm and 50 cm.

Rounds, turns, and points

A game of petanque consists of several rounds or hands. In each round all players take turns throwing all their balls. After each round one of the teams wins one or more points.

Who’s first?

For individual or doubles games, the first player or team is decided by a coin toss. For three or more teams, you can write a name that identifies each team on pieces of paper, put them in an opaque container, and draw them one by one at random to determine the order of play.

Goal of the game

How to win a petanque match

You compete for points, and points are earned by having your team’s balls closer to the jack than the opposing teams’ balls at the end of each round.

Rules of Petanque: playing a game

The rules we explain below are a selection of the official rules of Petanque established by the FIPJP – International Petanque Federation – which we consider necessary and sufficient for playing with friends and family.

To have a good time it is not necessary to weigh or measure the balls, nor to be permanently with the meter measuring the distance from all to all.

First round

A round begins with the throwing of the jack, the small ball that will be the target for the rest of the balls.

Who throws the jack?

In the first round it is launched by the team that has won the initial draw.
In all other rounds it is launched by the team that won the previous round.
If there has been no winner of the round, the team that threw the jack in the previous round repeats their turn.
Anyone from the team can throw the jack.

How and where is the jack thrown?

The player who has the privilege of throwing the jack stands inside the throwing circle and tries to make it land somewhere between the center and the end of the petanque court. If the jack goes out of the court or remains less than 50cm from the edge, the throw is repeated.

Throwing the first ball

The first ball is thrown by any player of the team that starts the round, it does not have to be the one who threw the jack. It’s thrown from inside the circle, and both feet must stay on the ground the whole time. Only one ball per turn is thrown.

Players decide whether they prefer to roll the ball along the ground or make an aerial throw. Usually they are thrown in a way that the ball flies through the air for a part of its journey and after reaching the ground it rolls until it arrives at its destination.

Throwing the first ball

Rules for throwing balls in Petanque

1 – BALL OUT, NULL BALL

If a ball leaves the court it is considered a void ball, it will not participate in the measurement and cannot be thrown again in that round.

2 – HITTING OTHER BALLS

You’re allowed to hit balls that are already on the ground, both your own, to bring them closer to the jack, and those of the opposing team, to move them away from it. This classic strategy helps your team and, Let’s be honest, it’s a great way to mess with your opponents 😉

3 – HITTING THE JACK.

It is also allowed to hit the jack to bring it closer to one’s own ball or to move it away from other teams’ balls. This is another strategy that can be either defensive or offensive. 😎

4 – IF THE JACK GOES OUT

If the jack goes out of the petanque court after being hit by a ball the round is over and there are no points for any team.

This video shows several examples of launches:

Next!

Now it is the turn of a player from another team.

Players take turns, throwing one ball at a time, following the order established at the beginning of the game.

Measurement

Once all players have thrown their balls, distance measurements are taken to determine which ball is closest to the jack.

Normally you can see which is the winning ball by eye. If there’s any doubt, you can use a measuring tape, string, or even a stick to be sure.

To facilitate the measurement it is allowed to remove the balls and the jack by marking in some way their exact position.

Points

The team that has the ball closest to the jack wins a point. If the second closest ball is also from the same team then two points are awarded. If there are three, three points… and so on.

Next rounds

After measuring and updating the scoreboard, a new round begins.

Game over – And the winner is…

And the winner is…

The game ends when one of the teams reaches 13 points, thus becoming the winning team.

Official rules!

The rules we’ve explained are a selection of the official rules of Petanque established by the FIPJP – International Petanque Federation – which we consider necessary and sufficient for playing with friends and family.

Now, if you’re curious or if your level is very good and you want to compete like professionals, you can download the Official Rules of Petanque in force in international competitions right here.

Are Petanque, Bocce, and Lawn Bowls the same thing?

Petanque, Bocce and Lawn Bowls are three very similar games.

All three share the same game mechanics and the same objective: throw balls to get them as close as possible to a smaller ball. The differences between the two are the size and weight of the balls, the dimensions and characteristics of the playing field and, slightly, the scoring system. Petanque and Bocce are much more similar to each other than to Lawn Bowls.

Petanque originated in France and is also very popular in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium. This is the most versatile of the three games because it allows you to play on any type of terrain – dirt, gravel, cement, grass, beach sand – and even on terrain that is not completely flat and with obstacles. The balls are usually metal, sturdy, and smaller than in the other two games—between 70.5 and 80 mm in diameter and weighing 650 to 800 grams—making them suitable for kids as young as 5.

Bocce was born in Italy where it is still very popular today, especially in the south of the country. It is also played in other European countries, as well as in North America, where it has been adopted by communities of Italian origin. The balls are larger and heavier than those of petanque – between 107 and 115 mm in diameter and weighing between 900 and 1200 grams – also requiring larger playing fields. Otherwise it is very similar to Petanque.

Lawn Bowls is a traditional sport in English-speaking countries, especially in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is also played in other European countries and in some areas of Asia, although it is less common than Petanque or Bocce. Lawn Bowls is played on grass on large fields that are usually designed and prepared specifically for this game. While you can take out some Petanque balls and play a game almost anywhere, the same is not true for Lawn Bowls. Balls are larger and heavier – 116 to 131 mm in diameter and weigh between 1200 and 1600 grams – so it is not the most suitable game to play with children.

Guide and tips for buying a Petanque set

Metal, wood or plastic balls?

If you are going to play on hard dirt grounds you should buy metal balls like the ones used in official petanque competitions. Metal balls are more resistant and durable and can be used on any type of terrain.

If you are going to play almost always on grass, lawn or other softer surfaces, wooden or plastic balls are also a valid option and perhaps even more recommendable.

If you are going to play on the beach, we advise you to buy plastic balls, but watch out for super cheap sets! If the balls are too light — or worse, hollow — they’re no good! We don’t want the balls to move on their own in a light breeze!

Where to buy them?

You will find petanque balls in any store specialized in outdoor sports, although the best price and the best deals are usually on Amazon.

In case you are curious, here you can check which petanque balls are the best sellers on Amazon.

🇺🇸Amazon USCheck price on amazon.com

🇬🇧Amazon UKCheck price on amazon.co.uk

🇨🇦Amazon CACheck price on amazon.ca

Full transparency: some of the products we recommend include affiliate links. If you buy through them, we get a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Gadgets and accessories for pétanque

And how about these accessories? No, they are not necessary, but they are very cool and most professionals and regular players have them.

Rope with magnet to pick up the balls

When playing regularly and for many hours with metal balls, picking them up from the floor over and over again can be tiring and even lead to injury. These magnet strings are a blessing for this type of player because they allow balls to be picked up without bending down, almost effortlessly. Great for seniors.

There are many models, including one that in addition to the rope and magnet has a super practical extra: a drink opener 🍺😃 , so we do not forget to hydrate between launches. 😉

Portable and foldable launching circle

They also sell pitching circles. They help to avoid disputes and misunderstandings regarding the throwing position. They are used in official competitions and are regulated by the International Petanque Federation.

And that’s all there is to it. Not bad, right? We hope these ideas bring you many hours of fun.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great day, and an even better night! 😉