The Basic Rules of Petanque

1. Definitions:
   1. Piste: the playing area and surrounding areas
   2. Boule: the metal balls used for the game
   3. Jack: the smaller wooden ball used as the target for the boules
   4. Pointing: the term used when throwing your boule to get close to the jack or perhaps block your opponent’s opportunity to get closer than your team has achieve
   5. Firing: Usually a more aggressive shot to move your opponent’s boule(s).
   6. End: When all players have used their boules playing in the direction the jack was thrown.
2. Three metal boules per player and a jack are required to play all versions of the game
3. The game can be played as 2 x single players, 2x pairs or 2x triples. Three boules are required per player for singles or doubles games and two per payer for triples
4. The basic objective of the game is to get your boules closer to the jack than your opponents.
5. Toss a coin to see which team plays first.
6. That team throws the jack a distance of between 6 and 10 metres to suit their preference. Use the metre marks on the side of the piste to gauge these distances. Re-throw if this isn’t achieved. That player then throws the first boule as close to the jack as possible. Note that the winning team of the end just played throws the jack on the next end. The “end” winner always throws the next jack. Having a tape measure helps to decide which team is the closest to the cochon when it is not obvious by just sighting the balls.
7. The opposing team member then throw a boule and keeps throwing until their boule or a team boule is closer than their opponent’s boule to the jack. Remember you may “fire” at an opponent’s boule in your throw to leave one of your team’s boules closest to the jack. If any ball in play hits a wooden sleeper on the piste that ball is “dead” and taken off the piste and does not count in the game.
8. The team who throws is that team who is not closest to the jack.
9. When all boules have been thrown by each team in the end being played then those boule(s) of the same team nearest the jack and nearer than any opposition boule count for the side winning the “end”. Put your score on the board. When an end is finished reverse the direction of play for the next end.
10. The first team to 13 points wins the game. Play the best of 3 games if you wish to extend the match and find the overall winner. (The Champions for the day!!).