How to Play
1. Pétanque is played
- in a triples game with three players on each side, each player using two boules.
- in a doubles game with two players on each side, each player using three boules.
- in a single game with one player on each side, each player using three boules.
2. There is a toss of a coin to see which team goes first. Any player of the winning team picks a spot to start the game marking or placing a circle on the ground. When playing, player's feet cannot exit the circle before the boule reaches the ground.
3. Then this player throws the jack or « cochonnet » that must land within six to ten meters (20 to 30 feet) of the starting circle and one meter from any obstacle (wall, tree, etc.).
4. The player throws his first boule so that it lands close to the jack.
5. Then a player of the other team steps in the circle and tries to throw his boule closer to the jack than the previous boule, either knocking his opponent's boule out of the way, either landing his boule closer to the jack. The boule closest to the jack leads or is said to be "holding the point."
6. A player of the team that is not leading must continue throwing boules until the team takes the lead.
7. When a team runs out of boules, players of the other one finish throwing theirs, trying to land close to the jack.
8. When both teams are out of boules, the points are counted. The team that has the boule closest to the jack wins the round. In addition, that team also receives an additional point for each boule that is closer to the jack than the opponents' closest boule.
9. It's now the turn of one player of the winning team to throw the jack from its previous spot and the game goes on until one team reaches 13 points.
