Carrom Rules for Bowling & Pin Games

Jan 9, 2025

Bowling-style games take the carrom board to a new level of fun. Players aim to knock down miniature pins using their striker, giving you the satisfying sense of impact you get at a bowling alley from the comfort of your home. These games are ideal for family game nights or lighthearted competition.

Download rules for all 85 games in our Carrom instruction book.

More Carrom Game Variations

On Guard

Equipment: 4 ten pins, 4 rings with numbered paper disks 1 - 4. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To pocket the ten pin in the pocket it guards and then pocket the numbered rings in their corresponding numbered pockets, starting with pocket No. 1 and proceeding to pockets 2, 3, and 4. The guard pin must be pocketed before the numbered ring can be.

How to Play On Guard

Set up a ten pin in front of each pocket. Place the numbered paper disks 1 through 4 inside four rings of a color. Place these rings at the corners of the checker square in front of their corresponding numbered pockets.
The first player shoots the Shooting Ring from any point on the lines opposite pocket No. 1 and tries to pocket the guard pin. After the pin has been pocketed, the number 1 ring must be pocketed in Pocket No. 1. Players then proceed to pocket guard pin No. 2, and so on, until all guard pins and rings are scored.
All shots are made from any point on the lines opposite the target pocket. Rings if moved by carroming shots stay where they rest.
When a player pockets a pin or a numbered ring in its proper pocket their turn continues. The player picks the Shooting Ring and shoots from a point opposite the target pocket.
When a player misses a shot, or pockets the Shooting Ring, or pockets a ring before a pin is pocketed the player loses their turn. In the latter case, the ring pocketed out of turn is placed on its spot at the corner of the checker square. If a pin or a ring is pocketed and the Shooting Ring is also pocketed the player loses their turn and the pin or ring is set up in its position again.

How to Win: 1 point for each pin pocketed. Rings count according to their number. Total of 20 points wins the game.

Clear the Guard

This game is a combination of Each their Own and On Guard.

The game is the same as Each their Own except that a ten pin is placed in front of each pocket and the pin must first be pocketed before rings can be scored. Players proceed to pocket the pins and rings in their numerical sequence.
Pins pocketed out of sequence are set up again. Rings pocketed out of sequence are placed in the center of the board.

Scoring: The player who scores all of their rings in their proper pockets wins. No score is counted for pins pocketed.

Bank the Five

Equipment: 5 ten pins, 2 white Shooting Rings. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To knock down by bank shots 5 ten pins placed in the center of the board.

How to Play Bank the Five

Place one pin in the center of the board. Place 4 additional pins in the form of a square outside the center pin, spacing the pins two checker blocks apart.
Each player shoots their own Shooting Ring and has three successive bank shots to knock down the pins. A knocked down pin is removed from the board before the next shot is played. Each shot is taken from the baseline.
If the center pin is knocked down singularly and before any of the other pins, it counts for 3 points, otherwise all pins when knocked down count one point.

How to Win: When both players have taken their three shots, an inning is concluded. The player with the highest score at the end of 5 innings wins the game.

Blockade

Equipment: 4 ten pins, 6 red rings, 6 green rings, 1 white Shooting Ring. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To pocket all of the rings of your color before your opponent can pocket his.

How to Play Blockade

Place a ten pin in front of each pocket. Place the six red and six green rings in the center of the board.
The first player shoots the Shooting Ring from the base line and tries to pocket one of their colored rings in any pocket without knocking down the ten pin. A player continues to shoot until the player misses. Each shot is made from where the Shooting Ring lies. A player cannot shoot off their opponent’s rings, although rings pocketed as the result of a direct shot carroming off an opponent’s ring are good.
If a ten pin is knocked down by the shooting Ring, the player loses their turn, forfeits a ring (if the player has one) placing it in the center of the board, and sets up the pin again. If the ten pin is knocked down by a playing ring there is no forfeit and the pin is set up again. If an opponent’s ring is pocketed, it remains pocketed.
A player, shooting after the Shooting Ring is pocketed, shoots from the base line at their ring on the other side of the centerline. the player can choose, however, to bank a shot at a ring on their side of the centerline.

How to Win: The player first scoring all their rings wins.

Call the Blockade

This is a variation of Blockade. It is played the same except that a player must call the pocket on every shot. A ring pocketed in error is placed in the center of the board and the player loses their turn.

Ten Pins

Equipment: 10 ten pins, 2 white Shooting Rings. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: Same as Bowling as played in traditional bowling alleys.

How to Play Ten Pins

For playing convenience one player acts as the Pin Setter, setting up pins, while the other shoots. Use of two Shooting Rings helps speed up the game.
Same as Bowling except that a Shooting Ring instead of a ball is used. The Shooting Ring is shot from the edge of the pocket diagonally opposite from where the pins are set.

How to Win: Same as Bowling - all pins knocked down with one shot scores a strike. All pins knocked down with two shots scores a spare.

Cocked Hat and Feather

Equipment: 4 ten pins, 2 white Shooting Rings. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To knock down three pins of a triangle without knocking down the center pin.

How to Play Cocked Hat and Feather

Place 3 ten pins in a 6 inch sided triangle in front of a pocket and place another pin in the center of this triangle.
Each player uses a Shooting Ring and has three successive shots to knock down the three outside pins of the triangle without knocking down the center pin. Shooting is done from a point near the pocket opposite the pins.
Pins are removed as they are knocked down. If the center pin is knocked down it is set up again.

How to Win: When all pins except the center pin are knocked down in three shots, a point is scored. When both players have had their turn an inning is concluded. The player with the most pints in 10 innings wins the game.

Cocked Hat

Equipment: 3 ten pins, 1 white Shooting Ring. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To score maximum strike points by shooting at three pins from the opposite diagonal side of the board.

How to Play Cocked Hat

Set up 3 ten pins in a 6 inch sided triangle in front of one pocket. Each player takes two shots with a Shooting Ring from the opposite pocket in an attempt to knock down the three pins.
If all pins are knocked down with one shot, 5 points are scored. Otherwise one point is scored for each pin downed.

How to Win: When both players have had their turns an inning is concluded. The player with the most points in 10 innings wins the game.

American Nine Pins

Equipment: 9 ten pins, 2 white Shooting Rings. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To knock down 9 ten pins with three shots.

How to Play American Nine Pins

Set up 9 ten pins in the shape of a diamond, 1 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 1, in front of one of the pockets.
Each player uses their Shooting Ring and shooting from the opposite pocket has three shots to knock down all the pins.
One point is scored if all pins are downed in three shots. If all pins are downed in one shot, three points are scored. No score is allowed if all pins are not downed in three shots.

How to Win: An inning is concluded when both players have had their turn. Highest score at the end of 7 innings wins the game.

Six Pin

Equipment: 6 ten pins, 1 white Shooting Ring. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To knock down singly each of six ten pins placed on the tip of the Backgammon markers.

How to Play Six Pin

6 ten pins are set up on the tips of the Backgammon markers on one side of the board.
Using a white Shooting Ring, the player on the side opposite the pins shoots to knock down each pin one at a time. the player may shoot at any pin but can knock down only one pin.
Knocking down more than one pin or missing a pin entirely gives the opponent their turn. All pins are reset after a player loses their turn.

How to Win: The player who knocks down all pins with successive single shots wins the game but each player must have had an opportunity to shoot.

Pin And Ring Call

Equipment: 5 green rings, 5 red rings, 4 ten pins, 1 white Shooting Ring. Played on the checker side of the board.

Object of the Game: To hit a playing ring so that it will pocket a ten pin on a called shot, thereby leaving the pocket clear for pocketing all your rings directly on called shots.

How to Play Pin and Ring Call

Place a ten pin in front of each pocket. Place 5 green and 5 red rings in the center of the board.
The first player uses the Shooting Ring from any point on the baseline to hit the playing rings and call the pin the player intends to knock into the pocket. When a ring, on a called shot, knocks a pin into the pocket, that pocket is clear for a player to pocket rings of their color in that pocket on a called shot.
Play is always with the Shooting Ring from where it lies, and a player shoots at their rings only. A player can pocket a pin with an opponent’s ring providing the player first hits their ring.
A player continues shooting when the player pockets a pin or ring. A pin or ring pocketed or knocked down on a non-called shot is set up again, pin in front of the pocket, ring in the center of the board, and the player loses their turn.
If a Shooting Ring is pocketed the player forfeits a ring, if the player has one, in the center of the board, and the player loses their turn.

How to Win: Each pin pocketed counts 2. Each ring pocketed counts 1. 15 points wins the game.

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