Playing a Game of Petanque

Introduction

This section describes how to play a game of petanque. It is ideal for beginners as it is simple but provides a bit more important detail than the average set of instructions provided in recreational boules sets. The section on tactics will be of use to beginners and more experienced players alike.

Selecting the teams

Petanque can be played one on one (if you have 2 or 3 participants), but is generally played in pairs (doublettes) or triples (triplettes).

Teams generally have:

• a specialist ‘opener’ (pointeur) who throws the teams first boule,

• a specialist ‘shooter’ (tireur) who steps in to the ring when an opponents boules must be removed, and

• an all-rounder who can point and if necessary, shoot.

If you are a beginner you will probably start as a pointer, usually in the ‘opener’ position. If you are all beginners, you may just take turns.

The number of boules for each player

In competition, participants in singles or doubles use 3 boules each and in triples, 2 boules each. Socially however you may vary this.

Tossing the coin

Once teams have been selected there should be a toss of the coin. The team that wins the toss (we’ll call them Team 1) has the right to:

• Select the terrain

• Draw the starting circle

• Throw out the jack (cochonnet)

• Throw the first boule

Selecting the terrain

The team selects a terrain that it feels will give it an advantage by playing to its strengths or if familiar with the opposition, playing to their weakness

Drawing the circle

The circle is drawn as the starting point of the first end. It must be no less than 35 cm and no more than 50 cm in diameter. All boules are thrown from the circle. Players feet must be fully in the circle when the boule is thrown. Where an area is marked out into playing areas (pistes), the circle should be at one end of the area.

Throwing the cochonnet

• The cochonnet must be thrown to a distance of between 6 and 10 metres from the circle and when it comes to rest must be more than 1 metre from any ‘fixed obstacle’.

• Team (1) is allowed 3 attempts to achieve a throw between the legal distance. If they fail, the throw-out reverts to Team (2). Team (1) retains the right to throw the first boule of the end.

• Where there are marked playing areas the cochonnet is thrown within the confines of the marked space. In unmarked areas it is possible to throw in any direction, but please show respect to other people and games.

• During the course of the match there is no penalty for hitting or moving the cochonnet, indeed it can be an important tactic, particularly if you move it closer to your own boules. However if the cochonnet is knocked out of the marked playing area (where there is one) of if it goes beyond 20 metres from the circle, the end is declared void and no points are taken.

The game begins - the first end

After team (1) has thrown the first boule, team (2) must reply. The pointeur may try to out-point the opposition boules or if it is a particularly well placed effort, the shooter may decide to step in to the circle and shoot it out of the way.

If the boule is out-pointed by Team (2) then Team (1) must go again. If the shooter hits the boule the teams must check which boule is closest or if the shooter misses then Team (2) must go again. In other words the team with the boule closest to the cochonnet stays out of the circle until the other team has a boule closer to the cochonnet or has run out of boules, in which case they again step into the circle.

If the opposition has thrown all their boules, the other team then attempts to get more boules closer to the jack than any of the opposing team’s boules.

Important:

Often it may be very obvious which of the boules are closest to the cochonnet, but on occasions the distances may be deceptive or difficult to judge. On these occasions use a tape measure or special petanque measuring device. When in doubt, check!!

Note: In triples the most a team can score on one end is 6 points. So it is possible to win a game in three ends, 6, 6 and 1

Measuring

You may measure the distance of any boules from the cochonnet during the course of an end. This may have an important bearing on your actions. You may want to check who actually has the point for example, or you may want to know which boules are second and third, as this may influence you on whether to shoot or not. When in doubt, check!

                                                             Shoot??

Which is the closet?

Will I get a point if I shoot the other boule?

Of course you may need to measure when an end is finished to verify the number of points gained. Refer also ‘Marking the boules and cochonnet’

Scoring the end

The number of boules a team has closer to the cochonnet than the opposition is the number of points they gain for the end. These are added to the previous total.

Example: In this case, the grey boules belong to Team (1) and the white boule to Team (2). Team (1) gains one point only because Team (2) has the second closet boule. Team (2) gains no points.

The game continues-the following end

The team that wins the end must draw the circle for the next one, usually around the resting place of the jack on the just completed end. They also throw out the jack and the first boule of the end. Play continues until one of the teams reaches 13 points.

Marking the boules and cochonnet

‘Marking’ refers to drawing 4 lines of approximately 5 cms at right angles to each other forming a cross, meeting at the cochonnet or boules using a stick or finger. This may be done during the game in case boules or the cochonnet are accidentally moved, for example, by a boule from another game. If not marked, they must remain where they end up.

A boule should also be marked if it is in the way when measuring the  distance between the cochonnet and another boule so that it can be removed and replaced after measuring.