Carrom: Rules and How to Play
Carrom is a disc-flicking board game for 2 players, taking about 15 minutes.
Setup
- Arrange nine white, nine black and one red coin in the centre. The first player takes white and the second takes black.
- The larger white disc is the striker. Before the first shot, Powder makes the surface more slippery for this board.
How to play
- At the start of your turn the striker appears at the centre of your baseline. Move the slider under the board left or right to slide the striker along the baseline. On the board, put a finger on the striker and pull back: it flies the opposite way. A longer pull is stronger (the percentage is shown); release to shoot. Return your finger to the striker and release to cancel. It works the same in landscape (the slider stays under the board).
- Cover an end circle fully or keep clear of it. Placement snaps to a spot clear of other coins.
- Pocket your color to shoot again; otherwise the turn passes. Pocketing only the opposing color passes the turn and counts for the opponent.
- Take the queen after pocketing at least one coin of your color (the same shot as your first coin also counts). Pocket your color on the same shot or your next shot; this is called covering. Otherwise the queen returns to the centre.
- Pocketing the striker is a foul: return one of your pocketed coins to the outer centre circle (if none is available, return the next coin you pocket). If your color or the queen also dropped on that shot, they come back too and you shoot again. Otherwise the turn passes.
- If the opening shot misses every coin, the same player has up to two more attempts. If the opening shot misses and the striker drops, the turn passes with nothing returned. Running out of time passes the turn without returning a coin.
- Read each shot result and press Next. Play continues when everyone confirms or ten seconds after the discs stop.
Winning and scoring
- With the queen covered, the first player to pocket all nine coins of their color wins the board. Pocketing either color's last coin before the queen is covered loses the board for the shooter.
- The winner scores one point per opposing coin left. Whoever covered it, the queen's three points go to the winner (if their previous total was below 22). A board is worth at least one point.
- Play again starts the next board. Reach 25 total points first, or lead after eight boards, to win the game. If totals are equal after eight boards, extra boards are played until one side leads.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen points | Queen points that go to the board winner. | 3 points | Can be changed |
| Game target | The total needed to win the game. | 25 points | Can be changed |
| Powder | Apply once before the first shot. | On | Can be changed |
| Time per turn | Time up passes the turn without a shot. | 30 seconds | Can be changed |
| First player on replay | The loser starts the next board. | Alternate | Can be changed |
Terms
- Baseline
- The pair of lines and end circles used to place the striker.
- Striker
- The large white disc you flick, marked by a double rim.
- Queen
- The red coin with a crown.
- Cover
- Make the queen yours by pocketing your color on the same shot or the next one.
- Return
- Put a pocketed coin back in the centre after a foul or an unsuccessful cover.
FAQ
What if I pocket the queen first?
If you have not yet pocketed your color, the queen returns to the centre.
Is running out of time a foul?
The turn passes without a shot. No coin is returned for the timeout.
What if I pocket the opponent's last coin?
Your opponent wins that board. Before the queen is covered, pocketing your own last coin also loses. Leave their coins and cover the queen first.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-10-29 · Run by Qdan, Inc.