Carrom Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Carrom, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Check the first coin to hit

Lesson 1

Follow the route from the striker to a pocket and identify the first coin in the way. Hitting the opposing color first is legal in carrom. However, pocketing only that color helps the opponent and passes the turn. Pocketing your own color lets you continue, so start by looking for a clear route to one of your coins.

White coins have dark rims. Black coins have light rims and crosses, and the red queen has a crown. The arrow shown while you pull marks the direction of travel. Think about where the target will travel after contact, and try to line up the striker, target and pocket.

In this exercise, pocket white in the upper-right pocket. Pull the striker away from white and release at 45%. Repeat to compare slightly different angles.

Wait before taking the queen

Lesson 2

Pocket at least one coin of your own color before trying for the red queen. Taking the queen too early sends it back to the centre. A clear route to your color is often more useful at first. Find the crown and check the surrounding white and black coins.

After taking the queen, pocket your color on the same shot or the very next shot. This is covering. Before taking red, check that you still have a reachable coin for the follow-up. Consider where the striker can be placed for both shots.

This exercise begins after you have already pocketed white. Take red at 40%, then the white toward the upper left at 40%. Covering the queen does not immediately award points. You must also win the board, with a previous total below 22, to score the queen bonus.

Create an angle with striker placement

Lesson 3

Moving the striker left or right along the baseline changes how it meets the same target coin. If another coin blocks the direct route, look for a better position before adjusting only the angle. You may place on your pair of baseline lines or the end circles.

When using an end circle, cover it fully with the striker. Partial overlap with a circle is not allowed, and you must keep clear of other coins. Releasing the slider snaps to a nearby legal position. Check the aim again from the confirmed position.

Here you move from the centre toward the left and compare the available angles. In your next game, look for a line through your color toward a corner pocket before pulling back the striker. Creating a clear route with placement makes the remaining adjustment easier.

Do not release too hard

Lesson 4

If the striker drops into a pocket, it is a foul. One of your pocketed coins is returned to the board, along with any of your coins from that shot. Unless your color also dropped, the turn passes to your opponent. The harder you release, the more speed the striker keeps after contact, and the more likely it is to run into a pocket.

When the target is close, keep the pull moderate. Save long pulls for distant coins or for moving coins out of the way. Before releasing, check where the striker will travel after contact and whether a pocket lies on that line.

In this exercise, you play the same layout as the first lesson at 30%. Pull the striker away from white and release at 30% to compare how strength changes the result. In your next game, look at where the striker is likely to stop before choosing the strength.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Last updated 2026-10-29 · Run by Qdan, Inc.