Crokinole: Rules and How to Play
Crokinole is a disc-flicking board game for 2 players, taking about 15 minutes. Playing black or white, you must hit your opponent's discs, and you aim to leave yours in the high-scoring centre.
Setup
- Play black or white with 8 discs each (12 with the home rule). White discs have a dot in the centre.
- The board is a round playing surface surrounded by a ditch. The centre hole is worth 20, inside the circle around it 15, outside the eight pegs 10, and the outer circle 5.
How to play
- At the start of your turn a disc appears at the middle of your shooting line, the outermost black line on your side. Move the slider under the board to slide it along the line. On the board, put a finger on the disc 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 disc and release to cancel.
- You may place only on your shooting line, up to where the disc touches the quadrant lines at each end, and not overlapping another disc.
- If an opposing disc is on the board, your shot must hit one, directly or through one of your own discs. Otherwise the shot disc and every disc of yours it hit go to the ditch (a 20 on that shot does not count).
- If no opposing disc is on the board, the shot disc or a disc of yours it hit must stop touching or inside the 15 circle, or the same happens.
- Any disc that stops touching or beyond the shooting line is out, whatever its color, and goes to the ditch.
- Players alternate one disc at a time; nobody shoots twice in a row. When time runs out, that disc goes to the ditch and scores 0.
Winning and scoring
- When every disc has been shot, the round ends. Add the points of the discs left on the board and the 20s: the higher score takes 2 game points, a tie gives 1 each. A disc on a line takes the lower value.
- Read the round result and press Next. The next round starts when everyone confirms or after ten seconds, and the first player alternates.
- After four rounds, the higher game score wins. If tied, rounds continue until one side leads. With the home rule, each round's difference goes to the winner and the first to 100 wins.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of discs | Tournament (NCA) rules give each player 8 discs; the home rule gives 12. | Tournament: 8 discs | Can be changed |
| Required contact | Under tournament (NCA) rules, when an opposing disc is on the board, your shot disc must hit one, directly or through one of your own discs. When none is, the shot disc or a disc of yours it hit must stop touching or inside the 15 circle. If not, it is a foul and the shot disc and every disc of yours it hit go to the ditch. The home rule has no such requirement. | On | Can be changed |
| Game scoring | Tournament (NCA) rules play four rounds: 2 points for a round win, 1 for a tie. The home rule adds each round’s score difference, first to 100. | 4 rounds, 2 points a win | Can be changed |
| Time per turn | When time runs out, this disc goes to the ditch and scores 0. | 30 seconds | Can be changed |
Terms
- Shooting line
- The outermost black circle. Place your disc on your side of it to shoot. A disc that stops touching it is out.
- Peg
- One of eight posts on the 15 circle. Discs bounce off them.
- Ditch
- The groove around the board. Discs that fall in score 0 and stay there for the round.
- 20
- The centre hole. A disc that drops in scores 20 and is counted beside your seat.
- Required contact
- If an opposing disc is on the board you must hit it; if none, the shot disc or a disc of yours it hit must stop on or inside the 15 circle.
- Out
- A disc that stops touching or beyond the shooting line. It goes to the ditch and scores 0.
FAQ
What if I miss the opposing discs?
The shot disc and any of your discs it hit go to the ditch and score 0.
What if a disc stops on a line?
On a scoring circle it takes the lower value. Touching the shooting line, it is out and goes to the ditch.
What happens to a disc in the hole?
It scores 20. It is taken off the board and counted beside your seat until the round ends.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-10-31 · Run by Qdan, Inc.