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Crokinole Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Crokinole, 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.

Go for an open 20

Lesson 1

When no opposing disc is on the board, there is nothing to hit. The rule then is that your shot must stop touching or inside the 15 circle. If it falls short, that disc goes to the ditch and scores 0.

So aim for the highest score: the centre hole. A disc that drops in is worth 20 and leaves the board, so it can never be knocked away. A disc that stops in the 15 circle can still be hit on your opponent's next shot.

Too fast and the disc runs over the hole. From the middle of your shooting line, the gap between the pegs lets you shoot straight in; choose a power that slows down just before the hole. In this exercise, pull straight down to the band shown on the board and release. Too strong reaches the far ditch; too weak stops short of the 15 circle.

Hit and stay

Lesson 2

When an opposing disc is on the board, you must hit one. If you are going to hit it anyway, the ideal is to knock it into the ditch while your own disc stays on the board. This is called hit and stay.

When two discs of the same weight meet head-on, the shooter almost stops on the spot and the target carries the momentum away. A glancing hit sends your disc sideways as well, so it is more likely to cross the shooting line or fall into the ditch.

In this exercise, an opposing disc sits straight ahead. Pull straight down a long way, to the band shown on the board, and release. Theirs runs through the centre into the far ditch, and yours stays just short of where they met. If it stays in the 10 area, it scores right away.

Hide behind a peg

Lesson 3

Eight pegs stand on the 15 circle; a peg is a post that discs bounce off. Your opponent shoots from the opposite shooting line, so a disc of yours sitting directly behind a peg, as they see it, cannot be hit straight on. That is hiding behind a peg.

A shot that only hides when no opposing disc is on the board still has to stop touching or inside the 15 circle, or the shot disc and any disc of yours it hit go to the ditch. You hide by hitting an opposing disc and letting your own disc stop behind a peg.

In this exercise, an opposing disc sits in front of the right-hand peg, and your placement is shifted a little to the right. Pull away from their disc, to the band shown on the board, and release. Theirs falls into the ditch and yours stays below the right peg. From the far side, the peg now shields your disc.

Use the last disc to clear

Lesson 4

Whoever shoots the last disc of a round faces no reply. Knock out the opponent's highest-scoring disc now and those points are simply gone. The first player alternates every round, so make the most of the rounds where you hold the last disc.

Hit an opposing disc near the centre head-on, and theirs runs through the middle into the far ditch while yours stays just short of the contact point, near the centre. Their 15 vanishes while yours scores near the centre, a big swing.

In this exercise, an opposing disc sits inside the 15 circle and you hold the last disc. Pull straight down a long way, to the band shown on the board, and release. With every disc shot, the round is scored and the higher total takes 2 game points.

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

Play with friendsLearn how to play (5 min)

Last updated 2026-10-31 · Run by Qdan, Inc.