rules to play croquet

The striker earns one bonus shot if the striker ball scores a wicket or hits the turning stake. The striker earns two bonus shots if the striker ball hits another ball a roquet . However, the maximum number of bonus shots earned by a striker is two; there is never a time when a striker is allowed three shots. See the Exceptions section below for examples.
If two bonus shots are scored by striking another ball, the first of these two shots may be taken in any of four ways
From a mallet head distance or less away from the ball that was hit taking a mallet head
From a position in contact with the ball that was hit, with the striker ball held steady by the strikers foot or hand a foot shot or hand shot
From a position in contact with the ball that was hit, with the striker ball not held by foot or hand a croquet shot
From where the striker ball stopped after the roquet.
The second bonus shot after a roquet is an ordinary shot played from where the striker ball came to rest, called a continuation shot .
Bonus shots may not be accumulated. Upon earning a bonus shot by scoring a wicket, hitting the turning stake, or roqueting another ball, any bonus shot previously earned is forfeited. For example, if a ball roquets a ball and in that same stroke the striker ball hits another ball, the second ball hit is not a roquet and remains where it comes to rest with no deadness incurred on that ball .

Two extra shots are earned when the striker ball scores two wickets in one shot. If the ball also hits the turning stake after scoring two wickets, two strokes are earned, not three. Conversely, if the striker ball scores the seventh wicket and hits the turning stake in the same shot, it earns two shots. After the striker ball roquets another ball, it does not earn any extra shots for hitting it again in the same turn before scoring the next wicket in order. However, there is no penalty for hitting the ball again unless you are using Challenging Option 1, below .

When the striker ball scores a wicket and then in the same shot hits another ball, only the wicket counts and the striker has earned only the one extra shot for scoring the wicket. The striker may then roquet any ball to earn two extra shots. When the striker ball roquets another ball and then goes through a wicket, the wicket has not been scored but the striker earns two extra shots for the roquet.

Whenever any part of a ball crosses a boundary, it is brought inbounds and placed one mallet length or 36 inches into the court. The ball should be placed 90 degrees inbounds and perpendicular to the line and not diagonally from the line. Exception When the striker ball has just roqueted hit another ball, the striker may choose to place it in contact with or up to a mallet head from the ball that was roqueted. All balls are also immediately brought in a mallet length from the boundary when they are less than that distance from the boundary, except for the strikers ball when the striker has an extra shot.

On a smaller court, you may reduce the distance from the boundary for placing balls in to as little as a mallet head about nine inches , but whatever the distance chosen, balls must be brought in the full distance from the boundary. If more than one ball crosses the boundary on the same spot, the striker may measure any ball inbounds first and then place the other s a mallet heads length away from it on either side.

After a ball scores all of the wickets in the course, its player may choose to keep it in the game as a rover to help advance that sides remaining ball s and to prevent the opposing side from advancing. During this balls turn, it may hit any other ball only once per turn, gaining extra shots accordingly, but it does not earn any extra shots or wicket points for running a wicket.Any player may put a rover out of the game by causing it to hit the finishing stake with a roquet shot or a croquet or foot shot. The rovers side earns the point for the stake, and the order of play continues without the staked out ball.An interesting variation is playing poison.

If time does not permit a game to be played to the stake, a time limit may be set beforehand. A kitchen timer works well to alert players to the end of the time limit. When the time limit is reached the game is over. This is known as sudden stop. If the score is tied in the sudden stop format, the ball closest to its contested wicket gets an extra point for the win.

Deadness occurs after a roquet is made and the striker is unable to score his her wicket. The consequences are that the striker is not allowed to roquet the ball s again until scoring the wicket. Once the wicket is scored, the striker becomes alive and is able to roquet the ball s again. If a striker roquets a ball he she is dead on, all balls are replaced to their positions before the shot, and the turn is over. Deadness carries over from turn to turn.

A A ball is considered out of bounds if it is more than halfway over the boundary line which is considered to be the inside edge of the boundary marking. If a striker sends any ball s out of bounds as the result of their shot, all balls shall be measured in 9 from the spot where they crossed the boundary line. The only exception to this is when the strikers ball crosses the boundary line as the result of a roquet where it is then lifted and placed either in contact or up to 9 from the roqueted ball. Additionally, any ball coming to rest within 9 of the boundary shall be marked in 9 prior to the next shot unless it is the striker ball and it has any remaining shots.

May be used in conjunction with Option 1 regarding deadness. No extra shots are earned by hitting another ball until both the striker ball and the ball to be roqueted have cleared a designated wicket typically 1, 2, or 3 . A ball not in the game may have a ball s in the game marked and lifted for a shot and vice versa. Balls out of the game are dead on balls in the game and visa versa.

If an opponent causes the striker ball to be blocked by a wicket or stake wired when the striker wishes to shoot at a ball it is alive on, the striker may move his her ball a mallet heads length or up to 9 inches in any direction from its wired position to enable a possible open shot on that ball. The striker is not obligated to shoot at a ball from this new position and may take any shot he she wishes. This optional rule does not apply if the strikers side placed the striker ball in its current position, only if the opponent placed it there.