How to Play Carrom: Easy Guide for Beginners & Expert Tips
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Time to read 4 min
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How To Play Carrom
Have you ever heard of this ancient tabletop game? This ancient tabletop game is easy to learn and packed with excitement. Just imagine the whole family competing against each other on Christmas day as they flick their strikers to pot their tokens into their pockets. But this board game has a rich history that spans centuries from India.
The game has grown progressively over time meaning there are now many clubs which hold tournaments and competitions. Carrom can also be enjoyed in a more relaxed setting, the perfect choice for your next family games night.
To make you the next Carrom pro in no time, here's our easy guide on how to play Carrom.
Below is a detailed guide on how to play the game of Carrom.
The Aim of The Game
The objective is to use your finger to flick your Striker at the Carrom Men/Coins, forcing them to fall into any of the four corner pockets. The winner is the first player or team to pocket all their own Coins and sometimes the Queen.
If you are yet to get set up with a Carrom Board, we've got a range of high-quality boards and accessories.
How to set up your Carrom Board
Sit your Carrom Board on a level surface 60cm - 70cm from the floor. If you don't have a suitable table, you could use one of our specialised Carrom Stands.
Lightly dust the Board with Carrom Powder and place the Queen in the centre circle in the middle of the Board. Arrange the Carrom Men/Coins around the Queen, alternating the dark and light pieces in a circle. Simply toss a coin to determine which player is going first.
The First Move: How to Break in Carrom
Breaking refers to the first shot of the game. In a similar way to Billiards, the aim is to disperse the Carrom Men around the Board and away from the Queen. The break shot must be taken by flicking your Striker from between the rectangular baselines. The Striker must touch both baselines but not touch any of the diagonal lines.
When breaking, if the player fails to make the Striker leave both baselines, they can try again up to three times before the turn passes to the opposition. Make sure you use a high-quality Carrom Powder to ensure your striker is gliding across the board smoothly like the one below.
Using The Striker
Players must use their Striker to take each shot. The Striker must sit between the baselines directly in front of the player. If the Striker fails to leave both lines, the player can try again up to three times before losing their turn. The Striker should cross the front baseline forwards, you are not allowed to flick backwards or horizontally.
Should the Striker be accidentally pocketed during a turn, the player then owes the opposition a Carrom Coin and has to return one of their own colours to the centre of the board. If the player has not yet pocketed any Carrom Coins in the game, they will then owe the other player a Coin and must pay this back as soon as they have pocketed it.
Carrom Men
Potting the Carrom Men is governed by the following rules, or as they are better known, Carrom Laws.
- Carrom Men that are not touching the player's baseline, or that are behind the baseline can be hit directly by the Striker.
- If the Carrom Men are touching the baseline or are in front of it, they can only be hit with a Striker that has rebounded off the side of the Carrom Board or another Carrom piece.
- If you strike your last piece directly before the Queen you will have to pay a penalty.
- If during a player's turn, a Carrom piece is knocked off the board, it is returned to the centre of the board. Any overlapping or pieces that stay on their edge are left as is.
- If there is already a piece in the centre of the board, the piece should be returned to touch as much of the red centre circle as possible.
- If however the centre circle is covered completely, then the piece is placed opposite the player who will strike next behind the red circle.
Carrom Fouls
A player will have to pay a penalty if they strike their last Carrom man on the board before the Queen (see fouls below).
- If a player pots their opponent's colour Carrom piece, the player loses their turn. If the player sinks their opponent's last piece they lose the board and have 3 points deducted from their score.
- If a player pots their last Carrom piece before the Queen, that player loses the board and has three points deducted from their total score.
- If correctly pocketed, the Carrom men remain in the pocket unless they are owed to the opposite player (see the striking information below.)
How to Successfully Cover the Queen
To pocket and cover the Queen, a player must first pocket their own colour Coin. Then on their subsequent go, pocket the Queen. If a Queen is pocketed on the player's first turn, the Queen gets returned to the centre of the board.
After a player has pocketed and correctly covered the Queen, the board will be won by the player who sinks all their own Coins.
What is a foul in Carrom?
The following actions all classed as a foul:
- Pocketing the Striker
- If a player pockets an opponent's piece
- If a piece leaves the board
- If a player's final piece is pocketed before the Queen has been covered
- The player incorrectly positions the striker before taking a shot
- A Players arm crosses the diagonal foul line on the board
- If a player fails to break correctly on their three attempts
Scoring in a game of Carrom
At the end of the game, the points are added up; the player with the most points wins. Each Carrom Coin is worth one point. The player who has won the board is also awarded an additional point for each of their opponent's pieces left on the board.
When you correctly cover the Queen gains you get an additional 5 points. Games are played to a total of 29 points.
