Come play Petanque any weekday at 3:00
next to Baker Hall
PETANQUE - Rules of Play
Pétanque is played by two, four or six people. In the singles and doubles games each player has three boules; in triples they have only two. A coin is tossed to decide which side goes first. The starting team draws a circle on the ground which is 35-50 centimetres in diameter: all players must throw their boules from within this circle, with both feet remaining on the ground. The first player throws the jack 6-10 metres away; it must be at least one metre from the boundary.
ORDER OF PLAY:
The player who threw the jack then throws their first boule. A player from the opposing team then makes a throw. Play continues with the team that is not closest to the jack having to continue throwing until they either land a boule closer to the jack than their opponents or run out of boules.
If the closest boules from each team are an equal distance from the jack, then the team that played last plays again. If the boules are still equidistant then the teams play alternately until the position changes. If the boules are still equidistant at the end of the game then no points are scored by either team.
The game continues with a player from the team that won the previous end drawing a new circle around where the jack finished and throwing the jack for a new end.
SCORING:
Points are scored when both teams have no more boules, or when the jack is knocked out of play. The winning team receives one point for each boule that it has closer to the jack than the best-placed boule of the opposition.
If the jack is knocked out of play, the end is void unless only one team has boules left to play. In this case the team with boules receives one point for each that they have to play.
The first team to reach 13 points wins.
FURTHER RULES:
1. A boule hitting a boundary is dead and is removed from that end.
2. On a piste marked with strings a boule is dead if it completely crosses the string.
3. The circle can be moved back in the line of the previous end if there is not room to play a 10 metre end.
4. The boule can be thrown at any height or even rolled depending on the terrain.
5. Boules are thrown underarm, usually with the palm of the hand downwards which allows backspin to be put on the boule giving greater control.
6. Each team should have suitable measuring equipment. In most cases a tape measure is adequate but callipers or other measuring devices may be needed.
STRATEGY:
A successful pétanque team has players who are skilled at shooting as well as players who only point. For obvious reasons, the pointer or pointers play first – the shooter or shooters are held in reserve in case the opponents place well. In placing, a boule in front of the jack has much higher value than one at the same distance behind the jack, because intentional or accidental pushing of a front boule generally improves its position. At every play after the very first boule has been placed, the team whose turn it is must decide whether to point or shoot. Factors that count in that decision include:
1. How close to the jack the opponents' best boule is,
2. The state of the terrain (an expert pointer can practically guarantee to place within about 15 centimeters if the terrain is well tended, not so if it's rocky or uneven), and ...
3. How many boules each team has yet to play.
A team captain, in an idealized game, requires his pointer to place a boule reasonably close in approach to the jack (paradoxically, in competition, the first pointer sometimes aims not to get so close to the jack that the opponents will inevitably shoot their boule immediately). They then visualize an imaginary circle with the jack as its centre and the jack-boule distance as radius and defend that circle by any legitimate means.
GLOSSARY OF SPECIAL TERMS:
Like any sport, petanque has its own special vocabulary. The following are a list of common phrases with explanations.
To have the point - To have one or more boules placed closer to the jack than those of the opponent(s).
Pointing - To throw one's boule with the intent of stopping near the jack (also known as placing).
To have the point - To have one or more boules placed closer to the jack than those of the opponent(s).
Pointing - To throw one's boule with the intent of stopping near the jack (also known as placing).
Shooting - To throw one's boule at one of the opponent's boules to knock it out of play. This is often done when the opponent has pointed his/her boule very close to the jack.
Lob - To throw one's boule in a high arc so that when it lands it only rolls minimally.
À carreau - A special feat in which the shooter knocks the opponent's boule out while leaving his boule at or very near the point of impact (pronounced car-o).
To fanny (mettre fanny in French) - To beat one's opponents 13 to 0. The figure of a bare-bottomed lass named Fanny is ubiquitous in Provence wherever pétanque is played. It is traditional that when a player loses 13 to 0 it is said that “il est fanny” (he's fanny) or “il a fait fanny” (he made fanny), and that he has to kiss the bottom of a girl called Fanny. Since there is rarely an obliging Fanny's behind handy, there is usually a substitute picture, woodcarving or pottery so that Fanny’s bottom is available. More often, the team which made "fanny" has to offer a beverage to the winning team (see the French popular expression "Fanny paie à boire !").
To do the bec (faire le bec, meaning "to give a light kiss") - Targeting one of your boules already in play and knocking it toward the jack.
Game on the Ground - Meaning one team is lying in a match-winning position while an end is still in progress and will win unless their opponents change the situation.