How to Play American Carrom

Carrom, often called finger billiards, combines aspects from the games of pool, marbles and air hockey into one game. To play American Carrom, players attempt to score by getting circular disks called carrommen into the corner pouches of a carrom board.

Instructions

Set up the Carrom Board

1. Place the queen, which is the gold disk in American Carrom, in the center of the circle in the middle of the carrom board.

2. Position the next row of carrommen so each touches the queen and forms a circle that alternates the red and blue carrommen.

3. Form a hexagon by starting with a red carrommen on top of a red carrommen from the second row. Alternate the colors of the carrommen. If you've done it right, the blue carrommen should form three triangles that contain three blue carrommen each.

4. Alternate the break setup after each game. If the player sinking blue carrommen breaks, start the hexagon by placing a blue carrommen on top of a blue carrommen from the inner circle. You then have three red triangles instead of blue.

Play the Game

1. Determine who goes first by lag, which is shooting the strikers off the opponent's frame. The player whose striker gets closest to their own baselines breaks and plays using the red carrommen.

2. Move the striker by flicking it with the fingernail on your index or middle finger, or by using a scissor shot. Position the striker between the bottom baselines on the player's end of the board before you shoot. It can't touch the diagonal arrow line.

3. Call your shots for fun prior to sinking the carrommen. If you sink a carrommen in a different pocket than you call, leave the piece in the pocket.

4. Cover the queen by sinking one of your carrommen during the same turn or on the next immediate turn. If you fail to cover the queen, place her back in the center of the circle.

5. Score the queen to the player who sinks and covers it. American Carrom varies the value of the queen based on how many carrommen are on the carrom board at the time you sink the queen. You receive 3 points if there are seven to nine carrommen, 4 points if there are four to six carrommen and 5 points if there are three or less carrommen on the carrom board.

6. Win the game by being the first to get all you carrommen into pockets once someone covers the queen. Award a point to the winner for every opponent's carrommen still on the carrom board.

7. Achieve match victory by winning the majority of four games. In American Carrom, the players don't have a limit for time or points. The player with the most total points at the end of the fourth board wins the match.

Follow American Carrom Miscellaneous Rules

1. Lose your turn and a carrommen if you sink the striker. You owe one carrommen to the center, even if you don't have any carrommen in a pocket yet. If you sink two carrommen on the same turn as the sinker, you only loose one carrommen, not your turn.

2. Place pieces that jump off the board or gets pulled out of a pocket back in the center spot. If the board has pieces in the center spot, put the piece as close to the center spot as possible.

3. Avoid sinking your opponent's pieces or you lose your turn. If you sink the opponent's last carrommen, you lose the board and 3 points.

4. Sink the queen before your last carrommen or you lose the board, three points and one point per opponent's piece left on the carrom board.

5. Use a power play to double the points of a board. Each player gets one power play per match, which must be called before the break. If the player wins his power play round, his points for the round are doubled. If he loses, the opponent earns 5 extra points.

Tips & Warnings

• You get three attempts to break before losing your turn.

• If possible, use different carrom boards for each game in a match.

• No part of your body can leave your quadrant or cross the diagonal line.