How to Play Shuffleboard
Begun more than 500 years ago as a game for European royalty, shuffleboard is becoming more popular with Americans who see it as a less expensive alternative to golf.
You Will Need
- Shuffleboard court
Steps
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Step 1
Choose the players
Decide if you’ll be playing singles or doubles and choose the players. Shuffleboard can be played with two players or two teams of two.
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Step 2
Learn the game
Familiarize yourself with the court. An outdoor shuffleboard court is a rectangle with a triangle at either end. The triangles are divided into different scoring zones.
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Step 3
Choose your pucks
Choose a puck color for each player or team; each side gets four pucks. Line them up in the "10-off area" at the base of the triangle and flip a coin to see who will go first.
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Step 4
Play the first round
Take turns pushing pucks toward the opposite triangle with the cues. Triangles are divided into ten-, eight-, and seven-point areas, plus a 'ten-off' zone. Aim for the areas with the most points. Leave all played pucks in place until the end of the round -- after each side has played four pucks.
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Try to knock your opponent’s pucks off high-scoring zones and into the ten-off zone.
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Step 5
Tally scores
Tally the scores based on where the pucks lay at the end of the round. Points count only if pucks are entirely within a scoring zone, not touching the edges. If a puck lands entirely within the ten-off zone, subtract ten points from the score.
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Step 6
Continue playing
Continue playing. After each round, switch sides. The first player or team to reach 50 points for a short game -- or 100 points for a longer -- wins the game.
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Did you know? The National Shuffleboard Hall of Fame is located in Clearwater, Florida.
