The rules of petanque

Some ways to play cut-throat (3 players) are HERE.

We play without umpires, so we play according to the rules of Petanque Libre rather than the FIPJP international rules. In addition, TPC has a few local rules tailored to our climate and playing area.

Local Rules

  1. When placing the circle, a team may move the circle from a sunny area to a shaded area.
  2. At any time, players may remove or cover pieces of man-made trash, pet waste (merde de chien), or mesquite tree sap.
  3. At any time, players may cover a large ground-squirrel hole with enough dirt to keep a jack or boule from being lost down the hole.

The rules of Petanque Libre

The rules of Petanque Libre (PL) are designed for non-umpired games. They are available HERE.

The PL rules have appendices listing differences from the FIPJP rules. The most important differences are:

  • FIPJP rules currently allow a team only ONE attempt to throw the jack before turning it over to the other team, which then manually places the jack. PL allows a team the traditional THREE attempts.
  • PL contains explicit rules for handling awkward situations. For example, PL explicitly says that if a boule is played out-of-turn, it is to be left where it is and the game should carry on normally.
  • PL rules allow teams to agree to undo illegal events. The PL philosophy regarding illegal events is “If it can be undone, undo it. Otherwise, just carry on.”

The FIPJP international rules

  • Access the FIPJP rules via a smartphone or web browser HERE.
  • The rules can be found on the FIPJP website HERE (French) and HERE (English). Look for the “RULES TEXTS” menu item and select “Petanque Rules” from the drop-down menu.