How to Play Carrom: Rules, Scoring and Tips for Beginners

Carrom is a tabletop flicking game loved across South Asia, played on a square wooden board with four corner pockets. Instead of a cue you flick a heavier disc — the striker — with your finger to knock lighter coins into the pockets. It is easy to learn in five minutes and takes years to master, which is exactly why families have played it for generations.

Here are the standard rules for a two-player game, how scoring works and the habits that make your shots cleaner.

What you need

• The board: a smooth square board with a pocket in each corner and a base line (two parallel lines) in front of each player.
• The coins: nine white, nine black and one red coin called the queen.
• The striker: a larger, heavier disc you flick to hit the coins.

At the start the coins are arranged in a circle in the centre, with the queen in the middle. In a two-player game the players sit opposite each other; one plays white, the other black (traditionally white breaks first).

Taking a shot

You place the striker on your base line, touching both lines or the circles at each end, and flick it with your finger. You may aim anywhere, but the striker must start from your own base line and your hand cannot cross the diagonal arrows towards the centre.

If you pocket one of your own coins, you shoot again. If you pocket nothing, the turn passes to your opponent.

Most players flick with the index or middle finger, keeping the hand steady on the board and letting the finger do the work. A smooth, short flick is far more accurate than a big swing.

The break

The first shot of a board is the break. The aim is to open the tight circle of coins so both players have shots, and ideally to pocket a coin of your colour to keep the turn. A firm, straight shot into the middle of the pack is the usual choice. A break that is too soft leaves the pack closed; one that is too hard can send the striker flying towards a pocket.

The queen

The red queen can be pocketed by either player once they have pocketed at least one of their own coins. But pocketing it is not enough — you must cover it: pocket one of your own coins on the very next shot. If you fail to cover the queen, it returns to the centre of the board. Under many rule sets, pocketing the queen and one of your own coins in the same shot also counts as covering it.

Fouls

The most common fouls are:

• Pocketing the striker. You lose one of your already-pocketed coins, which goes back to the centre, and your turn ends.
• Pocketing an opponent's coin. It stays pocketed in their favour.
• Striker leaves the board or the shot is played from outside the base line.

Some house rules also penalize touching coins with your hand or pushing instead of flicking.

Scoring

A board ends when one player pockets all nine coins. The winner scores one point for each of the opponent's coins still on the board, plus a bonus for the queen (commonly 3 points if they covered it). Many friendly matches simply count boards won; formal games play to 25 points.

Here is a worked example. You pocket your ninth white coin while four black coins are still on the board, and you covered the queen earlier. You score 4 points for the black coins plus 3 for the queen: 7 points for that board. Exact queen rules differ between clubs, so agree on them before you start.

Tips for cleaner shots

• Use the rebound. Straight shots are rarely open. Learn to bank the striker off the side cushion to reach coins behind others.
• Cut, don't smash. Hitting a coin slightly off-centre sends it at an angle into the pocket. Thin cuts are the most useful shot in carrom.
• Keep power moderate. A hard strike scatters coins and often sends the striker into a pocket — a costly foul.
• Clear coins near the pockets first. They are easy points and stop your opponent from blocking the corners.
• Plan for the queen. Before taking the queen, make sure one of your coins sits near a pocket so the cover shot is easy.

Try carrom online

Carrom Comet is our free carrom board game for the browser. Slide the striker along your base line, pull back to aim and set the power, and the physics handles bounces, cuts and rebounds. Capture and cover the red queen, avoid striker fouls and climb a ladder of computer rivals — or play a friend on the same device.

Here is how the carrom rules above work in the game:

• Aiming. Slide the striker along your base line by dragging it, with the slider on the frame or with the Left and Right arrow keys. Then drag back from the striker and let go to shoot.
• The guide. A dotted guide shows the first contact and where the coin will go — ideal for learning cut shots.
• The queen. You may pocket the red queen once you have sunk a coin, and you cover it by sinking one of your coins in the same or the next shot.
• Striker fouls. Your turn ends, any coins you sank on that shot come back, and one of your earlier coins returns to the centre.
• Stars. Against each of the six Carrom Club rivals, from Mitu to Champion Rumi, you earn stars for winning, for covering the queen and for winning with four or more black coins left.
• Trick Shots. Thirty puzzle boards ask you to sink every white coin within a set number of shots. A black coin in a pocket ends the level, so they are perfect for practising control.

Like cue sports too? Our 8-ball pool rules guide covers another classic table game.

FAQ

How many coins are there in carrom?

A carrom set has nineteen coins: nine white, nine black and one red queen, plus the larger striker that players flick. In a two-player game one player plays white and the other black, and the first to pocket all nine of their coins wins the board.

What does covering the queen mean in carrom?

Covering the queen means pocketing one of your own coins on the shot right after you pocket the red queen. If you cover it, the queen counts for you; if you miss the cover shot, the queen goes back to the centre of the board.

What happens if the striker goes into a pocket?

Pocketing the striker is a foul. You must return one of the coins you have already pocketed to the centre of the board, and your turn ends. If you have not pocketed any coin yet, the penalty is carried over until you do.

Can you play carrom on a phone?

Yes. Online carrom games like Carrom Comet run in a phone or tablet browser with no download; you aim and shoot by dragging with your finger, and you can play against the computer or pass the device to a friend.

How is a board scored in carrom?

When one player pockets all nine of their coins, they win the board and score one point for each of the opponent's coins still on the board. If they covered the queen, they usually add 3 points. Formal matches often play to 25 points, while friendly games may just count boards won.