Ladder Ball Game Rules

Toss Line

• At the beginning of the game, you need to establish where each bola will be thrown from. The term for this is "toss line", and as the Games For All Reasons website states, the accepted distance for the line is 15 feet away from the ladder. However, you can simply walk five strides from the ladder and mark the line there.

Tossing

• In a game round, each player gets the opportunity to toss three bolas before the next player takes his turn. As the Games For All Reasons website points out, a player must ensure that his bolas don't hit the ground along the way, and players cannot team up to toss the bolas: each bolas must be thrown alone.

Scoring

• Points are scored for each bolas attached to the ladder at the end of each round, with points carrying over from round to round. Bolas on the floor don't count, so players can knock off an opponent's bolas to render previous tosses useless. Bolas hanging on the top rung are worth three points, those on the middle rung are worth two points, and those on the bottom rung are worth one point. As noted by the Games For All Reasons website though, landing all three bolas on a rung grants players an extra point.

  As the Ladder Ball Net website suggests, points allocations can vary: the top rung could alternatively be worth the least points, for example.

Points Totals

• The aim of the game is to reach exactly 21 points, and to be the only player to do so. Score over this amount, and you lose your points for that round. Games continue until one player has exactly 21 points at a round's end. As stated by the Ladder Ball Net website, should two players be tied on 21 points, play resumes until a player ends a round exactly two points ahead of her opponent, in what's termed an "overtime round".

Physical Conduct

• While players are free to distract their opponents by pulling silly faces or shouting comments during play, there are a few points of etiquette to observe while tosses are being made. As the Ladder Ball Net website states, players can't stand within the line of sight of an opponent who is throwing bolas. In addition, there can be no physical contact between players.