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Instructions for Playing Marbles

For centuries, children and adults alike have passed the time playing classic games such as marbles. While there are numerous variations on the basic rules of marbles, the standard game is called the “ring game” or “ringer.” The goal is to remove all the marbles from inside a ring drawn on the playing surface. Players get to keep the marbles they knock out.

Things You'll Need

13 marbles

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a ring 10 feet in diameter on the playing surface. Playing surfaces can include dirt, grass, concrete and carpet. Use chalk or tape to mark the boundaries of the ring.
- 2
  Draw a line at the top of the circle (the head line) and the bottom (the lag line). The two lines should be parallel.
- 3
  Get a marble and stand just behind the lag line. Form a fist with your shooting hand and place the marble on top of your index finger in the center. Place your thumb just under the marble so you can flick it. Launch the marble toward the head line; the goal is to be the closest to this line. The player who gets his marble closest to the line goes first.
- 4
  Form an X or a cross in the center of the circle with 11 marbles. Players keep one marble to shoot with.
- 5
  Kneel at any point along the circle. Hold your shooting marble just as you did when you flicked it to determine who goes first. Aim and flick your shooter at the marbles. The goal is to strike the marbles and knock them out of the circle. Retrieve your shooter and any marbles that roll out of the circle.
- 6
  Continue flicking marbles until the circle is empty. The player with the most marbles wins.

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