Bolo Ball Game Instructions

Set up your bolo ball ladders facing each other at least 15 feet apart for younger players and up to 30 feet apart for adult players.

Stand with one player from each team behind each ladder, with all the bolos with the players behind one ladder. Each team may decide which team member stands behind which scoring ladder and which player on their team will shoot first.

Take turns throwing one bolo each until the players from both teams have each thrown all three of their bolos. The player on the team with more points in the prior round of tosses goes first. If both teams scored the same in the prior round, the same team shoots first as in the prior round.

Score the bolos tossed after all bolos are thrown. Only score at the end of a round, as bolos knocked off the ladder don't count. Award 3 points for a bolo wrapped around the top rung, 2 points for the middle rung and 1 point for the bottom rung.

Repeat the tosses. After the players have thrown the bolos at the goal that the second player on each team is standing behind, the second player from each team will throw bolos in the second round, throwing back at the goal by the first player from each team and so on.

Play until one team finishes a round with exactly 21 points. If a team exceeds 21 in a turn, no bolos are counted for that round. For example, if a team has 14 points and the player throws 3-point shots with his first two bolos and a 2-point shot with his third, that exceeds 21 points and no points would be awarded to his team and their score would remain at 14 for the next round.