Welcome to Venture Game’s “How to Play Shuffleboard” page. The object of a regular shuffleboard is to slide, by hand, all four of your shuffleboard weights alternately against those of your opponents to the highest scoring area without them falling off the end of the shuffleboard into the alley. Only the winner receives a score. To be the winner, your Weight(s) must be further down the board than your opponent’s. You can achieve this by knocking off your opponent’s Weight(s), or by outdistancing them on the board.
The Hammer is the last shot in the frame (or round). The person or team who has the Hammer in any given frame is considered to be on the defensive. In other words, it is an advantage to shoot last.
How To Play Shuffleboard with Two Players
Start a two-person game by standing, with your opponent, at the same end of the shuffleboard. Toss a coin – or use another method you prefer – to see who will shoot the first Weight and the color of the Weight. Each player will play with 4 Weights, of the same color.
The winner of the toss should slide their first Weight toward the opposite end of the board, the Scoring End. Their opponent then shoots their first Weight in a similar manner, attempting to either knock off the other player’s first Weight, or to outdistance it. Both players should continue shooting their Weights alternately, until all eight Weights have been shuffled. This action completes one round of play.
NOTE: It is allowed to knock your opponent’s puck off the playing surface…this is part of the game strategy.
Like in the diagram above, whatever color puck is farthest down the table without falling off scores.
In this diagram, the red team got 3 points… PLUS one extra point for being over the edge and not falling off. Called a “Hanger”. BUT this point is only possible if the puck is at the very end of the table, not the edges.
If you have 2 pucks that are farthest down the table then you get points for the area they are located in (1 point for area labeled1, 2 points for area labeled 2 and so on).
The player whose leading Weight is farthest down the board is the winner of the round. Their score is then totaled and registered on the scoreboard.
Both players should now proceed to the opposite end of the shuffleboard, where the Weights are now resting. With the winner of the previous round shooting first, play another round of shuffleboard in exactly the same manner as described above. The game continues until one player scores 15 points.
How To Play Shuffleboard with Four Players
With four players, split into teams of two players each. Place one player from each team at the opposite end of the board. Like a two-player game, toss a coin or use another method to determine who will shoot first and the color of the Weights. Then each team should designate who will shoot the first round.
These two players will shoot each of their four Weights alternately, until all eight Weights have been shuffled. Their actions conclude one round of play.
The winner of the round is the team player whose leading Weight is the farthest down the board. Their score is then totaled and registered on the scoreboard.
The team players at the opposite end of the board, where the Weights are now resting, clear the board and begin another round of play from their end – in exactly the same manner as the first round. The partner of the previous round’s winner shoots the first Weight. The game continues as many rounds as necessary, until one team score a total of 21 points.
Conclusion: How To Play Shuffleboard
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