The targets must
be 20-30 feet apart (depending on age and skill level) and offset so the players can
throw straight at the target (see drawing at bottom of page).
A coin flip
determines who initially goes first, second and third.
The game can be
played with 2, 3, 4, or 6 players.
For 2 to 3
players, each player throws their bolos toward one target, then they advance to that
target and throw back toward the first target.
For 4 or 6
players, there are two players on each team. The team members throw from opposite
targets.
In each round the
team with the highest score goes first.
Each player or team
has three bolos (two balls attached by rope).
At the beginning of
each round, the player or team throwing last has the option of spinning the wheel on the
target. The wheel must make one complete revolution or it will have to be spun
again.
Each player throws
one bolo. When all players have thrown a bolo, each then throws their second bolo, and
then their third.
The toss must be
made underhand while holding on to only one ball.
When throwing a
bolo, a player must stay behind the front of the target they are throwing from.
There are 6 bars, 5
on the wheel (1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 green, 1 red), and one in the center (gray).
Blue = 1
point; yellow = 2 points; orange = 4 points; green = 6 points; red = minus 6 points; and gray (center) = 8
points.
At the end of a
round, if there is an odd number of bolos on a bar, they are worth the value of the bar.
If there is an even number of bolos on the bar, they are worth zero points (this allows a
person to block or unblock points).
If a player gets all
three of their tosses on the same color (except red), they get 3 times the value of the
bar plus 5 extra points (even if there is an even number of bolos on that bar). If they
get all three bolos on the red, they get zero points.
To count, the rope
has to be touching the colored part of the bar.
If the rope is
touching the colored part of more than one bar, the value of the bars are added together.
The first team to
reach 30 points, wins. If two teams are both at or over 30 by the end of the round, the
team with the highest number wins. In case of a tie, the tying teams play until one leads
at the end of a round.
