How to play Marbles 

Decide if you are playing for friendlies or keeps 

The player who goes first is decided by ‘lagging’. 

Next step

1. Draw a line on the ground (with a stone or chalk) 
2. Each player stands 3 Metres from the line and shoots 
3. The player closest to the line is determined as the first ‘shooter’ 

Next 

• Each Player to have a few marbles for shooting with 
• Draw a large circle and line the remaining marbles in the centre in an x formation, (there should be 10+) 
• Take turns, each player shoots from anywhere outside the circle, trying to knock marbles out of the circle – you shoot by flicking your thumb onto the marble 
  • If the shooter hits a marble out of the ring, they continue shooting from where his shooter landed in the circle 
  • If the shooter misses, their turn is over 
  • If the shooter rolls out of the ring, the players turn is over 
• Continue playing until all marbles are knocked out of the ring 
• The player who shoots the most marbles out of the ring wins 

This is just one way of playing marbles, there are lots of different ways you can play! 

 

• You can make your own marble mat out of felt or similar material and draw a circle in the centre. Then you can take it with you and play marbles on almost any surface 
• You can shoot your marbles towards targets to score points or create a marble run 

Marble Terms 

Game of Friendlies	The marbles will be returned to their owner after the game
Keepsies	Players keep the marbles they win during the game
Ring	The circle used in the game that marks the playing area
Taw or Shooter	A larger marble used to shoot the other marbles
Lagging	Shooting your marble to see who goes first
Knuckle Down	At least one knuckle must remain on the ground when lagging