How to Play Marbles

By rpr, on 13-12-2007 17:49

How to Play Marbles

Objective

The objective of Marbles is for the players to hit and knocked out as many marbles from a circle using a chosen marble described as shooter

Game Layout

Before the game begins, the players should make a circle with a diameter of about 2 or 3 feet. Each player will then place a number of marbles inside the circle. The players will then choose their favorite marble, normally bitter than the other marbles, and designate that as their shooter.

For choosing who goes first to knock out the marbles inside the circle, they could do rocks and scissors. Or they could do “lagging”. Players make 2 parallel lines with a distance of 10 feet apart. The players will toss their shooters from one line to the other line. The closest shooter to the other line will the first to play.

The first player will try to knock out the group of marbles in the center of the circle. Players could knuckle or kneel then flicking the shooter to the marbles. The first player will continue knocking out marbles as long as he knocks out a marble each turn he shoots the marbles. The next player will have its turn when the previous player doesn’t knocked out any marbles from the circle.

Game Description

Marbles is a very old game that started in Egypt 3000 years ago. Even the Romans played this game. The materials used in the old days were clay, polished stone, or marble itself. The marbles today are mostly made of glass.

Many types of marble games are played in different countries. The type of marble game being discussed here is the “Ring Taw” or the “Ringer”. This type of game is mostly played because the rules are very easy to follow.

There is a variation of the “Ringer” wherein instead of returning the marbles to the original owner, the players keep the marbles that they have won in the game. This is called “keepsies”.

Rules

1. A player could not enter the circle until the shooter comes to a full stop.

2. A player could knuckle down only to the spot where his shooter stopped.

3. A player’s shooter will remain inside the circle until the next turn if the shooter stopped inside the circle.

Strategy, Skills, and Tactics

Select a shooter that is bigger or heavier than the rest of the marbles. This will knock out the smaller and lighter marbles out of the circle.

Use two kinds of techniques, the ‘fulking’ and shooting knuckle down, in flicking a marble.

*Fulking is done by placing the shooter on the second knuckle of the forefinger then placing the thumb behind marble. Flick the marble without touching the ground.

*Shooting knuckle down is done placing at least one knuckle on the ground. Place the shooter between the first and second fingers. Curl the forefinger around the shooter then curling the other fingers behind. Your thumb must go behind the marble then flick.

Last update : 13-12-2007 17:49