How to Play Carrom Online: Rules and 7 Tips to Win

Play now: Carrom with Buddies runs free in your browser on PC or phone, no download.

Carrom looks simple: flick the striker, sink the coins. But most players lose games the same way, by firing hard at everything and handing the board to the other side. These carrom tips cover the basic rules and the habits that actually win matches online.

Carrom rules in 60 seconds

The pieces: nine white coins, nine black coins, one red queen and a heavier striker.
Your goal: pocket all of your own colour before your opponent pockets theirs.
Turns: you place the striker on your baseline and flick it. Pocket one of your coins and you shoot again; miss and the turn passes.
The queen: after you pocket the red queen you must “cover” it by pocketing one of your own coins on the next shot. If you don’t, the queen goes back to the centre.
Fouls: pocketing the striker is a foul, and you usually lose a pocketed coin back to the board.

Online versions can tweak small details such as scoring, so check the in-game rules screen once before your first match.

7 carrom tips to win more games

1. Control power before you chase accuracy

The most common beginner mistake is full power on every shot. A hard striker scatters coins, often parks your pieces in front of the opponent’s pockets, and raises your chance of sinking the striker for a foul. Use soft and medium shots for anything near a pocket.

2. Use the whole baseline

You can slide the striker anywhere along your baseline. Move it until the line from striker to coin to pocket is as straight as possible. A straight shot at half power beats an angled shot at full power.

3. Learn one bank shot

When a coin sits behind your baseline or is blocked, bounce the striker off the side cushion. Start with a single rebound off the nearest side and practise it until it’s reliable. In Carrom with Buddies you can rehearse these angles against the computer as often as you like.

4. Take the queen at the right time

Don’t grab the queen early if you have no easy coin to cover it. Wait until one of your coins sits close to a pocket, then sink the queen and cover it straight away.

5. Leave the board awkward for your opponent

If you can’t pocket anything, play a soft shot that pushes your coins toward pockets and nudges theirs behind cover. Good defence wins as many carrom games as clever attack.

6. Clear coins near your pockets first

Easy coins near the pockets you shoot at are free points. Take them first to keep your turn going and build a lead before attempting difficult cuts.

7. Watch out for the striker

Before every shot, picture where the striker goes after it hits. If its path ends in a pocket, take a little power off or change the angle to avoid a foul.