American 6-Wicket Croquet is a truly American variation of croquet known for its strategic gameplay and emphasis on shot-making. American 6-Wicket has been described as a combination of pool and chess on a big flat putting green.
American 6-Wicket Croquet Rules
Some people call 6-Wicket Croquet an outdoor combination of pool and chess. It is a very strategic game. A game of 6-Wicket Croquet starts 3 feet in front of wicket 1 (blue topped Wicket). The Balls are played in the order, BLUE, RED, BLACK, YELLOW. The same order as the colors on the center stake.
Croquet is played between two sides – the blue and black balls versus the red and yellow balls. In singles each player plays two balls; in doubles each player plays the same ball throughout the game.
The object of the game is to score more wickets than your opponent. A ball scores a wicket by passing through a wicket in the correct direction and sequence, as shown above. After scoring a wicket it gets an extra shot and is cleared of any deadness it has.
Clips Each ball has a correspondingly colored clip. Clips are used to show which wicket the ball needs to score next. For wickets #1 through #6, the clip is placed on top of the wicket. For the remaining wickets, the clip is placed on the side of the wicket. At the start of a game, all four clips are placed on the top of wicket #1.
Hitting Other Balls If the striker’s ball hits another ball we say it has made a roquet, and the striker earns two extra shots. The first shot is called the croquet shot.
The croquet shot is played by picking up the striker ball, placing it in contact with the roqueted ball, then striking the striker ball in such a way as to make both balls move.
Then the striker take the second shot called the continuation shot. The striker’s ball is now dead on the roqueted ball and remains so until it scores its next wicket.
Deadness Board A deadness board is used to keep track of deadness. 
The column of squares on the far left represent the balls in the game and the 3 columns of squares to the right represent which balls the left colored ball is dead on. In this example, BLUE is dead on red and can’t hit red. RED is dead on yellow and blue and can’t hit them. BLACK is dead on blue and can’t hit blue. YELLOW is dead on blue and black and can’t hit them. A ball is cleared of its deadness when it scores its next hoop.
Boundaries A ball goes out of bounds as soon as its center crosses a boundary. When a ball goes out of bounds it is placed 9 inches in from where it crossed the boundary. In most cases, when a ball goes out of bounds, the turn is over. At the end of a turn, any ball less than 9 inches from the boundary is also moved in to 9 inches.
Rover Balls and Scoring the Stake A ball that has scored all twelve wickets is called a rover ball. If a striker hits their rover ball into the stake, that ball has scored
the stake point and is removed from the game.
End of Game A game ends when a player stakes out both of their balls or time runs out. When time runs out, each ball is played one more time and the score is counted. If it is a tie, another rotation is played until the tie is broken. The maximum score possible is 26. 12 wickets for each ball and two stake out points.
Other Rules This is a quick synopsis of game play and is not intended to be a complete set of rules. There are other rules which can come into play like:
• When your opponent scores hoop 7 you can clear deadness on either of your balls.
• A rover ball can hit another rover ball into the stake, thereby staking it out of the game.
• Balls that have not gone through hoop 1 are considered, “not in the game” and don’t earn extra shots when they hit another ball.
• A ball in the game cannot hit a ball not in the game
These rules are best learned during game play with an experienced player.
American 6-Wicket Croquet Rules
Game start and ball sequence:
- Starting position: A game starts 3 feet in front of wicket 1 (the blue topped wicket)
- Ball order: Balls are played in order: BLUE, RED, BLACK, YELLOW
- Order reference: This is the same order as the colors on the center stake
- Team sides: Blue and Black balls versus Red and Yellow balls
- Singles play: Each player plays two balls
- Doubles play: Each player plays the same ball throughout the game
Objective and scoring system:
- Main objective: Score more wickets than your opponent
- Wicket scoring: A ball scores a wicket by passing through it in the correct direction and sequence
- Bonus shot: After scoring a wicket, the ball gets an extra shot
- Deadness clearing: Scoring a wicket clears any deadness the ball has accumulated
- Strategic element: Often called an outdoor combination of pool and chess due to its tactical nature
Clip system and wicket tracking:
- Color coding: Each ball has a correspondingly colored clip
- Purpose: Clips show which wicket the ball needs to score next
- First round (wickets #1-6): Clip is placed on top of the wicket
- Second round (remaining wickets): Clip is placed on the side of the wicket
- Game start: All four clips begin on top of wicket #1
- Visual tracking: Clips help players and spectators track each ball's progress through the course
Roquet rules and bonus shots:
- Roquet definition: When the striker's ball hits another ball, it has made a "roquet"
- Bonus earned: The striker earns two extra shots
- First shot - Croquet: Pick up striker ball, place it in contact with roqueted ball, then strike striker ball to make both balls move
- Second shot - Continuation: Take a normal shot after the croquet shot
- Deadness consequence: The striker's ball becomes "dead" on the roqueted ball
- Deadness duration: Remains dead until it scores its next wicket
Deadness system and tracking:
- Deadness board: Used to keep track of which balls are dead on which other balls
- Layout: Left column shows game balls, right columns show what each ball is dead on
- Dead ball restriction: A ball that is dead on another ball cannot hit that ball for a roquet
- Example scenario: If Blue is dead on Red, Blue cannot hit Red until cleared
- Clearing deadness: A ball clears all its deadness when it scores its next wicket
- Strategic impact: Deadness adds tactical complexity by limiting shot options
Boundary rules and ball placement:
- Out of bounds: A ball goes out when its center crosses a boundary line
- Ball replacement: Out of bounds balls are placed 9 inches in from where they crossed
- Turn consequence: In most cases, when a ball goes out of bounds, the turn ends
- End of turn rule: Any ball less than 9 inches from boundary is moved in to 9 inches
- Measurement: All measurements are from the center of the ball to the boundary
Rover balls and game completion:
- Rover status: A ball that has scored all twelve wickets becomes a "rover ball"
- Scoring the stake: A striker hits their rover ball into the center stake to score the stake point
- Ball removal: Once a ball scores the stake, it is removed from the game
- Rover privileges: Rover balls can help other balls by hitting them or moving them tactically
- Assisting others: A rover ball can hit another rover ball into the stake, staking it out
Game ending and scoring:
- Winning condition: Game ends when a player stakes out both of their balls
- Time limit: If time runs out, each ball is played one more time and score is counted
- Tie resolution: If tied, another rotation is played until the tie is broken
- Maximum score: 26 points total (12 wickets for each ball + 2 stake out points)
- Score breakdown: Each of the 12 wickets counts as 1 point, plus 1 point for each staked ball
Additional important rules:
- Opponent's wicket 7: When your opponent scores wicket 7, you can clear deadness on either of your balls
- Rover assistance: A rover ball can hit another rover ball into the stake, staking it out
- "Not in game" balls: Balls that haven't gone through wicket 1 are considered "not in the game"
- No bonus for not-in-game: Not-in-game balls don't earn extra shots when they hit another ball
- Interaction restriction: A ball in the game cannot hit a ball not in the game
- Learning advice: These advanced rules are best learned during actual game play with an experienced player
