How to Play Rings (Target Rings)

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Rings, often called Target Rings, is a traditional throwing game played in pubs, village halls, and back gardens across Britain. Players stand at a set distance and toss rubber or twisted rope rings at a wooden board mounted on the wall, aiming to hook them onto numbered pegs for points. It is simple to pick up, genuinely satisfying to master, and quick enough for a round between drinks.

Its appeal lies in the balance between luck and technique. A good throw feels rewarding; a near-miss keeps everyone invested. The game scales effortlessly from a relaxed two-player knockabout to a competitive four-player contest, and because no running or strength is required, it suits a wide spread of ages and abilities.

A little history

The origins of Rings as a distinct pub game are unclear, though throwing-ring games have been documented in British inns and taverns for several centuries, likely derived from earlier quoits traditions. Target boards with numbered hooks became a fixture of English pub culture during the nineteenth century, and the game remains particularly associated with pubs in East Anglia, the South East, and the Home Counties, where locally maintained boards and house rules have been passed down through generations.

Setting up

1. Fix the target board securely to a flat wall at the height specified for your board, typically so the centre hook sits at approximately 150-160 cm from the floor.
2. Mark a throwing line (the oche) on the floor at the distance specified for your board, commonly 240-270 cm from the face of the board.
3. Divide the rings equally between players. With two players each takes half the set; with three or four players, adjust so each has an equal number of rings per round.
4. Decide on the target score for the game. Common totals are 51, 101, or a locally agreed figure.
5. Determine throwing order. Toss a single ring each; the player landing nearest the highest value hook throws first.

How to play

1. Players take turns throwing all of their rings at the board, one ring at a time, from behind the oche.
2. A ring must land and remain hooked on a peg or within a marked scoring zone to count. Rings that bounce off, fall away, or land outside scoring areas score zero.
3. Once all players have thrown their full set of rings in a round, each player counts and records their score for that round.
4. The scores from each round are added to the player's running total.
5. Play continues round by round until one player reaches or exceeds the agreed target score.
6. No ring may be touched or repositioned by any player once it has left the thrower's hand and come to rest on the board.
7. The thrower must keep both feet behind the oche until all rings in their turn have been thrown.
8. If a ring is thrown out of turn it does not score and is forfeited for that round.

Winning and scoring

The first player whose cumulative score reaches or exceeds the agreed target total (commonly 51 or 101 points) at the end of a complete round wins the game. If two or more players reach the target in the same round, the player with the higher total wins. If totals are equal, those players play a sudden-death extra round, each throwing one ring, and the closest to the top-scoring hook wins. In some house-rule formats a player must land exactly on the target to win, and any score that would take them over resets their total for that round to what it was at the start of it.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns whether a ring that initially hooks but is then dislodged by a subsequent ring from the same player counts. The standard ruling is that only rings still in place when the thrower has finished their full set of throws are scored; mid-turn dislodgements do not count. Similarly, if an earlier player's ring is knocked off by a later player's throw, the earlier score stands as recorded at the end of that player's turn and is not retrospectively reduced.

Rings that land draped across two hooks without hooking either cleanly are judged by whichever hook bears the greater part of the ring. Where this is genuinely indeterminate, score zero rather than invent a value. Boards vary in their hook numbering, so always agree which hooks carry which values before play starts, particularly on unfamiliar or older boards where paint may have faded.

How to win more often

• Aim consistently for the highest-value hook on every throw rather than spreading risk. Accumulating big scores quickly puts pressure on opponents.
• Develop a repeatable throwing grip and release point. Consistency matters far more than power; rings thrown softly and squarely hook more reliably than hard throws.
• Watch how your rings behave on landing. If they are spinning off, reduce the rotation in your wrist on release and let the ring travel flat.
• In head-to-head play, note your opponent's running total. When they are close to the target, concentrate on your own scoring rather than being distracted by their throws.
• On boards that use an exact-score-to-win rule, calculate before your turn whether you can hit the target cleanly. If not, aim for a score that leaves a hookable remainder next round rather than risking a bust.

Variations

Team Rings

Players pair up into two teams of two. Partners stand on opposite sides of the oche and combine their scores each round. This version works well with four players and encourages a cooperative element, with partners often strategising about which hooks each should target to maximise the combined round total.

Exact Score (Bust) Format

In this common pub variant a player must land on the target total precisely to win. Any score in a round that would take a player's total above the agreed figure is disallowed for that round and their total reverts to what it was before that round began. This adds considerable tension in the closing stages and is the preferred format in many competitive house-rule settings.

Round the Board

Rather than accumulating a points total, players must hook a ring on each numbered peg in ascending order before moving to the next. Only a successful hook on the required number advances the player. The first player to hook every peg in sequence wins. This variant rewards precision over power and is a useful practice format for improving accuracy.

Countdown Rings

Players start at the agreed target score and subtract each round's total rather than adding to it. The aim is to reduce the running total to exactly zero. As in the bust format, a round whose score would take a player below zero does not count and the total holds. This format is familiar to darts players and translates naturally to Rings.

Rings (Target Rings): frequently asked questions