Note (September 2026): An earlier version said the winner of carrom is the player who pockets the queen first. Under the International Carrom Federation’s laws, a board is won by pocketing all of your own carrom men after the queen has been covered; this has been corrected.
Carrom business is an informal house variant of carrom in which players spend the points they score to buy parts of the board, such as pockets, base circles, the centre and the arrows, much like buying property in Monopoly. It uses a normal carrom board and pieces, but its rules and point values are set by each group, not by the International Carrom Federation.
Key Takeaways
- Carrom business is a house variant; no official body publishes its rules, so agree on the point chart before the first strike.
- The purchase values in this article (pocket 150, centre 200, base 100, arrow 50) are one common house set, not a standard.
- Official carrom uses 9 white men, 9 black men and 1 red queen on a playing surface of 73.5 to 74 cm per side.
- Under International Carrom Federation laws, a game is played to 25 points or eight boards, and the queen is worth 3 points only up to and including 21 points.
- You must cover the queen, by pocketing one of your own men right after it, before the queen counts.
Are you bored of the traditional carrom board game? Do you want to explore unique ways to keep the game entertaining and more engaging?
Maybe online carrom and experimentation will help. Carrom is one of the most popular and exciting table top games, played in India for generations. Carrom is played by two players (singles) or four players in two teams (doubles). The player or team that first pockets all nine of its own carrom men wins the board, but only after the red queen has been pocketed and covered.
Players who know the standard game well often add house variants to change the strategy. Carrom business is one of them.
Carrom business is a different kind of twist on the basic carrom game in which, to proceed to different parts of the board, you need to use your carrom board business game points to buy that particular part of the board first. The buy-and-own idea is borrowed from Monopoly. Carrom business is an informal house variant: it is not part of the International Carrom Federation’s laws, so the rules and point values below vary from group to group.
To understand the game rules better and know proper rules and ways to use the carrom board business game points, let us jump into the nitty-gritty of this version of the carrom board game.
Carrom Business Rules to Follow
- The first important rule of carrom business is similar to that of a traditional carrom board game wherein the number of players who can play carrom are also a maximum of 4. Some groups also let two people share each seat as a team, which allows up to eight people at one board; that is a house rule, because official carrom is played only as singles or doubles.
- As already mentioned above, the main idea or the key difference between a traditional carrom game and carrom business is only the control of movement. In traditional carrom, each side pockets its own carrom men and must pocket and cover the queen before the board can be won. However, in carrom business, you need to purchase the parts of the board you wish to move your coins at. This means you need to use your carrom board business game points that you collect in the game and strategize coin movements accordingly.
- The key difference between the two mentioned versions of a carrom board game is the way it is played. For a traditional game, you need to pocket the coins to get points, however, in order to collect carrom board business game points, all you need to do is hit your coin only on the parts of the board purchased by you. In case your coin lands on the other side, your opponent gets to keep it instead and make points off it.
- Lastly, both versions are decided on points. In official carrom, a game goes to 25 points or eight boards, whichever comes first; in carrom business, the group decides the target before play starts. The player with the highest number of points not only is the first one allowed to purchase the parts of the board that seems favourable to his game. But also, he/ she has better chances of winning the game in the end.
Point Chart of Purchase Options
As far as the purchase options on the board for collecting carrom board business game points, you can choose the following.
Pocket Value
When you buy any of the four pockets available on the board, you open your chances of increasing the carrom board business game points for yourself as each time a coin lands in the pocket, it is counted as your point. Moreover, the points for each of the pockets available on the board is 150 per pocket.
Base Value
When you buy a base on the board, the red dots of each of the corners of the board are in your control as they have been purchased by you, meaning any time a coin lands on these red dots, you pocket it. Additionally, as per the points chart, each base on the board is worth 100 points.
Middle Or Centre Value
This is one of the most popular parts of the board that players of carrom business choose to buy in order to increase the chances of collecting more carrom board business game points.
This is because fouls bring pieces back into play. Under the International Carrom Federation’s laws, a player who pockets the striker with a proper stroke loses one of his or her pocketed carrom men as a penalty (called a “Due”), and the opponent places it back on the board; in carrom business, a piece placed in the centre can then score for whoever owns the centre. As far as the carrom board business game points for purchasing the centre or middle part of the board, it is worth 200 points.
Arrow Value
Last possible purchasing option on the carrom board is the arrow which is only the diagonal arrows available on the board and not the dots around it.
If your coin lands on any of the arrows purchased by you, the coin adds to your carrom board business game points. However, if it lands on the arrow or purchased part of the opponent’s side, you need to miss a turn. The game points for each arrow on the carrom board is 50 points.
To conclude, there is so much to experiment with as far as games are concerned. This is because now you can also play different versions of a carrom board game on online platforms. Online carrom apps also let people play opponents who are not in the same room, although most use standard or simplified rules rather than carrom business.
You can play with players from all different parts of the world as well as family members and friends, from the comfort of your home, making it a win-win situation overall.
Carrom business shows how much variety a single traditional carrom board can offer. So, do not wait to test out this unique way of playing carrom and begin today!
What Is Carrom Business?
Carrom business is a points-and-purchase version of carrom. Players score points by pocketing or landing pieces, then spend those points to buy zones of the board: the four pockets, the base circles, the centre and the diagonal arrows. Once a zone is owned, pieces that end up in or on it score for the owner, and landing on an opponent’s zone can cost a turn.
Because carrom business is a house game, there is no official rulebook, tournament or governing body for it. The version described above is one common set of rules. Write your group’s version down before the first strike so that every purchase and penalty is clear.
Carrom Business Point Chart
The table below collects the purchase values used in this article. Groups often change them; treat them as a starting point.
| Board zone | Cost to buy (points) | What the owner gets |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket (each of 4) | 150 | Pieces that drop into that pocket score for the owner |
| Centre | 200 | Penalty pieces placed back in the centre can score for the owner |
| Base (red dots) | 100 | Pieces that stop on the owned base circles score for the owner |
| Arrow (each) | 50 | Pieces that stop on the owned arrow score; an opponent’s piece there costs the opponent a turn |
How Is Carrom Business Different From Official Carrom?
Official carrom, as played in tournaments, follows the laws of the International Carrom Federation (ICF), which was formed in 1988 in Chennai, India. Carrom business keeps the board, pieces and striking technique but changes how points are earned.
| Feature | Official carrom (ICF laws) | Carrom business (house rules) |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Singles (2) or doubles (4) | 2 to 4, sometimes teams of two per side |
| Goal of a board | Pocket all your own carrom men after the queen is covered | Earn points and buy board zones |
| Scoring | 1 point per opponent man left, plus 3 for the queen if covered by the winner | Points from owned pockets, base, centre and arrows |
| Game length | 25 points or eight boards | Agreed by the group |
| Queen | Worth 3 points only up to and including 21 points | Value set by the group |
Carrom Board and Equipment Basics
Carrom business needs only a standard carrom set. According to the standard specifications summarized by Wikipedia:
- Board: a square playing surface of 73.5 to 74 cm (28.9 to 29.1 in) per side, with a net pocket in each corner.
- Carrom men: 19 pieces in total, 9 white, 9 black and 1 red queen.
- Striker: a larger disc of about 4.1 cm diameter and 15 grams.
- Powder: fine powder, most commonly boric acid powder, helps the pieces slide.
If some pieces are missing, see our guide on what to do about lost carrom coins.
Official Carrom Rules Every Carrom Business Player Should Know
Most carrom business groups keep the official striking rules, because they keep play fair. The key ones under the ICF laws are:
- Toss and break: the toss winner chooses a side or the first strike. The player who breaks plays the white carrom men; the opponent plays black. A quick online coin flip works for the toss.
- Striker position: the striker must touch both base lines, or fully cover a base circle, and must not touch the arrow.
- No thumbing: strokes are made with a finger; striking with the thumb is not allowed in official play.
- Pocketing the striker: with a proper stroke, one pocketed man is returned as a “Due”; with an improper stroke, two are returned (“Due and foul”).
- Pieces off the board: a carrom man or queen that jumps off the playing surface is placed in the centre circle.
- Covering the queen: after pocketing the queen, a player must pocket one of his or her own men on the next stroke, or the queen goes back to the centre.
- Time: each stroke must be made within 15 seconds.
Other Carrom Variants
Carrom business is not the only alternative format. Wikipedia describes several others:
- Point carrom: players may pocket pieces of any colour, and the first to 25 points wins.
- Family-point: black men are worth 10 points, white men 20 and the queen 50.
- Total-point: pieces carry different values, and the lowest-scoring player’s pieces go to the centre for the next round.
For more games that mix strategy and scoring, browse our board games guide, our list of board games with money and our picks of board games that start with C.
Tips for a Fair Game of Carrom Business
- Write the point chart and the starting points for each player on paper before play begins.
- Decide whether bought zones can be resold or traded, and whether the queen is worth extra.
- Agree on a finishing condition, such as a set number of boards or a target score.
- Keep the official striking rules (base lines, no thumbing, striker fouls) so disputes stay rare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is carrom business an official carrom format?
No. Carrom business is a house variant. The International Carrom Federation’s laws cover standard carrom only, so each group sets its own carrom business rules and point values.
How many players can play carrom business?
Carrom business is usually played by two to four players, like standard carrom. Some groups let two people share each seat as a team, which allows up to eight people at one board.
How do you win a board in official carrom?
In official carrom, the player or team that first pockets all of its own carrom men wins the board, provided the queen has been pocketed and covered. The winner scores 1 point for each opponent man left and 3 points for the queen if the winner covered it.
How many points is a carrom game?
Under the International Carrom Federation’s laws, a game is 25 points or eight boards. The player who reaches 25 points first, or leads after the eighth board, wins, and matches are the best of three games.
What happens if you pocket the striker in carrom?
Pocketing the striker is a foul. With a proper stroke, one of the player’s pocketed carrom men is returned to the board as a “Due”; with an improper stroke, two are returned.
