Carpetball is a simple recreational game played with pool balls and a carpetball table. Similar to billiards, it is played by sliding the balls across the table and knocking your opponent’s balls off at the other end of the table. Popular among families and youth groups, carpetball can be played by any age group. It is a game with few official guidelines, and can be played with many different rules. Carpetball began in the 1970s, probably at churches, YMCAs, and youth camps in the Midwest United States, and has become a popular game played for fun.

A carpetball table is a carved-out table often 12 feet (3.7 m) long, 2.5 feet (.76 m) wide, and 3 feet (.9 m) tall, though it has no official size. The table features short edges surrounding the table, just taller than the pool balls, to keep the ball in play. The rest of the surface of the table is carpeted, with pits at each end of the table large enough to catch the ball. A carpetball table can be homemade, or can be converted from a pool table.

The carpetball game is started with five pool balls set up on each side of the table. The game can be played one-on-one or two-on-two, with each team standing on separate sides. Each team takes turns sliding a ball down the table in attempt to knock the other team’s balls off the table into the pit. Balls knocked off of the table are placed back in play, and balls that bounce off of the wall or out of the pit are also still in play.

Once all of one team’s balls are knocked into the pit, the other team gets one “mercy shot” to try to tie the game. It the game is not tied, the other team wins. If the game is tied, an overtime or tiebreaker is played with one ball per side until the game is decided without a tie. After the game, the next player in line faces the winner, or in the spirit of fairness, the next players in line on both sides face each other, with both the winner and the loser regaining their position at the back of the line.

Strategy comes into a carpetball game with the setup of your own balls, which must all be within arms length. Another decision for the carpetball player to make is which ball of your opponent’s to target first.

Carpetball games, which last only a few minutes, are good for family parties. They can teach hand-eye coordination and motor skills to young players, or provide a fun way to compete for older or disabled competitors. Because of the nature of the game, size, strength, and athleticism do not determine carpetball skill. Most players of carpetball instead emphasize fun and friendly, good-natured competition.