The game of croquet may be played by any number of players up to eight. If eight enter the game, each player must be provided with a mallet, and each will play one ball. If a less number of persons play, eight balls may still be used, one or more of the players playing two balls. In all cases there should be two sides, or parties, each of course having the same number of balls; and the balls, whether played by the same or different persons, having their turns always in the same prescribed order. An eight-ball or even a six-ball game is apt to be tedious, and skilful players invariably give the preference to the four-ball game, which may therefore be considered croquet par eminence. With more than four balls the element of chance enters too largely, and the combinations become too intricate, to be foreseen with any degree of certainty. The true lover of croquet will no more be tempted into an eight-ball game than a scientific chess-player will indulge in that abnormal monstrosity "four-handed chess." Played with two balls only, the game degenerates into a mere race. The four-ball game with two players is preferred by many, though lacking the sociality which is one of the charms of croquet. As the rules are the same in all cases, I shall hereafter, for convenience of illustration, take it for granted that there are four balls and four players. If the sides are not otherwise made up, two of the players are selected as chiefs. They strike for the first choice, (see definition); the one who wins it chooses a friend, then the other, and so on till the sides are made up. The winning chief plays first if he chooses, or, if not, the other chief leads, and the winning chief plays second; then one of the friends of the first player, and so on, the members of the two sides playing alternately. The first player uses the ball the color of which is highest on the stake, and the next takes the color immediately below. It is usual to have the rings on the stake alternately some light and dark color, so that the light colors form one side and the dark the other. After leading, the function of the chief ceases, except in match games, when he is allowed to direct the play of his side. At the commencement of the game the first player places his ball upon the spot, and strikes it with his mallet in the direction of the first bridge. If it run the bridge—that is, pass completely through it, he has the right to another blow; if not it is called a booby, and he must wait till the others have played and his turn comes round again. Suppose, however, that he has run the first bridge, and on his second blow runs the second bridge, he thus takes another step on the "grand round," or makes another point, which entitles him to still another blow. As it is generally impossible to run the third bridge on the third blow, he now tries to get "position" for his ball in front of the third bridge; but as he does not make a point on this last blow, he is not entitled to continuance of tour. He therefore stops, and the first player of the other side begins by placing his ball upon the spot and attempting to run the first bridge. If he runs it he has a little more latitude in his play, for he may now make a point in two ways—either by hitting the other ball, provided it is not a booby, or running his next bridge. Suppose he chooses to play for the second bridge, and, having run it, plays at the other ball already in position for the third bridge. If he succeeds in hitting it, he is said to have roqueted it, and having thus made a point, may play again and attempt the third bridge. But he has still another privilege; he may take his ball up, place it by the side of the other ball, and croquet it; after which he proceeds to play his ball from the position in which he placed it, having retained it there by his foot during the croquet. He will probably be in position for the third bridge. If he runs it his tour still continues, and he may play for the next bridge, or roquet the other ball again, which he may previously have croqueted, into the proper position. His tour continues till he fails to make a point, when the next player on the other side begins. After running the first bridge, he acquires, of course, the right of roqueting the other two balls. If he roquets an enemy's ball, he croquets it, if he wishes, into a disadvantageous position. If he roquets a friend, he croquets his ball into better position, or perhaps through its proper bridge. This will constitute a step on the grand round for the friend's ball, and will advance it as much as if it were driven through the bridge by the mallet of its proper player. After roqueting a ball, however, a player cannot roquet the same ball again until his own ball has made a step on the grand round. He may drive his own ball against it, and perhaps displace it by the concussion; but the hit does not constitute a roquet, does not entitle to croquet, or to continuance of tour. After making a step on the grand round, however, all his privileges are revived. After all the players have had their tours in the order of the colors on the stake, the first player takes his second tour, and so on. At the beginning of each new tour the grand round is taken up again, and the ball may make a point by making the "proper step on the round"—that is, the one next in order to that last made—whether made by a stroke of the mallet, by "concussion," or by croquet. Or it may make a point by roqueting any of the other balls. In the last case it may play again, either from the spot to which it has rolled or from the side of the roqueted ball; or it may croquet it and then play, attempting the proper step on the round, or roqueting another ball. If it has roqueted all the balls, it can make a point only by running its bridge, or tolling the stake, whichever may be the proper step; after which, as said before, all its privileges are renewed.

Thus the game continues until one of the balls completes the grand round, as explained in the diagrams. The last step is running the first bridge in the reverse direction. The player making this takes up his ball, unless he has been so unfortunate as to strike out on the same blow; and places it on the spot whence he continues his tour as a rover, namely, that of croqueting without the foot, or roquet-croqueting after making a roquet. By this means he not only drives off the roqueted ball but follows it with his own, or forces them in divergent directions. If he is skillful, he may leave his own ball near one of the other balls, which he may then proceed to roquet, and succeeding in this, to croquet, or to roquet-croquet, whichever may be most advantageous. As he has no bridges to run he can never re-roquet, and hence after he has roqueted and croqueted all the other balls his tour terminates at the next blow.

As soon as a rover touches the starting stake it becomes a dead ball and must be removed from the field. It makes no difference whether it strike out by its own act, or is struck out by its partner, or by one of the enemy. The latter catastrophe will be of frequent occurrence unless perpetually guarded against, for the partner or partners are thereby left to fight against superior numbers. When all the balls of a side succeed in striking the stake the game is over, and the side has won the victory.

With this brief outline of the game, the reader is referred for details to the chapter on the rules.