Ladders
Unverified legend says this game originated with cowboys who played with live snakes thrown across fences. Our version does not involve live snakes.
Equipment
- 2 ladders, each with 3 rungs
- 6 bolas (3 green, 3 white)
Setup
- Ladders placed 5 paces (approximately 15 feet) apart
- Two teams of 1 or 2 players each
- 1-on-1 players stand at opposite ladders
- 2-on-2 teams have one player on each side
- Teams throw all 6 bolas and switch sides between rounds
Objective
- Toss bolas onto rungs to score points
- First to reach exactly 21 points wins
House Rules
Start
- Coin toss winner goes first
Play
- Teams take turns tossing all 3 bolas, then the other team goes
- Throwing team can’t step past their own ladder
- When all 6 bolas are thrown, that is the end of the “round”
- Balls that bounce and land on a rung do count
- After the round ends, count points
Scoring
- Only bolas still on rungs at end of the round are counted; bolas that were knocked off don’t count
- First to 21 wins
- If a team exceeds 21, they score 0 points on that turn.
Points
- 3pt – Top rung
- 2pt – Middle rung
- 1pt – Bottom rung
Bonus Points
- 3pt – One bola on each rung bonus
- 2pt – Three bolas on one run bonus