How to play Mancala (2024 rules)

Learn the rules to the board game Mancala quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules.

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RULES:
The object of the game is to have the most stones in your mancala at the end. Lay out the board widthwise between 2 players. The smaller holes in the board are called pockets and the 2 larger ones are called mancalas.

Each player controls the 6 pockets on their side of the board and the mancala to their right. Place 4 stones into each pocket, color doesn’t matter. Pick a player to go first then turns alternate.

On your turn, pick any one of your 6 pockets and take all the stones out and deposit them, one at a time, into neighboring pockets in a counterclockwise direction around the board until you run out. If you pass your own mancala, then place 1 stone in it. If you pass your opponent’s mancala, then skip it. If your last stone is deposited into your own mancala, then you get to take another turn.

If your last stone is placed into one of your empty pockets, then you get to immediately place that stone, alone with every stone across from that pocket in your opponent’s pocket, into your mancala. You do not do this for placing your last stone in one of your opponent’s empty pockets.

The game ends at the end of a player’s turn when all 6 pockets for either player are empty. Then the player with the most stones in their mancala wins!

[jacksonramsay]

1000 year old game still getting updated today. thats impressive.

[ODISeth]

You forgot the rule that once you’ve removed all the stones from your side and trigger the end-state of the game, your opponent also gets to collapse all the stones on their side of the board into their mancala. It’s risky ending the game too early as depending on how many stones are on your opponent’s side, you could be giving them a lot of points. It’s often a good strategy to force your opponent to move and bring some of those stones to your side of the board before ending the game

[wbl_unlimited]

I thought you already did this video.

Must be the Mancala Effect.

[solei]

I loved mandala when I was a kid. I had a little animal one and would play with my aunt. Except we played in rounds. We would distribute what we have in our pockets best we could 4 per pocket. Any pockets unable to be filled would be death holes, or free for all holes. If you forget that the hole is not in play and you drop a piece in there, if not fast enough, your opponent can swipe it. That’s how we played.

[LoveKirbythecutepinkball]

Request: How to play checkers 2024 rules edition

[EMShelley]

Thank you for the video. I think this is my favorite version of the game so far.
The other versions I've played tend to get tedious midway through.

[CaptainWizard]

Things that are different from how I play:
-at game’s end (when one player’s side is empty), each players counts the stones in their mancala AS WELL AS their pockets.
-when landing on an empty pocket on your side, you take the opponent’s stones from that sides pocket but DO NOT remove your own stone that landed in the empty.

I may have to try these alterations as it will make the game (especially the end) very different. (Since any empty pocket that is landed in on your side will result in that stone being removed and thus leaving an empty pocket. Hmmm 🤔)

[StarkMaximum]

I love this game just because the stones are so pretty and fun to move around the board.

[SonicXRage]

You should do more videos on the other mancala variants, as there are a lot of really cool ones. To name a few of the better-known ones: There's oware, which also has different rulesets, but the one used for serious adult play is called abapa. There's Bao la kiswahili, which uses a bigger board and plays very differently from the mancala westerners are used to. And one of the most fascinating ones, in my opinion, is omweso, which also uses a bigger board but is often played extremely fast. All of these games really deserve more attention, and I think that many people will find them much more fun than the westernized mancala that most people are used to.
But PLEASE do your due diligence and don't forget to mention all the rules, as Triple S often fails to do. These games deserve to be played how they were intended.

[savannahlocasale]

So whenever you land on an empty pocket on your side and you take the stones from the opposite side, is your turn over?

[abetheiii]

This is what we called Sungka in Philippines 🇵🇭

[EliottAdkins]

It has been a long time since I played, but I thought when I played emptied their side. The other sides pockets got moved to one of the montalas or the other. I don't remember which. has that changed in new versions of the rules?

[chelseab]

Interesting! Thank you for explaining!

[CETVPhilippines]

Literally called Sungka in the Philippines.

[LeotheTiger]

One of my favorites. Easy to learn, but difficult to master, just like some other games.

[BobRoigr]

Sounds like you changed up the rules a little bit.

[pristein]

Actually the stones inside the holes depends on how many holes in each side...
As in this video there are 6 holes + 1 mancala...
Therefore each holes must consist with 7 stones...
Usually first start will take the first hole on the left and ends in the mancala...so the player can start once again...until the stone drop in an empty hole...every time you passed by your mancala on the right hand side...you must put in one stone inside your mancala...
If the last stone drop in an empty hole on the opponent side...your game stop there...the opponent will continue the game...
But if the last stone drop in an empty hole on your side and the opposite of that hole have a stone you can take all the stones and put it inside your mancala...its called 'bomb'..

[coruscaregames]

Oh there's differences between this and Sungka. The simultaneous start, the continuation of piece movement, etc

[hkayakh]

I love mancala! Never knew it was pronounced like that

[NotSeventy]

Other version of that,
Nine guards(translated from kyrgyz)