What is Poison Croquet?

In some areas of the Western United States a simple form of croquet is being played, one different than the traditional competitive forms of croquet. This type of croquet is often called Poison, and is a favorite of amateur or casual croquet players. Poison croquet is played with the standard nine wicket croquet set. It can be played by 2,3,4,5, or 6 players. It has similar rules to American backyard croquet; however, it differs from other styles of croquet, in that no points are scored. The players all start at the same end of the nine-wicket croquet playing field, instead of having an equal number of players beginning at opposing sides. The order of the game follows the order of the colors on the croquet mallet with the corresponding ball color of each player. Rather than competing for points, or which