Bote Luzea: It only requires one ball and a rectangular playing area, with no need for walls. A stone called a botarri is placed at one end and the sakatzaile (server) of each team makes the service from there. Matches are played between teams of 5 players: a server and 4 returners. There is a variant called "mahai jokoa", in which the service is made from a table located in the centre of the playing area.
Guante-Laxoa: Similar to the above, but played with a glove in bigger playing surfaces with 4 players in each team and one wall located on the side opposite to the server.
Errebotea: A rectangular court with a frontis (façade), against which the service is made. The court is divided into two unequal parts: one, the closest to the wall, for the returning team, and the other for the attacking team. The game is played with gloves and baskets that are similar to the joko garbi variant.
Pasaka: Played in a trinquet court or arkupe, using leather gloves. There are two teams in a court divided by a one-metre-high net. It is similar to tennis; the idea is to send the ball over the net and stop the opponent from returning it.
*Trinquet: a closed court with a double side wall and without a parallel strip to the right of the court.
*Arkupe: closed space in a public building which is used to play pelota.
In all the direct versions, the pelotaris send the ball into the opposing team's area.
The scoring system follows the old system, kintzeka: 15, 30, 40, all (jokoa). If the team that reaches 40 points is equalled by the opponent, "a dos" (deuce) is called, the match continues until one of the teams has scored two consecutive points to end the match. Matches are played to 9 points; 13 for errebotea and pasaka.
At the start of the match, the choice of court is made by the referee tossing a coin or a piece of metal into the air. The colour shown by the piece of metal indicates the team that can choose its court: red means heads and blue, tails.
