The game started in rural Malaysian villages, known as kampungs, as children invented pastimes using everyday objects in the absence of mass-produced toys.
As bottled drinks became common during the mid-20th century, discarded bottle caps (tutup botol) became widely available. The name ceper likely comes from a Malay word meaning "flat," describing the caps.
The game grew very popular during the post-war recovery years (1940s–1960s) when formal entertainment was scarce, offering a free and accessible activity for rural youth.
Collect 5 flat metal bottle caps (often called ceper). Slightly flatten or smooth the edges so they are easy to handle.
To decide who goes first, players stack the 5 caps vertically in their palm, toss them up, and catch as many as possible on the back of their hand. Each cap caught counts for points (usually 2 points each), and the player with the highest score starts.
The starting player places the stack of 5 caps on their palm and tosses them onto the floor or ground so they scatter randomly without overlapping.
The player picks up one cap to act as their active piece, leaving the other 4 scattered on the ground.
The opponent looks at the scattered caps and chooses a specific pair for you to hit.
Using your finger, flick your active cap so it slides across the floor and hits the target cap chosen by your opponent.
If you successfully hit the target without accidentally bumping other caps or breaking the rules, you move on to the weighing phase.
Pick up all the caps and perform a "weighing" move—tossing them lightly into the air and catching them on the back of your hand, then flipping them back into your palm.
Every cap successfully caught awards you points (typically 2 points per cap, up to 10 points for a full set).
Keep careful track of your score! If you misstate your total score, you lose all your points for that round.
Players take turns scattering, flicking, and scoring. If you miss your target flick or drop caps during the weighing phase, your turn ends and passes to the next player. The player with the highest total score wins.