Play Beer Pong

Few party games are so well-known and well-liked as beer pong. While technically a drinking game, beer pong requires a great deal of skill and a little luck, and it can be enjoyed by just about anybody of legal age. This article will go over the basic rules of beer pong and variations on the rules you can include in the game if desired.

Steps

Setting Up the Beer Pong Tables

1. Play one-on-one or with teams of two. Teams of two will take turns throwing the ball each time they get a turn.
2. Fill 20 16-oz plastic cups halfway with beer. If you want to avoid drinking too much, consider filling each ¼ up the way with beer. You can vary the amount of beer per cup so each side has an equal amount of beer in each cup.
3. Fill a bucket with clean water to rinse balls before throwing. While sanitation isn't exactly the cornerstone of beer pong, nobody wants to drink a tainted cup of beer. Have some clean water handy so players can clean their balls before throwing, and keep paper towels on handy to soak up spills.
4. Arrange the plastic cups into a 10-cup triangle at each end of the table. The point of each triangle should face the opposing team. There will be one cup in the first row, two in the second row, three in the third row, and the base of the triangle will have four cups. Do not tilt the cups.
   • You can also play with 6 cups.
   • The more cups, the longer the game will likely last.
5. Determine who goes first. Many games are started by a member of each team playing rock, paper, scissors. Winners go first. Another variation to choose who goes first is playing “eye-to-eye.” To do this, teams try to make a cup while maintaining eye contact with the opponent, and the first one to do so goes first. You can also flip a coin.

Playing Beer Pong

1. Take turns throwing the balls into cups. Each team gets to throw one ball per turn. The goal is throw the ball into a cup of the opposing team. You can throw the ball directly into a cup or bounce a ball off of the table into a cup.
   • Try to arc the ball when you throw. It is more likely to land in a cup.
   • Aim for a cluster of cups as opposed to the edges of the triangle.
   • Try underhand or overhand throwing and see which works best for you.
2. Drink according to where the ball lands. When the ball lands in a cup, alternate drinking the beer between you and your partner—if you drink the first cup, let your partner drink the second. Set the cup aside once you drink it.
3. Restack the cups into a diamond when 4 cups remain. Once 6 cups of beer have been drunk, restack the remaining 4 into a diamond. This will make shooting easier for everyone.
4. Arrange the last 2 cups into a single file line. Once 8 cups have been drunk, arrange the last 2 into a line.
5. Keep playing until one team has no cups remaining. The team who has no cups loses, and the other team has won.

Playing by Different Rules

1. Throw two balls per round. There are many variations to the rules of beer pong. In this variation, the same team continues throwing 2 balls per round until there is a miss. After the turn is completed, the opposite team throws at the first team's cups, and the process repeats.
2. Call out which cup you are going to hit before you throw. This is one of the most common variations on beer pong. If you hit the cup you called, your opponent drinks that cup. If you miss your target and it goes in the wrong cup, it counts as a miss, and that cup remains on the table.
3. Give the losing team one last turn after a team has won. The opposing team gets a last turn; this is called a “rebuttal.” They keep shooting until they miss, at which time the game is over. If they make the ball into all of the opposing teams’ cups in their last turn, then a 3 cup overtime is played. Now, the teams compete in sudden death to figure out the final winner.
4. Make a bounce shot count for 2 cups. In this variation, a bounce shot counts as 2 cups, and the player that made the shot can pick the other cup that he/she wants to be removed.

Tips

• Many people have variations of the game they play. Ask your team what rules are in effect
• Your hand should not just release the ball into the air, but follow it through all the way into the cup that you're aiming at.
• For all-ages fun or to avoid drinking too much alcohol, replace the beer with a non-alcoholic beverage. Apple cider is a good alternative, as its taste is somewhat similar to wine.
• Always aim for a specific cup.

Warnings

• Do not drink if you plan to drive.
• To reduce the risk of germ infection and "pong flu" from contaminated beer, use water instead of beer in the game cups, and drink clean beer stored separately when you lose points.
• Always drink responsibly.

Things You'll Need

• 16 ounce plastic cups
• Beer (at least one 12 pack)
• Standard ping pong balls
• Long Table

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• Throw a Keg Party
• Fix a Dented Ping Pong Ball
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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make a Beer Pong Table
• Win at Beer Pong
• Play the Drinking Game King's Cup
• Play Drinking Golf
• Play the Drinking Game "Land Mines"
• Play Beer Pong Variations
• Do a Keg Stand
• Play the "Who Am I" Drinking Game
• Make a Beer Bottle Bong

What links here

• Shotgun a Beer
• Brew Antioxidant Rich Beer
• Make Green Beer
• Make a Beer Pong Table
• Open Two Beer Bottles With Each Other
• Play Beer Pong Variations
• Play Chubby Bunnies
• Play the "Who Am I" Drinking Game
• Play the Drinking Game "Land Mines"
• Throw a Tailgate Party