The 8 rules of Beer Pong 📜🍻
Beer pong is a drinking game invented in American universities. Two teams of two players each compete on either side of a table containing 10 glasses on each side. These large red plastic cups, also known as "red cups", are filled with beer and arranged in a pyramid like this:
Each team takes it in turns to throw a ping-pong ball into the other team's cups. A word of clarification: in each round, the 2 players on the same team shoot a ball. When a ball lands in a cup, the cup is removed and the opponent drinks the contents of the cup. The team that manages to remove all the opponent's cups wins the game. The beer pong rules described in this article may vary from region to region or from school to school, so to avoid any disputes, it's best to come to an agreement with your opponents at the start of the game! Now let's try to answer the question: how do I play Beer-Pong?
Set-up
The cups are arranged in a pyramid shape and must be glued together. Players decide how much beer (or other beverage) to pour into each glass. Generally speaking, two 33cl beers are enough to fill 10 cups, but you can fill the glasses to your heart's content! You can play on any table, but there are official Beer-Pong tables, foldable and customizable, 240 cm long and 60 cm wide. My BP Table offers these tables for delivery, so take a look at our collection.
Customize your Beer-Pong table!
1. Who starts ? “Eyes to eyes”
To decide which team starts play, two players, one from each team, take a ball and shoot at the same time (face to face), making eye contact.
- If both players succeed, no glass is removed and they shoot again.
- If only one player succeeds, no glass is removed, but his team starts the game.
- If none of the players manages to aim into one of the opponent's cups, the other two players take their turn.
2. Elbow behind the table!
During a game of Beer Pong, players can shoot as they wish, as long as their elbow is behind the table when they throw. Some opt for the "pétanque" technique, but most players use the classic method of raising their arm and shooting in a bell shape.
This rule sometimes leads to debates between the two teams. If a shot enters a cup when the player was too far forward, the shot is not counted and the player must shoot a second time, taking care to keep his elbow behind the table.
3. Reset
As the BP game progresses, each team drinks the cups their opponent has shot into and then removes them from the table. Thus, the starting stack of ten cups contains holes, and "reformations", or "recompositions", are necessary.
Players are responsible for the cups they aim at in front of them, so it's up to them, before shooting, to ask their opponent to reform the cup. Here are the authorized reformations:
Please note that, depending on the variant, the number of re-formations allowed is not the same. Sometimes only one is authorized, sometimes 2 or 3... The best way to avoid confusion is to ask the question at the start of the Beer Pong game.
4. Beer-Pong rules in case of bounce
It's possible to shoot directly at the opponent's beer glasses, but you can also bounce the Beer-Pong ball off the table as you shoot.Be careful with these shots, as they count double! When your opponent scores via a bounce, you have to remove 2 glasses. Fortunately, you can counter these shots by tapping the ping pong ball after the rebound, thus preventing it from going into a beer glass. You need to remain vigilant throughout the game, however, as more experienced players will take advantage of moments of inattention to use this technique.
If you are hit by one of these shots, you will have to remove the glass in which the ball landed and a glass of your choice.
What's the rule if a Beer-Pong glass is knocked over?
When you counter a rebound shot, be careful not to spill any cups, as these will be considered scored! In addition to losing glasses, you won't even be able to drink their contents!
5. In the same cup !
In each round of Beer Pong, the two players on the team take turns shooting. Sometimes, therefore, you put your balls in the same glass. This move is very advantageous, as it allows you to remove 3 glasses. If the first player to shoot scores, remember to leave the glass and remove the ball so that the second player can try for the same one.
Ball return
In some variants, if both players on a team score during the same turn, whether in the same glass or not, they take the balls back and play again.
6. Maximum to 3 cups per round
There's a surcharge of 3 glasses per round. So if you score in the same cup as your teammate by bouncing, you'll only be able to remove 3 glasses.
7. Death Cup
Make sure you remove the cups your opponent has scored as you go along. Indeed, if you forget to remove a cup and the opposing team marks that cup again in the next turn, they automatically win the game! You need to be very careful, and drink the marked cups as soon as a ball enters them (unless the second player on the opposing team hasn't fired yet and wants to aim for the same red cup).
8. Redemption
Redemption occurs when a team puts on the last glass. There are two redemption rules:
1st rule: Opponents have one try each to score. If one or both score in a beer pong glass, the game resumes where it left off and the cups scored during redemption do not count.
2nd rule: Opponents can shoot into the remaining opponent's cups as long as they don't miss. If they do, they win the game.
Other rules
There are special rules for different regions, schools and universities. We've selected a few for you to try out once you've mastered the 8 basic rules. We've also put together a set of variations on the traditional Beer-Pong rules.
Rollbacks
When one of the players shoots and the ball comes back to him on the table, he can try again directly with a special shot, or "trick shot". He can shoot by closing his eyes, by throwing the ball behind his back, and so on. The possibilities are numerous and accepted as long as the shot involves an additional difficulty.
On Fire !
When a player manages to place his ping pong ball in one of the opponent's cups three rounds in a row, the cup is "on fire". This means that, from the third successive successful shot, he can play again until he misses!
Island
When the composition of the glasses reveals an "island" on the beer pong table, you can call out "Island" in a loud voice and aim for this isolated glass; if you score, you eliminate 2 glasses, but if you score in another glass, the shot doesn't count! Please note that each player is allowed only one such shot per game.
To attempt an "island", there must be at least 3 glasses stuck together to form a "continent", and only one glass detached from the others. There cannot be two islands or two continents. See the following example:
If you know of any other Beer Pong rules you'd like to share with us, please get in touch on our social networks or by e-mail. We'd be delighted to hear from you!