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Description:
Beer Pong i s a drinking game which is especially
popular among college students, but can be enjoyed by any group of adults. It
is generally played in pairs of two, with the teams standing at opposing ends
of a flat, rectangular surface (preferably a ping pong table, but anything
accepted by both teams can be used).![]() Six or ten cups are formed in a pyramid at
either end of the table, with the base of the pyramid centered at the edge of
the table. The players attempt to toss or bounce ping pong balls into the cups,
each of which is filled with 1/3 of a beer (or beverage of choose). When a
player makes a shot into a cup of the opposing team, a player from the opposing
team drinks the contents of the cup and removes it from the table. The game
continues in this way,
with both players from one team taking a shot, followed
by both players from the other team. The team that is able to clear all of the
opposing team's cups first is the winner, with the losing team splitting the
contents of the winning team's remaining cups. To begin, a player from each
team takes a shot simultaneously without looking at the cups. This is repeated
until one team makes, and one team misses. This decides who gets the first
possession. After the first game, the winning team gets the first shot. The
elbow rule is also applied for EVERY shot. A players elbow may not cross the
plane of the playing table or it does not count. It sounds simple, but the game
is more complex than it first appears, as you will soon see.
Bouncing vs
Tossing:
Any player taking a shot has the option of
attempting to toss the ball directly into the opposing team’s cups or bouncing
the ball one or more times into the cups. If a player successfully makes a
bounced shot, the opposing team has to drink two cups: the one in which the
shot was made and another from the pyramid. As we already know, a regular
(non-bounced) toss is only worth a single cup. However, there is a catch. The
defending (non-throwing) team can defend cups against bounced shot by blocking
or swatting the ball once it hits the table. The defending team can only defend
a shot once the ball has hit the table, so the throwing team doesn’t take a
risk by tossing instead of bouncing, as tossed shots are indefensible.
Defending a toss as if it were a bounce is a sign of either drunkenness or
dishonor; either way, it is punished at the very least by letting the player
shoot again, if not by drinking a cup. This can be decided in a civil fashion
by both sides using their best judgment, taking into account the circumstances
surrounding the infraction.
Re-Racking:
Although the cups begin in a pyramid, they don’t
necessarily stay that way. As there are more holes in the pyramid from removing
cups, it gets more difficult to make shots. To account for this, a team must “re-rack”
at certain numbers of remaining cups in order to keep a compact shape at which
their opponents can shoot. Each team gets 2 re-racks per game at any time. Use
them wisely. A standard rule of thumb is to take one with 6 cups remaining, and
with 2 or 3 cups remaining.
-Take note that as at the beginning, the bottom cup must be flush with the end
of the table after re-racks as well.
One more detail about re-racks: they don’t take place until the end of a turn.
If, for example, the first shooter on opposing team hits a shot, dropping their
opponent’s cups from 7 to 6, the cups aren’t re-racked for the second shooter
on that turn. This happens on that team’s next turn.
Rebuttal:
The rebuttal rule only applies at the end of the
game. When one team has all of their cups eliminated, they haven’t lost yet.
Each player on the team which has had their cups eliminated gets to shoot until
they miss. If and when they both miss and there are still cups remaining on
their opponent’s side, they lose and proceed to drink what’s left of their opponent’s
cup. But, this does give them a chance to come back and force overtime (which
will be explained later). There is an exception to the rebuttal rule: when it
comes into conflict with the Make It-Take it rule, Make It-Take it is observed.
This occurs when, for example, there are two cups remaining on a side and the
shooters from the opposing team each make their shot, clearing the table. Under
usual circumstances, they would get the balls back and shoot again, which in
this case gives them the victory because it’s their turn and they cleared the
table. Rebuttal doesn’t take place when the team that clears the table earns
Make it-Take it. The game just ends. This isn’t just an arbitrary choice of one
rule over another; there is some logic behind it. Rebuttal is simply the last
turn for the losing team. Make it-Take it means you lose your turn when the
other team makes both cups on the same turn so if you think about it, you’re
losing your turn if this happens to you; it just happens to be your last turn.
In short: Make it-Take it is observed before rebuttal when they come into
conflict.
Pulling the
Cups:
This rule makes the game a little more exciting.
Once your opponent makes a shot into one of your cups, it is in your best interest
to pull that cup immediately, because if the other member of that team makes a
shot into the same cup, the game is over and you end up drinking a lot of stuff
(which may or may not be a good thing). There is no penalty if you incidentally
interfere with the second shot from the opposing team because you are trying to
pull the cup out of the way; just be honorable about it. Once again: if two
shots are made in the same cup on the same turn, game over. Another way that is
widely accepted is to leave the cup if the first ball is made. If the second
shot is made in the same cup, it results in 3 cups instead of game over. House
rules apply.
Rim Shots:
Occasionally, the ball will quickly circle around
the rim or inside of the glass before it hits the bottom instead of just going
right in. When a ball is doing this, the shot isn’t made yet. The defenders
have an opportunity to knock the ball out of the glass before it hits the
liquid. Here, house rules apply.
Spills:
As with any drinking game, spills are inevitable.
If you spill one of your cups, there is no penalty. You’re just dumb, because
you lost that cup and just gave your opponents a freebee.
Deflections:
Once a shot is taken, it is considered a live
ball. We already know that the defending team can’t interfere with a
non-bounced shot. Once the ball comes in contact with anything but the bottom
of the cup, it is live, meaning it can be defended or it can still be made in
the cup. For example, if a shot is taken and it bounces of a defender’s chest and
goes in a cup; that counts. If a shot is taken and it hits the wall and goes in
a cup, same deal. Keep your head on a swivel, or some crazy stuff can happen.
Overtime:
If, on rebuttal, a team is able to eliminate all
of their opponent’s cups, regulation ends in a tie. But there won’t be any ties
in beer pong.. Each team fills up three more cups, and racks them as three
should be racked, according to the diagram in the “re-rack” section. Then,
resume play under the same rules. If, by some improbable twist of fate,
overtime ends in a tie, continue playing overtimes until a winner is decided.
As this author is out of ideas about what to put in these rules, just
decide any other point of disagreement by asking the host of your party, or,
someone else that knows what the heck they are doing. One more thing: for those
guys that get all belligerent about beer pong disputes because of their
competitive nature, it’s just a game at a party, so relax and have fun.
Game on.
Disclaimer: These are the official rules we play by, and our house
rules. They don't have to be your official rules. Use them if you want a
reference.
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