{"id":2069,"date":"2020-09-12T17:58:49","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T17:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letsplayadrinkinggame.com\/?p=2069"},"modified":"2021-06-16T16:09:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T16:09:08","slug":"best-beer-pong-rules-for-college-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letsplayadrinkinggame.com\/party-games\/best-beer-pong-rules-for-college-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Beer Pong Rules For College And Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Win at Beer Pong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The object of beer pong is to clear all the cups on your opponents’ side before they clear all the cups on yours. You do this by throwing a ball and strategically landing it in the cups. The beer pong rules below outline how to set up the game as well as the many ways you can clear all the cups in order to win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“House rules” are the rules that your party hosts choose to follow. Some people prefer certain rules, so it’s traditional to let your hosts have a say in the rules you use while playing. The rules should be established ahead of time, though, so that it’s clear they aren’t made up as you go along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting Out: Beer Pong Balls and Cups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What balls are best?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The game of beer pong should be played with ping pong balls (probably not a shocker there!). They are light, plastic, and about an inch in diameter. Ping pong balls are meant to bounce, which is something that comes in handy in beer pong if you decide to shoot that way. You can find these online or in a store like Target or Walmart. It’s good to have a couple extra on hand in case you lose some. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What cups are best?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The traditional cups used in beer pong are red solo cups (although you can go for any color or any brand). These are the optimal size for the game. You can find solo cups at most grocery stores or gas stations. If you want a less-disposable option, you can buy reusable beer pong cups<\/a><\/span><\/strong> online. They are sturdier and will hold up for longer. We highly recommend this – you can divert a lot of plastic waste at your next party!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What beer is best?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Cheap and plentiful. Basically you want to buy a big case of whatever big-brand generic beer you can find – Bud, Miller, PRB, Natty Lite. This isn\u2019t really a \u201csip and enjoy\u201d kind of game, so no need to break out the fancy craft beer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What table to use for beer pong: proper distance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Regulation tables are 8 feet long. If you want a proper beer pong table<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, you can buy them online (and folding tables exist so you can easily transport it and store it when not in use). Be sure to check out the cool custom beer pong tables<\/strong><\/a><\/span> you can design yourself! If you don\u2019t have an actual beer pong table, you can use a regular dining table or kitchen island, although you won\u2019t quite get the proper distance with these. Whatever you do use, something smooth is best. You know those white folding tables you see at events? Those are fine, as long as you don\u2019t plan on bouncing the ball. The texture of those tables is not at all conducive to bouncing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to set up the cups in beer pong<\/h5>\n\n\n
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Specific Beer Pong Rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

players and playing order<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You can either play with 2 people (1 vs 1) or 4 people (2 vs 2). To determine which side shoots first, you do “eye to eye.” One person on each side holds a ball and gets ready to shoot, but must keep eye contact with the other while saying “eye to eye.” On the last “eye,” both players throw. (It’s kind of like “rock, paper, scissors, shoot – where you throw out your sign on “shoot.”) Whoever makes it in gets the balls for their team to start. If both make it in, or if neither make it in, you re-do it (with the other team members, if you’re playing with 4 people). Cups are not actually removed during this phase; it is simply to determine which side gets to play first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to shoot in beer pong: throw or bounce<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You can throw your ball directly into the cups on the other side, or you can bounce the ball on the table into a cup. If it bounces and then lands in a cup, that will result in 2 cups being cleared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beer Pong Re-racks and Formations<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Each team gets 2 re-racks per game (plus a Gentleman’s, as explained below). This means twice per game, if you do not like the way your cups are spaced out, you can pick a new formation to make it easier for yourself. Everyone seems to have different go-to re-rack formations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentleman’s Re-rack<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When you get down to just 2 cups left, no matter where they are, you can ask for a \u201cgentleman\u2019s.\u201d This means the cups will be arranged into a line (perpendicular to the end of the table) for easier aiming. This doesn\u2019t count towards the two re-racks typically allowed in a game of beer pong.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Island rule<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you end up with one cup isolated from all the others (not touching any other cup), you can call the \u201cisland\u201d rule. You must announce \u201cisland\u201d before you shoot, and if you make it in the isolated cup, you get to remove that cup plus two others. This rule can only be invoked once per person per game, so use it wisely! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both partners hit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Both team members sinking a ball on the same turn results in those two cups being removed and the shooting team getting the balls back to have another turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Same cup rule<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you and your partner get your balls into the same cup, both of those cups are removed plus one other, for a total of three. The shooting team also gets their balls back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balls back<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

As stated above, the shooting team can get their balls back by both sinking cups on the same turn. Another way to get a ball back is to grab it before it leaves the table. If you shoot, and the ball bounces or rolls back towards you, you can grab it and shoot again. The caveat is that you have to do a more complicated shot. Traditionally, women will shoot with their non-dominant hand, and men will shoot behind their back. But feel free to choose whichever you prefer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heating up & on fire<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you get the ball in the cup two turns in a row, you can say you’re “heating up.” If you make it a third turn in a row, you can say you’re “on fire,” and you get your ball back to shoot again. You can keep shooting as long as you keep making it in a cup. Don’t forget that you can only claim “on fire” if you remembered to claim “heating up.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trick shots<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Several different trick shots exist within beer pong. You should default to the house beer pong rules to see whether they can be used or not, but we\u2019ll explain some of the most common trick shots here. Generally, making a trick shot will result in 2 cups being removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n