How to Win at Beer Pong

Playing the Game

Arrange ten cups on a long table. You will need twenty plastic party cups altogether. Classic red party cups are most often used. Arrange ten cups in pyramid form on each end of the table. The row closest to you has four cups, and the last row that is closest to the middle of the table has only one cup. A regulation beer pong table is seven to eight feet in length and two feet wide, though you can use any type of table that is fairly long. The cups are usually 16 or 18 ounce cups. Red party cups can be purchased at most supermarkets and package stores.

Fill the cups with beer. You will need to partially fill the cups with beer, or any other liquid that you want to use. Water can be used for a non-alcoholic game. Typically, two 12oz beers should be enough to fill ten cups. More or less can be used depending on how much you want to drink. The cups need to be filled with beer because each cup that is scored on is supposed to be consumed and then set aside. Fill the cups about a ¼ of the way full. Set up a cup filled only with water on the side of the table to clean off balls that fall on the floor or get dirty.

Pick teams. A game can be played with one player, or two players on each team. Don’t have any more than two players on each team. If playing with two players on each team, each team plays with two balls instead of one.

Decide who goes first. Determine who gets first shot by doing an eye-to-eye challenge. One opponent from each team looks the other player in the eyes and throw the balls towards each other’s cups. The balls are shot until one player sinks the ball in the opponent’s cup, and the other player misses. If playing in teams, switch partners until one partner succeeds in making the cup. The team that wins the eye-to-eye challenge gets the first throw in the game. Do not remove the cup if it is scored on. Just remove the ball, wash it, and begin playing the game.

Take turns throwing the ping pong balls. Take turns throwing the ping pong ball into each other’s cups. Drink the contents of the cup and remove it each time a ball makes it into the cup. Continue doing this until all of the cups are gone. The winner is the first to eliminate all of the other team’s cups. The game is automatically won if members of the same team sink the ball into the same cup of the opposing team. The winning team typically gets to stay on the table and take on a new team for the next game.

Learning the Rules

Keep elbows behind the edges of the table. A common is rule is that elbows must stay behind the edge of the table when making a shot. In some games, the wrist is included in this rule. The shot does not count if it was made with elbows beyond the outer edge of the table. If the shot is made with elbows over the table, then the ball must be returned and the shot needs to be made again. This rule can be broken for shorter players, or players with poor throwing skills if it is agreed upon by everyone playing.

Re-rack twice per game. A re-rack, or reformation of cups, is allowed twice per game. Re-racking can happen when 6,4,3, or 2 cups are left. You can ask for formations like a square, or a triangle. The last cup left in the game is always available to be moved and centered, however, even if the two re-racks have already been used. If you are doing really well, try to save your re-racks for later in the game. For example: Rather than using them on six and four cups and have them scattered try to save your re-racks for four and three (or even two) cups so, at the end of the game, the cups are closer to each other. You can also ask to fix the cups at any point during them game. This is not the same as re-racking. Asking to fix the cups only allows for cups to be tightened up, or returned to position if they have been moved.

Bounce the ball. If you bounce a ball on the table and it lands in a cup, you can ask for another cup to be removed along with the cup the ball was sunk in. It is your choice which additional cup is removed. Note that if you do choose to bounce the ball, the other team has the right to swat it out of the way and vice versa. Players can not protest a ball that has been swatted out of the way during an attempted bounce shot. It is best to wait to attempt bounce shot when your opponent is down to their last cups. Try to make a bounce shot when the other team appears to be distracted.

Call out “heating up.” A player that makes two shots in a row calls out “heating up.” Call out “on fire” when three shots have been made in a row. “On fire” can’t be called out unless “heating up” was called out first. Once “on fire” has been called out the player can continue making shots until he or she misses. Make sure the other team is aware of you calling out “heating up” and “on fire.”

Shoot for the lonely cup. You are allowed once per game to call out a cup that is not touching any other cup. You can call out this cup by saying “island” or “solo.” If the ball is sunk in the called out cup, then the player can ask for an additional cup to be pulled out along with the other cup. If the player calls out a specific, isolated cup and hits another, then the cup that was accidentally hit must remain on the table. A lonely cup is not one that slid slightly away from the other cups due to wetness. It is isolated because other cups around it has been removed.

Shooting for the death cup. A death cup is a cup that has been removed from the rack, or formation, and is currently in the player’s hand. This cup is eligible to be shot at by the opposing team. If the ball is made into the death cup, the game is automatically over. Three cups can be removed for a death cup that is still on the table and not in the player’s hand. Drink the cup as fast as possible to avoid shots being made at it. Wait for the other team to be distracted when trying to make a death cup.

Asking for a rebuttal. Once a team has won, the losing team has a shot at rebuttal. To do this, each player of the losing team makes a shot at the opposing team’s remaining cups until someone misses. If cups still remain, the game is over. If all of the cups have been hit, then the game goes into overtime. Overtime consists of each team making a pyramid out of three cups and shooting until no cups remain on the losing team’s side. No re-racks are allowed during overtime, but cups can be fixed.

Learning Winning Moves

Prepare the ball. Always wet the ball before shooting. This will increase its accuracy and will help it glide through the air more smoothly. A dry ball will go a shorter distance and can be harder to aim. Clean it in the water cup before every shot.

Get in correct stance. Form is key when preparing to shoot. Whichever hand you shoot with, that foot is in front. The opposite foot is set up further back for support. Make your elbows will not go over the edge of the table, and practice your aim before you shoot.

Practice your shots. When you release the ball, there are three main types of shots. There is an arc shot, where the ball is released higher and drops into a cup. A fastball shot is when a quick, direct shot is made at the cup. And there is a bounce shot, which is bounced on the table before dropping in the cup. Fastballs shots are sometimes not allowed because they can get out of hand.

Be alert at all times. Always keep your eye on the table to avoid a sneaky shot being aimed at you. You can use the others teams moment of distraction to your advantage. One technique is to pretend like you are not paying attention. While the other team is shooting, you can look away or start talking to someone on the sidelines.

Blow on or spin the ball. If a ball is spinning on the rim of the cup and hasn’t dropped in yet, you can blow or take the ball out with your finger. The rule typically calls for girls to blow on the ball and for guys to take it out with their finger. As long as the ball doesn’t hit the beer, it will not count as a shot if it comes out. For girls, when the ball is spinning around, you are allowed to blow into the cup to force the ball out. Put your face near the cup and blow on the ball as hard as you can. For guys, while it’s spinning, reach in with your finger and try to get under the ball. You have to be fast. Put your finger under the ball and pull out it quickly.