Beer pong
Players:	typically 2 teams of 2
Age range:	legal drinking age, however widely played by underage participants
Setup time:	2 minutes
Playing time:	10-15 minutes
Skills required:	aiming, taunting and alcohol tolerance

Part of the series on Popular drinking games

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Beer pong (also called Beirut, Rut, Lob pong or Scud) is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in one of several cups of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-player teams, one on each side of a table, and a number of cups set up on each side. The rules vary widely, though usually there are the same number of plastic cups - six, ten or 15 plastic cups - arranged in a triangle on each side. The number of players on a team can vary as well, from one to three or more.

When a ball lands in a cup, the defending team must consume that cup's beer. The game is won by eliminating all the other team's cups before one's own cups are eliminated. The losing team must then consume all the beer remaining in the winning team's cups. The order of play varies - both players on one team shoot, then both players on the other team, or players on opposite teams can alternate back and forth.

Although the preceding guidelines are common, the rules may be subject to a wide variety of modifications and additions that often vary based on the area of the country, the state, or even the house in which a particular game is played.

Today, beer pong is played at a multitude of North American colleges and universities.^[1] The game is also played at high school house parties.^[2]

The most common modern version of the game is played without paddles and has a murkier beginning. The Daily Princetonian, the student newspaper of Princeton University, attributed the naming of the paddle-less game where balls are thrown into cups to the early 1980s at Bucknell University.^[3]

Nomenclature

The meaning of the terms Beer pong and Beirut vary depending on where the game is played. Beer pong is the more common name of the game, with a CollegeHumor survey showing that 77% of respondents called it "Beer pong," versus 23% for "Beirut".^[4] However, Beirut is unambiguously accepted to be the version of the game where players throw the balls, while in some locations Beer pong can mean either the same game as Beirut, or a similar game where players use paddles to hit the ball. In other areas, Beer pong is played with balls, while Beirut is played with quarters.

The naming of "Beirut" is disputed. The Daily Princetonian suggests that name was coined at Bucknell University around the time of the Lebanese Civil War.^[3]

Setup

Players and teams

Beer pong is usually played with two teams of two persons each. Each team begins the game standing at either end of the table behind their rack of cups.

Playing field

According to the World Series of Beer Pong, the regulation table size is 8x2 feet (2.44x0.61 meters), and it stands 48 inches (69.9 centimeters) above the ground.

However, the most common place to play beer pong is on a ping pong table, although the game can be played on any flat surface with enough space to hold the two formations of cups, such as a board or a door taken from its hinges. A folding banquet table is also a common playing surface.

Beer pong enthusiasts may create a personalized table for use by friends and visitors. In general, this will be a plywood board cut to proper size, painted with sports, school or fraternity symbols, and then given a liquid-proof coating.^[5]

Cups

The most common and preferred cups used are Solo or Dixie 16 ounce cups. These cups have ridge-lines which can be used to precisely measure the amount of beer to be poured.

On each side of the table, teams assemble equilateral triangles, with the convergence point focusing on the other team. Games typically use either six or ten cups, but any higher number may be used. The cups forming the base of the triangle are aligned with the edge of the table, unless the tabletop has a bevel which would make such an arrangement unstable. In this case, the thumb is used as an impromptu measuring device, with the cups set back from the edge of the table the distance from the tip of the thumb to its first knuckle.

Also on each side are one or two cups filled with water used to rinse balls which have fallen on the floor, often called a "rinse", "courtesy cup" or "water cup".

Balls

38 mm or 40 mm table tennis balls are used. At some universities, a quarter is instead used for game play. If a quarter is being used then it's no longer beer pong but rather the game called "quarters".

Alcohol

Usually a cheap pale lager or light beer of 3.2-5% abv, such as Natural Light, Keystone Light or Coors Light, is used since large quantities may be consumed during the course of several games. Typically, approximately 4 oz. of beer is poured into each cup in the formation, which is equivalent to the first or second ridgeline up from the bottom in a 16 ounce cup. This works out to be two 12 oz. cans of beer per team in a regular six cup game. However, more or less liquid can be used. Sometimes, teams may decide to fill one cup of their choice to the brim, which is called the "Money Cup" or "Challenge Cup". Also, strong ale may be used by one team and not the other as a means of handicapping. The game is not limited to beer. Hard alcohol mixes or wine can be substituted by choice or when beer is not available. At Lehigh University it is commonplace to find games played with a grain alcohol and Koolaid blend, which is usually referred to as "Grain 'Rut" by those involved.

Game play

There are very few universal beer pong rules, and specific rules should be agreed upon before play begins. Typically, players abide by a uniform set of "house rules", which are often consistent within one university or region of the country (i.e. "Ivy League rules", "West Coast rules", etc.), or may vary on a house-by-house basis. The following rules should all be considered general and may or may not apply to specific games.

Initial possession

The team who won the previous game is often given possession of both balls first, enabling that team to set a scoring precedent.

In tournaments, where no upper hand is established prior to a matchup, many other techniques are often employed in determining the initial possession. Among these are shooting normally to see who can make a cup first, alternating possession, making shots from a long distance, playing rock, paper, scissors or doing a face off, which is done when a player from each team holds eye contact with each other and will simultaneously shoot the ball with their opponent. The player who shoots the ball into the cup closest to the front of the formation wins possession for his team. If both players either miss or make it on the same shot, the face off repeats with the other players. As a variation on initial possession, rather than giving the initial team two balls to start, the disadvantaged team will sometimes receive a single ball to shoot with and begin the game.

Shot techniques

There are four major ways to shoot in beer pong:

• Arc - The most common throwing technique is to grasp the ping pong ball with the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the player's dominant hand, and hold the arm at an angle with the ball upwards, then throw by using gentle elbow motion, holding the upper arm parallel with the table. The arc motion allows one to put enough force on the ball to get it to the other side of the table, while conserving velocity and slowing it down so that it is not as likely to bounce off the rim of the cup but gently roll into the cup.
• Fastball - Some players throw "fastball" style, which uses more of a hard chopping motion to send the ball in a more direct line to the intended target cup. This can be done with the hand in the usual "pistol grip" orientation or in an overhand "slam-dunk" orientation. The fastball is especially favored by taller players, as it is easier to throw from a higher position. Due to the straighter path the ball will follow, the player may feel more confident in hitting using the fastball. Fastballs are also much more likely to knock down a cup, which may have positive or negative consequences depending on house rules. As noted above, the higher horizontal velocity of the ball will also cause less-precise shots to bounce off the rim rather than gently bounce into a cup.
• Bounce - A bounce is performed by bouncing the ball toward the cups. Since the other team has the opportunity to swat away a bounced ball, a bounce is usually worth two cups. The "muck" bounce is a low trajectory shot achieved by bouncing the ball in a sideways motion as opposed to overhand. This shot is particularly effective because in addition to being difficult to block, it leaves the opportunity for the other team to knock cups over. In some house rules, the bounce shot is not allowed.
• Underhand - This technique is best when there are still many cups left on the table, because it is hard to control the left to right movement, but is very good for achieving the desired distance. Use of this technique is often against house rules.

House rules often dictate the distance from which a player must shoot. In some locations, the shooter's hand is not allowed to cross the plane of the table. In others, players are permitted to lean out over the table when shooting, decreasing the distance of the shot and presumably improving accuracy. However, any cups which he or she inadvertently knocks over while leaning are removed from play, thus putting their team at a disadvantage.

Reracking

Reracking, rearranging or consolidation refers to the one or two rearrangements of cups into different formations, which is an optional rule. It is normally used in order to keep the game progressing at a steady pace, thus giving other hopeful players an opportunity to play. The various rerack formations have different names depending on house rules. Players may either be required to ask for a rerack at the beginning of a turn; alternatively reracking is done automatically, depending on house rules.

Another variation played in some circles involves leaving all empty cups in their positions on the table. If a player of the opposing team accidentally sinks a ball into an empty cup on one's side, they have to drink the corresponding cup on their own side. If that cup is empty, another in the same row is used. If none are available, then move back a row, and continue until a cup is found. If there is only a single cup remaining on their side, then the team drinks that cup, and the game is over. At any time, players from either team can request to know which cups are empty/full on the other side of the table.

Roll back

If both players on a team make their shots for a turn, the balls are sent back to that team, called "roll back", "bring back", "balls back" or other names. The team is given the opportunity to shoot for another turn. This is analogous to pool, where a successful shot will provide the team with an additional shot, and allows for the possibility of one team eliminating all cups and shutting out an opponent before they are given a chance to play.

If both players make their shots into the same cup on a given turn, one of several things can happen depending on the local rules. Generally, both cups are consumed and the balls are "rolled back." Other variations include drinking multiple cups or the game ending.

NBA Jam Rules

In some areas there are variations that state if an individual player, in a doubles game, makes three shots in three consecutive turns without his or her opponents making a shot, he is "on fire" and keeps shooting until he or she misses.

Defense

There are three ways that a team can defend their cups:

• Psychological - A major element of defense is "shit talking" to psyche out the other team. The defending players will hurl insults or use distracting visual cues to disorient the other team. These include waving of the arms, grotesque expressions, suggestive gyrations by one or both team members, or even the exposure of breasts and/or genitals. Such behaviors are especially common when a team is defending their last remaining cup.
• Blowing/fingerblasting - If the ball is spinning inside of a cup, players may either blow into the cup or fingerblast it out in an attempt to make it fly out before it touches the liquid. Once the ball stops spinning, it is considered "dead", and no further defensive actions will count. Frequently, only females are allowed to blow, while men are allowed to fingerblast. Note that some rules disallow such actions and count them as goaltending.
• Ball blocking - Players may be allowed to "swat" (bat away with the hand) at balls that the other team has bounced. Generally the ball may not be swatted unless the ball bounces twice, although some house rules allow the swat after a single bounce. If a ball is swatted back into the cups of the team who bounced it, a severe penalty is called for. However, if a player knocks over his own teams' cups in an attempt to block or swat, then each cup that was knocked over must be consumed and removed from the game. It is illegal for a defending player to touch a shot ball before it has touched the table or a cup. If the defender breaks this rule, he or she must drink one of his or her own cups as a penalty.

Winning the game

If the opposing team makes the last cup, the other team must make all remaining cups, or the opposing team wins. However, if the team makes both shots in the final cup, the game is over, with no chance for a rebuttal. A second, less common rebuttal method is "shoot 'til you miss", where the team try to clear the table, making all of the cups on the opposing team's side, until the player who is shooting misses a shot. If a tie occurs, either it cancels out and both teams keep playing or an overtime with three cups per side ensues.

Depending on the rules of the house, a penalty for the losing team may be in order if they are "shut out" or "skunked" (fail to make a cup). Some of these include a naked lap (around the house or block), losing the ability to play for the rest of the night, sitting under the table for a predetermined amount of games, or owing the other players a predetermined amount of beer.

Death Cup

After a cup has been made, a player must drink the beer in that cup immediately. If a player is taking their time sipping beer from a cup that is out of play and a member of the opposing team manages to sink that cup, the team suffers a penalty based on house rules. Example penalties include: automatic loss of the game^[6], chugging/shotgunning a whole beer, or simply finishing off the beer that is in their hand.

To prevent a death cup scenario, it is always a good idea to finish a sunken cup before taking your turn.

Similar rules apply to a variation known as "Cup in Hand," where a successful shot into an opponent's drinking cup, while being held, results in immediate victory for the shooting team.

This cup is also referred to as the "Satellite Cup" at some universities.

Impact

Despite the illegal nature of teen drinking in the United States, Beer pong is played nationwide by high school students.^[2] There is quite a difference in the American cultural attitude concerning alcohol use by high school-aged teenagers versus use by college students (despite the fact that there is significant overlap between the actual ages of the two sets). Parents and school administrators tend to view high-school student drinking as severely dangerous and often treat it with a Zero tolerance mindset, whereas drinking is often seen as an accepted part of the "college experience" and viewed with nostalgia by older adults. While alcohol policy discipline is more often than not a "slap on the wrist" in college, many times high schools will engage in much more disciplinary action against violators. High schools have been known to exert disciplinary action even when drinking or drinking games occurred well outside the nominal jurisdiction of the school itself. This is perhaps an example of the school working in loco parentis to encourage habits that are more socially accepted as healthy.

A number of arguments exist as to why drinking games such as Beer Pong are especially dangerous for younger teens :

• Most teenagers have not built a high level of drinking tolerance.
• Peer pressure can lead teenagers to consume more than they safely may handle.
• Participants in drinking games may not be fully cognizant of the rate at which they are consuming alcohol.
• The competitive nature of the game causes the participants to take risks.^[7]
• Many teens may wish to emulate older, college-age people, by engaging in drinking culture without the same degree of collective experience and support that make it more socially acceptable among older students.

With this in mind, players new to Beer pong or any drinking game should be extremely careful to avoid overconsumption, and alcohol poisoning.

Legal restrictions

In some areas, municipalities or states have attempted to ban beer pong, either from bars or in general. In Oxford, Ohio, where Miami University is located, the city council tried to ban the game from being played outdoors,^[8] and in Arlington, Virginia, bar owners were told to stop allowing the game to be played in their establishments.^[9] In some cases, parents have been arrested for allowing the game to be played by underage children.^[2] Also, some schools in North Carolina have tried to ban the game, citing laws that all drinking games are illegal in the state.

Tournaments and leagues

National Beer pong tournaments are held in the United States. Since the drinking age in the United States is currently 21 in all states, entry into most tournaments is restricted to players who meet this age requirement. Some, however, have held tournaments with other liquids legal to minors, such as milk or water.

The most notable include The World Series of Beer Pong, The Bing Bong Spring Cup, The World Pong Tour^[10][11], Beer Pong Summer Cup, Beer Pong World Cup Invitational, ABAA's National Tour and the World Beer Pong Tournament.

A more common and decentralized organization of Beer pong games is small leagues. Ordinarily, a group of college students or other pong enthusiasts will create teams (partnerships) and play weekly against each other, such as at the University of California, Santa Barbara, with the "Isla Vista Beer Pong League",^[12] and New York University.^[13]

Bud Pong

Bud Pong was the branded version of beer pong that brewer Anheuser-Busch said involved the drinking of water, not Budweiser or any other beer. In the summer of 2005, the company began marketing "Bud Pong" kits to its distributors. Francine I. Katz, vice president for communications and consumer affairs, was reported in The New York Times as saying that Bud Pong was not intended for underage drinkers because promotions were held in bars, not on campuses. And it did not promote binge drinking, she said, because official rules call for water to be used, not beer.^[14]

The New York Times quoted a bartender at a club near Clemson University as saying she had worked at several Bud Pong events and had "never seen anyone playing with water. It's always beer. It's just like any other beer pong."^[14]

Some expressed incredulity at Anheuser-Busch's public statements. Henry Wechsler, director of the College Alcohol Study at the Harvard School of Public Health, said: "Why would alcohol companies promote games that involve drinking water? It's preposterous,"^[14] while advertising news site Adjab opined that "someone playing Bud Pong with water is about as likely as a teenage kid using the rolling paper he bought at the convenience store to smoke tobacco."^[15]

On October 19, 2005, the company professed surprise that some players were using beer instead of water, and withdrew the game in response to criticism. Katz stated that "Despite our explicit guidelines, there may have been instances where this promotion was not carried out in the manner it was intended." However, on many campuses this water rule has been adopted to promote cleanliness. Players then keep a beer in a can or cup and must finish it by the end of the game.

Water Pong

Water Pong is an altered version of Beer Pong. Though the game is played the same, the cups are filled with water, and instead of drinking the contents of the cups, the losing team instead drinks from a bottle, can, or some other beer containing receptacle. The advantages of this are mostly sanitary: players do not need to share cups that dozens of others have drank from, and dirt, hair, and other filth do not end up in beer cups via pong ball as is a common problem from having the balls end up rolling all over the ground. It also prevents players from walking away with game cups after a match has ended.

References

External links

• National Beer Pong League
• BPONG.COM - The premier beer pong website heading the beer pong movement
• Bing Bong Beer Pong Tables
• Beer Pong Rules for College Students
• Beer Pong Rules
• Truebeirut.com
• Home of the (Beirut) Beer Pong Documentary, BeerPongVideo.com (2004)
• World Beer Pong and other Tournaments with Paddles
• Beer Pong Feature On The All Things Table Tennis Website
• Beerpong.com site with forum and rules
• Urban Dictionary definition of Beirut/Beer Pong
• Beer Pong World Cup Invitational

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