Beer pong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-to-four-player teams and multiple cups set up, in triangle formation, on each side.[1] There are no official rules and rules may vary
widely, though usually there are six or ten plastic cups arranged in a triangle on each side. Each team then takes turns attempting to shoot ping pong balls into the opponent's cups. If a ball lands in a cup, then the contents of that cup are consumed by the other team, and the cup is either placed aside or reinserted into the triangle. If the cup is reinserted and the other team knocks the cup over, it is removed. If the opposing team throws the ball into an empty cup, they must consume the contents of one of their cups. The first side to eliminate all of the opponent's cups is the winner.[2]
The order of play varies—both players on one team shoot followed by both players on the other team, or players on opposite teams can alternate back and forth.[3]
Traditionally, the game of beer pong has been played by countless variations of rule sets. In recent years, organizations such as The World Series of Beer Pong have put forth "official" rules. Typically, players abide by a uniform set of "house rules", which are often consistent within one university or region of the country (e.g., "Ivy League rules" or "West Coast rules"), or may vary on a "house-by-house" basis.[26] Number of cups, bouncing, amount of alcohol, the distance shots must be taken from, et cetera, may all vary. All house rules must be either posted or verbally stated and understood by both teams before the game starts. If neither happens previous to the game, the game in progress should be ruled by official beer pong rules. In some house rules, players must immediately drink any cup that has been hit. Failure to do so incurs a penalty, such as drinking more beer or losing the game.[27] Some rule sets allow for "re-racking" (also known as "reforming", "rearranging", "consolidation", and other names), which is a rearrangement of a team's remaining cups after some have been removed. The formations, number of cups, when to rearrange and so on depend on the rule set. For example, a team with three remaining cups may ask the other team to "re-rack" their multiple targets into a single triangle formation.[28]
Some other house rules allow swatting the ball away if it bounces. Others allow players to flick or blow the ball out of the cup if the ball spins around the inner rim, but blowing is often restricted to female players. Other rules state that if a team makes both shots in a round, each player may shoot again, sometimes called a "rollback".[29] In World Series of Beer Pong rules only one repo/rollback is allowed and is a single ball, resulting in a 3 cup maximum that can be made per turn. Before shooting, teams may dunk the ping pong balls into cups of water in order to wash off the balls. However, research has shown that the wash cups still hold bacteria, such as E. coli.[30][31] To avoid any illness, many players now put water in the cups instead of beer, and keep a beer on the side that can remain cold. In doing so, it removes the element of getting sick or even drinking any dirt that may transfer from the ball into the cup. Shot techniques
The typical path for the different kinds of shots
There are three key ways to shoot in beer pong: the arc, the fastball (or "laser, dart, snipe"), and the bounce shot. The most common throwing technique is the "arc" shot, where one grasps the ping pong ball with the tips of the thumb and forefinger, holds the arm at an angle with the ball upwards, then throw by using gentle elbow motion, holding the upper arm parallel with the table.[26]
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.[26] Also, a fastball shot may be favorable if house rules dictate a cup that is knocked over is taken off the table, in which case a fastball can eliminate multiple cups if thrown hard enough. A "bounce" shot is performed by bouncing the ball toward the cups. Since (depending on house rules) the other team may have the opportunity to swat away a bounced ball, a bounce may be worth more than one cup.[26] In some rule sets, bouncing is not allowed; in others, it is required. During redemption the miss table rule does not apply. Winning the game
If the opposing team makes the last cup, the other loses unless they can make either all remaining cups or simply one cup, depending on "house rules"—this is called a rebuttal or redemption.[32] In some rule sets, if the opposing team hits the last cup with both of their balls, no redemption is given to the losing team.[26][28] If the losing team can hit the redemption shots, then the game is forced into overtime, where 3 cups are used, instead of the normal 6 or 10. Some rules state that if a team does not re-rack, then the opposing team is not allowed redemption shots, and the game is then over immediately after the winning cup is sunk. This rule encourages players to hold off on re-racking until absolutely necessary, or not at all, adding some decision making and strategy to the game. A shutout or "stink bomb" rule is a house rule usually stated before a game or during the game in the midst of a shutout. If the shutout does occur the losing team must do whatever the two teams decided on, such as going streaking or drinking a large quantity of beer. Depending on house rules, there are also other ways to end the game. Cups that were accidentally left in the rack after being made or cups that have been pulled aside but not yet drank are known as death cups. Sometimes referred to as "kill cups", these cups will immediately end the game if made again. Some players may choose to shoot at the same time in hopes of making it in the same cup and ending the game. Some houses eliminate this by changing the rule to pulling 3 cups instead of ending the game. Ring of fire or Honeycomb is when you hit middle cup, front cup, and the back corner cups leaving a ring or honeycomb shaped arrangement of cups remaining. After this occurs, the team must make and land the cup in the middle of the comb. If this is achieved the game immediately ends similar to death cup[28]
