- Don’t get over-intoxicated while playing (unless you are one of the lucky few that actually starts becoming accurate after having a few drinks).
- Practice shots in your free time (like Tiger Woods and the fellars in the video below)
- Use the bounce shot carefully! If you’re good, when your opponents look the other way, sneak a bounce in.
- Talk a little smack, especially if the other team is under a lot of pressure to make the last cup.
- Show off some body parts as distraction ([over 18] chicks only please)
- Take your time shooting. Of course this is obvious but often overlooked, like a golf shot: sometimes taking your time can win a game or three.
- Block bounce shots!!!!! These are killer, specially if the opposite team hits the same cup. You will lose very very quickly if you don’t swat those suckers.
- Get a good teammate. Confidence boosting, congratulatory pats on the back, same-cup sinker shots and opponent intimidation are some benefits…
- Don’t let your cups be sitting ducks! If you have a few drinks piled up on the table waiting for you to down, make sure you drink them before your opponent sinks a cup that’s not part of the triangle. This could cost you the game depending on what rules you play by!
- Don’t get too cocky. Yeah you may be good, but girls are pretty good beer pong players too and will usually beat you, even more so if you have a big head.
Want a quick explanation of the game? Here's a list of basic beer pong rules for quick reference.
Don't spend more than five minutes away from the table though! Go and finish the game; make up your own house rules if you must. The best part about beer pong is coming up with your own house beer pong rules!
- What size cups do I use? Sixteen ounce Solo or Dixie cups are the most common. You will have to fill them about a fourth way up or they will tip over if you happen to be playing an opponent whose beer pong shot is comparable to Randy Johnson's fastball.
- How much beer do I use?! That depends on how fast you plan to be drinking! Most games with 2 person teams use 3-4 beers in a ten cup game. Of course, you can use as much as fits in the cup if you really want. Just make sure when you sink a cup your opponent drinks his/her beer before shooting.
- What do I use to shoot? Beer pong balls! Also known as ping pong balls, they are just the right weight for beer pong. They are consistent in the air yet hard to master shooting. Some people use quarters or bottle caps but that gets to be very easy once you get the hang of it.
- How do I rack the cups? Organize the cups in a triangle formation with the pinnacle of the triangle pointing towards your opponents. Make sure the cups are close to your end of the table and make the rims of every cup touch each other.
- OK, so who shoots first? You can flip a quarter, or shoot eye-to-eye to determine the first shot. To shoot eye-to-eye, lock your eyes with your opponent and shoot at the same time. Whoever sinks a cup first gets to shoot in the game first.
- When do I re-rack? If you are playing ten cup beer pong two or three re-racks are typical. If you want to play a quick last game before you go party, re-rack after every made cup when your side has only four cups out of ten left.
- Can I distract the shooters or swat the ball? Umm, you can distract your opponents however you please, but touching the ball in mid-air is an automatic one cup penalty. However, you CAN swat the ball if it hits the table or cup and bounces up!
- Are there special throws? Yeah, if you can bounce the ball in a cup without the other team swatting your ball to smitherines, that counts as two cups.
- How do i dominate? If you and your partner sink the same cup, that's an extra cup bonus! PLUS, the other team skips a turn and you get the balls back. If you start a game and don't miss a shot, your team can win the game without even giving the other team a chance!
- I lost! Do I get any second chances? There is a rebuddle shot after the last cup is made, so you do have a chance to tie it up and play a three-cup overtime.
There are a few optional rules you can add to spice up your beer pong games:
- Death Shot: If you aren't up to the task of drinking your beer before you shoot each turn, your opponent can sink the cup you are drinking! The game is over and you feel shame for not drinking your beer promptly.
- Celebrity Shot - Spectators who have been eagerly following your game can request a celebrity shot if they are feeling lucky.
Practice your Beer Pong Skills Online!
I posted this on the last blog, but since that one is long gone I made a dedicated page on this website for the online beer pong game. Now you can access it whenever you like! Practice your skills online with the Frat Boy Beer Pong game.
Beer Pong Rules - Don’t Forget to Bring a Towel!!
Well, of course you need a towel to clean all kinds of drunken messes occuring during beer pong. Make sure you also add using water cups to your list of beer pong rules! Wash the ball off every time it hits the ground, or just get in the habit of sloshing the ball in the water cup before every turn! I used to play without water cups, but after using them a few times I no longer wanted to drink the lint, dirt, hair, and whatever else the ball picks up off the ground. Nasty!
And, just to keep along with the headline, don’t forget to bring a towel!
A little corny, but if you don’t want to read a list of beer pong rules, watch a video instead! It has some decent tips and basic rules in it.
Beer Pong Rules - Keep a Stash of Pong Balls
One thing that can interrupt an intense game of beer pong is when you miss a shot and then a drunkard steps on the ball! And then you look in your pong ball stash and of course there are none left! If this hasn’t happened to you YET, there is a 99% chance it will in the future.
The solution: Get a Mini Keg of Beer Pong Balls. It looks like a cool addition to any beer pong room. You can buy them on Amazon.
If practicing Happy Gilmore type shots will help become a better beer pong player, then so be it.
Take Beer Pong Anywhere You Go…
You’ll be able to take beer pong with you to every future party, tailgate, beach blast or dorm room with this great new toy. And you don’t need a lot of closet space to hide the party-in-a-suitcase when your dorm CA’s come knocking on your door.
Jumping from house to house on a Friday night involves a lot of beer pong games with different rules everywhere you go. Playing by someone else’s beer pong rules may not be as fun as bringing your own table and set of rules! If the party host doesn’t have a beer pong table, well…then most likely you’ll bounce and hit up the next house on your list. But, imagine traveling with a regulation-size beer pong table to every party you go!
I see this invention being a good party accessory at football games. With so many people around, I’m sure you would get a little attention having a beer pong table! They fold up to brief-case size with a handle on the top. Pretty amazing! Probably more fun than lugging around your 50 pound folding chair (a.k.a cooler) with all of your beer.
What a cool invention. What will they think of next?
Buy a Portable Beer Pong Table from trusty old Amazon!
Beer Pong Rules - Choosing the Correct Beer
Playing beer pong usually results in drinking the same third-rate beer all night long. Part of your personal beer pong rules should be choosing a beer that you will gladly drink all night.
While enjoying the beach in Mexico you can play beer pong filling your beer pong cups with Corona and Lime making your friends at home jealous. Or, you can play with the usual Natty Light or Keystone, not caring to spill a little here and there, playing an awesome drinking game all night getting drunk for cheap!
If your wallet happens to be a little thicker for the night, go with a beer like Bud Light. It won’t let you down…
Add your personal choice of beer to your house list of beer pong rules.
Beer Pong Rules - What is the Crane?
You will run across this shot typically when playing people who are almost seven feet tall. Since these giants’ heads graze the clouds near the ceiling when they try to shoot, they must lean over towards the cups, outstretching their arm and releasing the ball around the center line on a ping pong table. Though many five plus footers may attempt this shot, the seven footer has the true advantage with his massive wingspan. Combined with a high sniper point of view, this shot is usually deadly and results in [too] short beer pong games.
To avoid the crane, I make sure my opponents release the ball behind the table. Another good rule is to have the elbow lined up with the end of the table.
Moms and grandmas can crane if they want.


