_________________________________________________________________________ About Beer Pong Beer Pong is the game as played with hand-thrown balls. The objective of the game is to eliminate the other team's cups from the table by sinking ping pong balls in them. The rules are many-fold and vary greatly by region/house, but easily grasped, which makes the game accessible to beginners yet exciting to all. Official Beer Pong Rules Each team begins the game with six, ten, twelve or occasionally fifteen cups of beer placed in a triangle formation on their end of the table. One edge of the triangle is on the edge of the table, the opposing "tip" points toward the opposing team. Each team fills each cup to a predetermined level, typically four or six ounces. This will require two or three beers per team, per game. The game is played with the same number of ping pong balls as there are players per team, either one or two. Each team is allowed to throw their ping pong ball(s) unimpeded directly into the other team's cups, one at a time. If the ball goes into a cup, the other team must consume that cup of beer and remove the cup. An "Elbows" rule may present a limit to how far towards the opposing team's cups a throwing player's elbow may go. The edge of the table is a common boundary, as is somewhere over the throwing player's cups. This rule is most often used when playing on a short table. If the ball is not flying directly into a cup (i.e. it is bounced off the table, a wall, etc.), the defending team may be allowed to obstruct the ball from entering a cup, either by swatting it or by blowing it away. A bounce shot (one which did not fly directly into the cup, but landed into a cup before coming to a stop) can count as two cups — the defending team must remove the sunk cup as well as another cup. If the ball is spinning inside a cup, players may blow into the cup to try to make the ball fly out. In some places, only females are allowed to blow. A variation of this is that any player may use one finger to try to pop the spinning ball out of the cup; however, this introduces the danger of knocking over one's own cups, which would require that team to drink. If a player throws a ball, but it lands in his/her own cup (eg. failed bounce attempt) they must consume that cup. If both players hit cups during their team's turn, the defending team loses its next turn (known as a "bring back" or "balls back"). A "re-rack" occurs when a team reaches certain increments of cups. Popular counts for re-racks are 6 (cups rearranged into a triangle), 4 (diamond), 3 (triangle), 2 (horizontal or vertical line) and 1 (the cup is re-centered), although various rules will omit some or all of these racks. Some rules do not allow a re-rack in the middle of the team's throwing turn ("mid-term re-rack"), and sometimes the re-rack is not automatic and must be requested. The team whose cups are cleared first are allowed a "rebuttal" or "redemption" — Each player on the team is allowed to shoot until they miss. If overtime is not forced (see below), the game is over and the first team which cleared the cups wins. If the rebuttal is successful (all the non-rebutting team's cups are cleared), an overtime shootout period shall begin in which one cup or three cups are played on each side. In matches between highly skilled teams, overtimes and rebuttals can extend the length of the game significantly. The game is won when one team clears their opponents cups or scores a Death Cup. The losing team must immediately drink the winning team's remaining beer, unless a "drink your own" rule or "beer conservation" rule (wherein remaining cups are left on the table for the next round; for when beer is in short supply) is in effect. The winning team continues playing at the table, against the next challenging team. The defending champion team receives "honors" and throws first. Beer Pong Technique Arc Shot The most common throwing technique is to grasp the ping pong ball with the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the player's good 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. Wrist movement is not usually necessary, although a good player may push off with the knees as they throw to create an upward arcing motion. 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 prefer or occasionally use a "fastball" style throw (named for its speed, it is not thrown like a baseball!) 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. However, caution must however be used if a "no elbows over the table" rule is in use, as it is much easier to violate that guideline with a less controlled throw. 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 velocity of the ball will also cause less-precise shots to bounce off the rim rather than gently bounce into a cup. Finger Roll Other players prefer to grasp the ball with the thumb, index and middle-finger and release the ball in a somewhat "finger-roll" fashion. Throwing in this manner is very accurate once mastered but it is difficult to use on relatively large table. It also takes time to perfect so it is not recommended for beginners. Therefore, this form is most oftened employed by veteran players playing on normal to relatively short tables. Bounce Shot Bounce shots are much harder to accurately throw. The best time to use a bounce is when the opposing team is not paying attention to the game, as the risk of deflection is zero. The current rack must be taken into consideration as well — there is obviously a much higher chance of sinking a bounce on an unspoiled ten cup rack than on an inconsistent rack which has floated all over the table by "Act of God". Serious defenders should also always keep one player on alert for bounce shots to their cups.