Slap Cup Rules: How to Play (and How It Differs From Rage Cage)

Slap Cup is Rage Cage’s rowdier cousin. Two cups race around a circle of players. Bounce a ping pong ball into your cup and pass it on, and if you sink yours while the player before you is still shooting, you get to slap their cup off the table. Get slapped and you drink one from the middle. Bring towels.

It’s a close cousin of Rage Cage. The difference: in Rage Cage you stack the cup you caught, while in Slap Cup you slap it away, which is faster and messier.

What you need

  • A table everyone can stand around (and a few towels)
  • 15 to 25 plastic cups
  • 2 ping pong balls
  • Beer, seltzer or water, poured about a third full
  • 5 or more players

How to set up

  1. Fill most of the cups a third full and cluster them in the center of the table.
  2. Stand in a circle. Give an empty cup and a ball to two players across from each other.

How to play Slap Cup

  1. Bounce. On “go”, both players bounce their ball off the table, trying to land it in their cup. Keep trying until it goes in.
  2. Pass. Once it’s in, pass your cup and ball to the player on your left, who starts bouncing.
  3. First-try bonus. Make it on the very first bounce and you can pass to anyone who isn’t already holding a cup.
  4. Slap. If you make your shot while the player to your left is still shooting, slap their cup off the table.
  5. Getting slapped. Grab a cup from the center, drink it, and start bouncing into it. Play never stops.
  6. End. The game ends when the center cups run out. Keep score of slaps if you want a winner.

Slap Cup house rules

  • Slap the cup, not the player: hands only, no slapping wrists or arms.
  • Center cup penalty: bounce into a center cup by accident and you drink it.
  • Boom Cup: another name for the same game in some places.

FAQ

What’s the difference between Slap Cup and Rage Cage?

Same setup and bouncing, different catch-up rule. In Slap Cup you slap the caught cup off the table; in Rage Cage you stack your cup into it.

How many players do you need?

At least 5, ideally 6 to 12.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Use water or soda; everything else is the same.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.