Author: Matt

Matt has run Beer Pong All-Stars since 2014, when he started writing down house rules to end the arguments at his own table. Those notes became the 25 Rules of Beer Pong, plus rack formations, party games and a shop full of game-room signs. He's played more basement, backyard and tailgate games than he can count, and he'll defend the ring of fire as the best rule in beer pong to anyone who asks.

Trick Shot – Rules of Beer Pong #18

18. Trick Shot

In a nutshell: if your shot comes back to your side without touching the floor, grab it and take an extra shot, but it has to be a trick shot.

This one adds some style to your game. Get the ball back without it hitting the floor and you’ve earned a bonus shot, as long as you make it look good. Behind the back, off the ceiling, eyes closed: show off.

How the trick shot rule works

  1. The ball comes back to you. It bounces or rolls back to the shooter’s side.
  2. No floor. If the ball hits the floor first, there’s no extra shot.
  3. The shooter gets one extra shot. Only the player who shot it.
  4. It has to be a trick shot. Behind the back, off the wall or ceiling, eyes closed: get creative.

Defending a trick shot

Once a trick shot bounces off the table, the defending team can block it under the defense rule.

FAQ

Can you shoot a normal shot instead?
No. The extra shot has to be a trick shot.

Does a made trick shot earn bonus cups?
Not by itself. If it bounces off the table first, the bounce shot rule applies.

Watch: beer pong trick shots

Keep the arguments off the table. Add trick shots to your house rules: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #17 Fingering / Blowing  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #19 Redemption / Rebuttal →

Fingering / Blowing – Rules of Beer Pong #17

17. Fingering / Blowing

In a nutshell: if a ball is spinning around inside your cup, you can get it out before it hits the drink: guys with a finger, girls by blowing.

The last line of defense. If a ball is spinning around inside your cup and hasn’t touched the drink yet, you still have a chance to fish it out. Hesitate and it’s a cup.

Beer Pong fingering / blowing

Dudes don’t blow

How it works

  1. The ball is still spinning. It has to be circling the inside of the cup, not sitting in the drink.
  2. Get it out. Traditionally, guys flick it out with a finger and girls blow it out.
  3. Touch the drink and it counts. If your finger or the ball touches the liquid, the cup is made and you drink.

Variations

  • Many houses let anyone finger or blow.
  • Some houses don’t allow either; any ball that goes in counts.

FAQ

Can you blow the ball out of the cup in beer pong?
Yes, as long as the ball is still spinning and hasn’t touched the drink. Traditionally guys use a finger and girls blow, and many houses let anyone do either. Official tournament rules don’t allow it.

Is this defense?
Yes, the last chance at it. Bounced shots can also be swatted under the defense rule.

What if the ball is already in the drink?
Too late. The cup counts.

Keep the arguments off the table. Decide who can finger and who can blow, then post it: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #16 Balls Back  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #18 Trick Shot →

Balls Back – Rules of Beer Pong #16

16. Balls Back

In a nutshell: if both players on a team make their shots, they get the balls back and shoot again.

Both teammates make it? Balls back. This is where big combos happen and momentum flips, and it’s the reason you pick a partner who can actually shoot.

Balls Back Shake and Bake

How balls back works

  1. Both teammates make it. Each player sinks a cup on the same turn.
  2. Shoot again. The team gets both balls back for two more shots.
  3. No limit. A team can earn balls back several times in a row.

Balls back and on fire

If one shooter goes on fire, they keep shooting until they miss. If their partner also makes a cup, the team still gets balls back once the fire goes out. It doesn’t matter who shot first.

Balls back on the last two cups

If each player makes one of the last two cups, the team gets one more shot each at a single cup. Make that cup and the defending team doesn’t get redemption.

FAQ

Can you re-rack after balls back?
No. Balls back is still the same turn.

Does same cup give balls back?
Yes, plus bonus cups. See same cup.

Keep the arguments off the table. Add balls back to your posted rules: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #15 Reracks  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #17 Fingering / Blowing →

Reracks – Rules of Beer Pong #15

15. Re-racks

In a nutshell: most houses allow two re-racks per game, called before your turn, to rearrange the cups you’re shooting at.

Re-racks are the most underused weapon in beer pong. Call them before your turn, ask for the shape you want, and stop shooting at scattered cups like a noob.

Beer Pong Reracks

How re-racks work

  1. Two per team per game in a standard 10-cup game. One per player in one-on-one.
  2. Call it before your turn. Ask for the formation you want before anyone shoots.
  3. Not mid-turn. If you get balls back, you can’t re-rack until your next turn.
  4. Last cup is free. You can always ask for the last cup to be pulled back and centered, and it doesn’t use a re-rack.

The gentleman’s re-rack

At Beer Pong All-Stars, two cups can be put in a line as a gentleman’s re-rack.

When you can’t re-rack

Common re-rack formations

See every shape you can call, with diagrams, on our beer pong racks page.

FAQ

How many re-racks do you get in beer pong?
Two per team per game in a standard 10-cup game, and one per player in one-on-one.

Who asks for the re-rack?
The shooting team asks, and the defending team sets it up.

Can a re-rack get rid of an island?
Yes. Re-racking before the shooters’ turn can pull a lone cup back into the group.

Keep the arguments off the table. Put your re-rack limit on the wall: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #14 Elbow Rule  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #16 Balls Back →

Elbow Rule – Rules of Beer Pong #14

14. Elbow Rule

In a nutshell: your elbow can’t cross the edge of the table while you shoot. If it does, the shot doesn’t count.

Watch those elbows! It’s the unspoken rule at nearly every house party, and the most argued-about rule in the game. Take a good step back from the table and you’ll never have to worry about it.

Elbow Rule

Watch those elbows!

How the elbow rule works

  1. Elbow behind the edge. Your elbow stays behind the table edge until the ball leaves your hand.
  2. Leaning is fine. Your body can lean over; your elbow can’t.
  3. Cross it and the shot is void. A made cup goes back on the table.

Avoiding elbow arguments

  • Take a step back from the table and it never comes up.
  • The best view is from the side, not the other end. Have someone on the side call it.
  • It matters most on short tables, where leaning makes shots much easier.

Elbow rule on regulation tables

Some competitive players skip the elbow rule on an official 8-foot table, since the length makes leaning less of an advantage. At house parties it’s nearly universal.

FAQ

Who calls an elbow?
The defending team, and the house settles disputes.

Does it apply to bounce shots?
Yes. Every shot follows the elbow rule.

Keep the arguments off the table. Post the elbow rule and end the arguments: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #13 Eye to Eye  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #15 Reracks →

Eye to Eye – Rules of Beer Pong #13

13. Eye to Eye

In a nutshell: to decide who shoots first, one player from each team shoots while holding eye contact. The team that makes it while the other misses goes first.

First game of the night? Settle who shoots first the old-fashioned way: stare your opponent down and shoot without looking at the cups. It’s harder than it sounds.

Eye to Eye

“Eye to Eye”

How eye to eye works

  1. One shooter per team. Players face each other at opposite ends.
  2. Keep eye contact. Shoot without looking at the cups.
  3. One makes, one misses: done. The team that made it shoots first.
  4. Tie? Next pair. If both make or both miss, the partners shoot. Keep going until only one team makes it.
  5. No cups come off. Cups made during eye to eye go back and aren’t pulled; roll the ball to the winners and start.

When to shoot eye to eye

  • Before the first game of the night.
  • After that, the team holding the table shoots first.
  • If the winning team leaves the table, do eye to eye again.

FAQ

Do you drink cups made in eye to eye?
No. Nothing is pulled before the game starts.

Can you look at the cups?
No. Break eye contact and the shot doesn’t count.

Keep the arguments off the table. Settle who goes first before the arguing starts: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #12 Death Cup  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #14 Elbow Rule →

Death Cup – Rules of Beer Pong #12

12. Death Cup

In a nutshell: if a made cup never gets pulled and the other team hits it again, it’s death cup and the game is over.

Beware! Late in a long night, somebody always forgets to pull a cup. Nobody has to remind you, and if it gets hit again, the game is over. Pull your cups.

Death Cup Beer Pong Rule

Beware!

How death cup works

  1. A cup gets made but not pulled. It happens late in the night.
  2. No warning required. The shooting team doesn’t have to point out the forgotten cup.
  3. Hit it again and it’s over. A second make in the same cup is death cup, and the game ends.

Death cup and redemption

You can’t win with ring of fire during redemption, but you can win with a death cup.

Another version

At some houses, death cup means sinking a ball into the drink someone is holding. Agree on which version you play.

FAQ

How do you avoid a death cup?
Pull and drink every made cup right away.

Does a death cup skip redemption?
Yes. The game ends immediately.

Keep the arguments off the table. Put death cup on the sign so nobody claims they didn’t know: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #11 Traveling  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #13 Eye to Eye →

Traveling – Rules of Beer Pong #11

11. Traveling

In a nutshell: if your shot touches one cup and drops into another, you earn bonus cups. We don’t play it at Beer Pong All-Stars, but plenty of houses do.

Want a bonus cup for a lucky bounce? Some houses give you one. Ours doesn’t, and here’s why.

Traveling Beer Pong Rule

What do you mean “travel?”

How traveling works

  1. The ball hits a cup and keeps going. It rolls off one cup’s rim and drops into another.
  2. Bonus cups. Depending on the house, you pull every cup the ball touched, or the made cup plus one bonus cup.

Why we don’t play it

Traveling rewards lucky shots, so rookies collect cups they didn’t earn and games end faster. If you want a bonus rule, island and bounce shots reward skill instead.

FAQ

What if the ball bounces off one cup and into another?
At our house it counts as one cup: the one it landed in. Houses that play traveling give you bonus cups for it.

Do you have to call traveling?
No. It’s decided by where the ball goes, not by a call.

Is traveling the same as same cup?
No. Same cup is when both teammates make the same cup.

Keep the arguments off the table. Playing with or without traveling? Post it: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #10 Beaming / Randy Johnson Rule  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #12 Death Cup →

Beaming / Randy Johnson Rule – Rules of Beer Pong #10

10. Beaming / Randy Johnson Rule

In a nutshell: when the other team is down to one cup, you can drill it with a hard throw. Knock it over or off the table and you win.

That’s got some heat on it. Beaming has started more fights than any other rule in beer pong, so get everyone to agree before you start drilling cups.

Beaming / Randy Johnson Beer Pong Rule

That’s got some heat on it

How beaming works

  1. Last cup only. You can only beam when the defending team has one cup left.
  2. Throw hard. Aim to spill the cup or knock it off the table.
  3. Spilled or knocked off is a win. The game is over.

Why many houses ban it

Beaming has started more fights than any other rule. Nobody likes beer thrown on them, so use discretion and make sure everyone agrees to it first. It’s named after pitcher Randy Johnson, known for his fastball.

Beaming and spilled cups

Without the beaming rule, a last cup knocked over by the shooting team is just refilled. See the spilled cup rule.

FAQ

Can you beam a cup that isn’t the last one?
No. Beaming is a last-cup rule.

Do the defenders get redemption after a beam?
Agree on it first. Most houses that allow beaming treat it like a made last cup, so redemption still applies.

Keep the arguments off the table. If your house allows beaming, say so on the sign: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #9 Bermuda Triangle Rule  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #11 Traveling →

Bermuda Triangle Rule – Rules of Beer Pong #9

9. Bermuda Triangle Rule

In a nutshell: three cups left and none of them touching is a Bermuda triangle: no re-rack and no island until one of them is made.

Danger! Three cups, none touching, and suddenly nobody can hit anything. The Bermuda triangle is where good games go to die.

Bermuda Triangle Rule

Danger!

How the Bermuda triangle works

  1. Spot it. Exactly three cups left, spread so none of them touch.
  2. No re-rack. You can’t request a re-rack while the cups sit in a Bermuda triangle.
  3. No island. An island needs a mainland of touching cups, and there isn’t one.
  4. Shoot your way out. The formation stays until someone sinks one of the cups.

Why it matters

Three spread-out cups are the hardest targets on the table. Expect a few misses in the triangle.

FAQ

Is a Bermuda triangle the same as an island?
No. An island is one lone cup next to a mainland; a Bermuda triangle has no mainland at all.

Can you re-rack before it becomes a triangle?
Yes. If you still have a re-rack, use it before your cups end up spread out.

Keep the arguments off the table. Add the Bermuda triangle to your posted rules: house rules signs from the Beer Pong All-Stars shop.

See all the rules in the complete beer pong rules guide.

← #8 Sniper Rule  ·  All 25 rules  ·  Quick rulings  ·  Next: #10 Beaming / Randy Johnson Rule →

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