Beer Pong Rulings: Quick Answers to Every Table Argument

Mid-game argument? Find the question, read the first line, get back to the table. Two balls in one cup, a knocked-over cup, a ball spinning on the rim: here are 32 quick rulings for the fights every party has.

These are the Beer Pong All-Stars house rules, which is how most house parties play. Where tournament rules say otherwise, we tell you. And the house always gets the final word, so if your table plays it differently, your table wins. Want the long version? Read the complete beer pong rules guide.

Jump to: Setup · Shooting · Making cups · Island · Defense · Knocked-over cups · Re-racks · Last cup · Penalties

Setup and who shoots first

How many cups do you need for beer pong?

Twenty: 10 cups per side, racked in a 4-3-2-1 triangle. Short on cups or time? Play 6 cup beer pong with a 3-2-1 rack. Cup pong is the same game with a different name.

Who shoots first in beer pong?

For the first game of the night, shoot eye to eye: one player from each team shoots while staring the other down, and the team that makes it while the other misses goes first. After that, the team holding the table shoots first.

Do you have to play beer pong with beer?

No. Fill the game cups with water and drink from your own cup. Most tournaments play that way, and it keeps the table a lot cleaner.

Shooting

Can your elbow go past the table?

No. Your elbow stays behind the table edge until the ball leaves your hand, or the shot doesn’t count. Leaning is fine; your elbow can’t cross. That’s the elbow rule, and the easy fix is a step back.

Can you bounce the ball in beer pong?

Yes. A bounce shot that goes in counts for two cups, but the other team can swat it once it hits the table.

Do you have to bounce the ball in beer pong?

No. Bouncing is optional and most shots are thrown on the fly. Save the bounce for when the defense is busy arguing about the last call.

What if your shot rolls back to your side?

If it comes back without touching the floor, you get one extra shot, and it has to be a trick shot. Behind the back, off the ceiling, eyes closed: show off.

Can someone else take a shot for you?

Once per game. Call the celeb shot and hand the ball to anyone in the room. It can make a regular cup but never earns bonus cups.

Making cups

What happens if both balls go in the same cup?

Three cups come off: the cup you both hit plus two more of your choice, and you get the balls back. No call needed. That’s the same cup rule, and it’s the biggest swing in the game.

What happens if both players make a cup?

Balls back: you both shoot again. There’s no limit, so keep making them.

What if the ball bounces off one cup and into another?

At our house it’s one cup: the one it landed in. Houses that play traveling give you bonus cups for it. We don’t, because it rewards luck instead of aim.

What does heating up mean in beer pong?

Make two in a row and call “heating up.” Make the third and you’re on fire: keep shooting until you miss. No call, no fire.

What if a guy hits the center cup first?

At our house it doesn’t count at all: no drink, the cup stays, and no heating-up credit. If a girl hits it first, it counts. That’s the bitch cup rule, and it only applies to the first cup of the game.

What if you hit a cup that was made but never pulled?

Game over. That’s death cup: a second make in a forgotten cup ends the game on the spot, with no redemption. Pull your cups.

Island

What is island in beer pong?

A cup that isn’t touching any other cup while at least two other cups still touch each other. Call “island” before you shoot, sink it, and the other team pulls the island cup plus one bonus cup you pick. Full details on the island rule page.

Can you call island with 2 cups left?

No. Island needs at least three cups on the table: the lone cup plus a two-cup mainland. That’s also why island can never win the game.

How many times can you call island?

Once per player per game, so two per team. Miss your island shot and the call is spent.

Do you have to call island?

Yes. Sink a lone cup without calling it and it’s just a normal cup, no bonus.

Defense

Can you block a shot in beer pong?

Only after it bounces on the table. Swat a ball out of the air and it counts as a made cup. See defense.

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 finger it out and girls blow it out, and lots of houses let anyone do either. Tournament rules don’t allow it.

What if the ball already hit the drink?

Too late. It’s a made cup, so drink up.

Knocked-over cups

If you knock over a cup in beer pong, does it count?

If it’s your own cup, yes: it counts as made, so pull it and drink it. If the other team knocks it over, refill it and keep playing. See the spilled cup rule.

What if you knock over a cup that was already made?

If your team knocks over one of your own cups that was already made, you drink an extra, but no extra cups come off.

What if someone knocks over the last cup?

Knock over your own last cup and you lose. If the shooting team knocks it over, refill it, unless your house plays beaming.

Re-racks

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. Call it before your turn. Every shape you can ask for is in our rack formations guide.

When can’t you re-rack?

Mid-turn (including after balls back), during redemption, in overtime, and when the last three cups form a Bermuda triangle.

Does centering the last cup use a re-rack?

No. You can always ask for the last cup to be pulled back and centered, free. See re-racks.

Last cup and the end of the game

What happens when you make the last cup?

The other team gets redemption: each player shoots until they miss. Clear every remaining cup and the game goes to overtime. Leave even one and it’s over.

How does overtime work in beer pong?

Three cups per side in a triangle, sudden death, no re-racks and no redemption. First team to clear its three wins. See overtime.

Can you win before the other team shoots?

Yes, with ring of fire: sink the front cup, the center cup and both back-corner cups before any other cup and the game ends on the spot. With balls back, it can happen on the very first turn.

Can you win with ring of fire during redemption?

No. Ring of fire can’t win during redemption, but a death cup can.

Penalties for getting shut out

What happens if you lose without making a cup?

If you made zero cups and your team lost, you’re the troll: under the table for the whole next game. If neither of you made a cup, the whole team takes a naked lap.

Settle it before it starts

Most of these arguments never happen if the rules are on the wall. Pick yours with the house rules builder, look up any term in the beer pong glossary, or hang a house rules sign from our shop. Got a ruling we missed? Submit your house rule.