Category: Beer Pong Variations

Classic pong getting old? Mix it up with Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong and more, each with full rules. See all of them on our beer pong variations page.

Chandeliers Drinking Game Rules: How to Play

Chandeliers is the bounce game for a round table. Everyone’s cup sits in a ring around one full cup in the middle, the chandelier. Bounce the ball into someone’s cup and they drink. Bounce it into the chandelier and everybody chugs and flips, and the last one to land their flip drinks the chandelier. It’s Rage Cage chaos without the stacking.

What you need

  • A round or square table everyone can reach
  • One cup per player, plus one for the middle (and an empty cup to stand it on, optional)
  • 1 or 2 ping pong balls
  • 4 to 10 players

How to set up

  1. Put the chandelier cup in the middle of the table, filled all the way. Many groups stand it on an upside-down empty cup so it sits higher.
  2. Each player fills their own cup about a third full and sets it in a ring around the middle cup.
  3. Give one player a ball.

How to play Chandeliers

  1. Bounce. The player with the ball bounces it off the table, aiming at the cups in the middle. It has to bounce at least once.
  2. Someone’s cup: if it lands in another player’s cup, that player drinks it and refills it. Land it in your own cup and you drink it.
  3. The chandelier: if it lands in the middle cup, everyone finishes their own drink and flips their cup. The last player to land their flip drinks the chandelier, then it’s refilled.
  4. Pass. The ball goes to the player on the left, made shot or miss, and play continues as long as you like.

Chandeliers house rules

  • Two balls: for a faster game, start two balls on opposite sides of the table.
  • No grabbing: nobody can catch or block the ball until it has bounced twice.
  • Double cup: a ball that hits one cup and drops into another means both players drink.

FAQ

Why is it called Chandeliers?

The full cup in the middle, often raised on an upside-down cup, is the chandelier everyone is aiming at.

How many people do you need?

At least 4; it’s best with 6 to 10 around a round table.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Use water or soda; the flip-cup race still works.

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page.

Baseball Pong Rules: How to Play Beer Pong Baseball

Baseball Pong turns the beer pong table into a ballpark. Four cups in a line on each side are first base, second, third and a home run. Sink a cup and your runner moves that many bases. Miss and it’s an out. Three outs and the teams switch, and whoever has the most runs after the last inning wins. Perfect for a big group that wants to keep score.

What you need

  • A beer pong table
  • 8 cups (4 per side), plus a water cup
  • 1 or 2 ping pong balls
  • Two teams of any size; 2 to 5 players per side works well
  • Something to keep score on

How to set up

  1. On each end, set four cups in a straight line running away from the shooter, about a cup-width apart. The closest cup is a single, then a double, a triple and, farthest back, the home run.
  2. Fill the cups. A popular rule fills them by value: the single lightest and the home run cup the fullest.
  3. Pick who bats first.

How to play Baseball Pong

  1. Bat. The batting team shoots one at a time at the other team’s line of cups. Each batter gets one shot.
  2. Hit. Sink the first cup and you’re on first base; the second cup puts you on second, the third on third, and the fourth is a home run. The fielding team drinks the cup that was hit and refills it.
  3. Run the bases. Runners already on base move forward the same number of bases as the hit, just like real baseball. Every runner who crosses home scores a run.
  4. Out. A miss is an out. Three outs and the other team bats.
  5. Win. Play 9 innings (or 3 to 6 for a shorter game). Most runs wins; tied games go to extra innings.

Baseball Pong house rules

  • Strikes instead of outs: each batter gets three shots (strikes) before they’re out.
  • Drink by the hit: instead of one cup, the fielding team drinks every cup up to the one that was hit, so a home run means all four.
  • Steal cup: a fifth cup off to the side; sink it and your lead runner steals a base.
  • Bounce shots are usually not allowed, or count only as a single.

FAQ

How many cups do you need for Baseball Pong?

Eight: four on each side, plus a water cup to rinse the ball.

How long does a game take?

A 3-inning game takes about 20 minutes. Nine innings is a full night.

Can you play one on one?

Yes. Each player bats in turn and keeps their own runners.

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Civil War Beer Pong Rules: 3-on-3 With No Turns

Civil War is beer pong with the turns taken out. Three players per side, each with their own little rack, and as many balls as you can find. Anyone holding a ball can shoot, any time. Lose all your cups and you’re out, but you can keep fetching balls for your teammates. It’s the most chaotic way to play pong, and our favorite with six people and one table.

What you need

  • A long table: an 8-foot beer pong table works, and two tables pushed side by side give more room
  • 6 cups per player (36 for a 3-on-3 game), plus a water cup per side to rinse balls
  • 3 or 4 ping pong balls
  • Two teams of three (four-a-side works on a wider table)

How to set up

  1. Each player sets a 6-cup pyramid (3-2-1) in front of their own spot along the back edge, so each side has three small racks side by side. Some groups use a 4-cup diamond per player for a quicker game.
  2. Fill the cups a little lighter than in normal pong; you’ll be drinking fast.
  3. Put all the balls in the middle of the table.

How to play Civil War

  1. Go. On “three”, everyone grabs for a ball. There are no turns from here on.
  2. Shoot any time. If you have a ball, shoot it at any opponent’s cups. Grab rebounds and loose balls and keep shooting.
  3. Make a cup and the player who owns it pulls it and drinks it. They can’t shoot until they’ve finished it.
  4. Bounce shots are allowed and usually count for two cups, but defenders can swat a ball once it bounces.
  5. Out. When all of a player’s cups are gone, they’re out of the game. Some groups let eliminated players keep fetching balls for their team.
  6. Win. The last team with any cups left wins.

Civil War house rules

  • One re-rack per player, called out loud, while you’re not holding a ball.
  • Rescue: if a teammate is out, sinking an opponent’s last cup can bring them back with one cup.
  • No defense on air balls, same as beer pong defense: swat bounces only.
  • Elbows behind the table still applies, even in the chaos.

Tips

  • Take out their weakest shooter first. Knock a player out and their shots leave the game with them.
  • Don’t stop to celebrate. Made a cup? Cool. Grab the next ball.
  • Water cups at both ends. With three or four balls flying, they hit the floor constantly. Nobody wants a floor ball in their cup.

FAQ

How many players is Civil War?

Usually 3 on 3. Four-a-side works with two tables pushed together.

How many balls do you use?

Three or four. More balls means a faster, messier game.

How is it different from beer pong?

No turns, more players, a small rack per player instead of one 10-cup rack per team, and players are knocked out one at a time.

Want turns? Here are the standard 3v3 beer pong rules.

More beer pong variations: Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Rope Swing Beer Pong

Rope swing beer pong is the lake version of the game: instead of throwing a ball into a cup, you throw yourself. Teams take turns swinging off a rope and letting go over a “rack” of inner tubes floating in the water. Drop through a tube and the other team drinks. It’s ridiculous, and it’s the best thing you can do with a rope swing.

What you need

  • A rope swing over deep, clear water, with no rocks, stumps or docks underneath
  • Inner tubes (6 or 10, depending on how big a rack you want), tied together into a triangle so they don’t drift
  • Two teams, and drinks waiting on shore or on the boat

How to play

  1. Set the rack. Float the tubes in a triangle under the end of the swing, just like a beer pong rack.
  2. Take turns. One player per team swings per turn, alternating sides.
  3. Let go and aim. Drop through the middle of a tube and it counts as a made cup: the other team drinks, and the tube gets pulled.
  4. Win by clearing the rack first, same as regular pong.

House rules to argue about

  • Rim shot: land on the tube but not through it? Most crews say it doesn’t count.
  • Style points: flip in and make it, and you get a bonus tube, like a trick shot.
  • Belly flop penalty: totally optional, totally hilarious.

Don’t be the guy who ruins the lake day

Check the water depth before anyone swings, and only swing over open water. One swinger at a time, nobody in the drop zone, and whoever’s had the most to drink sits a round out. Life jackets on the boat, and a sober driver on it.

Here’s the clip that started it, courtesy of Chubbies Shorts:

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Oche Pong

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Oche Pong

Oche Pong is a new twist on the classic party game of beer pong. Playing beer pong just got easier: set up Oche Pong on the wall, on a pop-up tailgate tent, or anywhere else where you do not want to be limited by a table. Now you can play balls to the wall beer pong and save the floor space to get down on the dance floor!

Oche, pronounced like hockey without the “h”, is the technical term for the throw line in darts. Gameplay is very similar to the classic bar game of darts and Oche Pong’s shape gets its inspiration from old world pub signs in design. If you are a bar owner, Oche Pong is a perfect low cost addition to bring fun to the club!

Oche Pong on Tent with Bungee Cords

Great for tailgating!

 

There are three popular ways to set up Oche Pong. You can play on a wall if you have nails or skrews. You can play on a glass surface like a window with hooked suction cups. You can even play at the tailgate by hooking Oche Pong to bungee cords. If you order through their website Oche Pong ships with FREE hooked suction cups and bungee cords for your convenience. We put our Oche Pong on the sliding glass door at the new crib where there wasn’t enough space for a full beer pong table.

Rules

Oche Pong on glass with suction cups

Suction cups stick to glass!

There are two main “official rules” variations of Oche Pong: one board and two boards:

 

Game Play with 1 board

Two teams consist of 1 or 2 players.

Each team gets 2 pong balls per turn.

Teams alternate turns with 2 throws per turn, each team member must attempt a shot per turn.

Cups are removed when a ball lands inside the cup.

If a team makes two successful shots in a turn they are awarded a third shot.

Teams keep score by collecting cups.

Each team can call for 1 re-rack, per game.

The first team to 6 cups wins.

In the event of a 5 to 5 tie, a 3 cup overtime applies and the first to 7 cups wins.

So please join us in going balls to the wall with Oche Pong!

Game Play with 2 Boards

Oche Pong double board

Double the fun

Two teams consist of 1 or 2 players.

Each team gets 2 pong balls per turn.

Teams alternate turns with 2 throws per turn, each team member must attempt a shot per turn.

Cups are removed when a ball lands inside the cup.

If a team makes two successful shots in a turn they are awarded a third shot.

The first team to eliminate all cups is the winner.

Re-Racks (Optional)

Repositioning the cups is generally permitted once or twice during game play. Re-racks or the number of re-racks should be stated before game play.  If you are looking for an official number to satisfy some spirited conversation then let’s say one.

End Game/ Overtime (Optional)

Once a team eliminates all cups on their board, the opposing team has one last opportunity to send the game into overtime.  The opposing team is given the chance to throw until they miss without any limits to the number of throws. The game is over if any shot misses. If the team has not used all their re-racks, they can do so once before end game starts. If said team also eliminates all cups on their board, the game goes into overtime.  Overtime consists of 3 cups put back into game play anywhere on the board they chose and normal game play resumes.

Tall Boy (Beer Pong All-Stars Rule)

If a player makes the top cup on the first turn, the opposing team must drink a tall boy.

 

 

 

How do I get my hands on Oche Pong?

Oche Pong single playing board

Balls to the wall fun!

 

 

 

 

Oche Pong hooked suction cups

If you need to replace a suction cup, any standard hooked suction cup from a hardware store works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Giant Beer Pong

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Giant Beer Pong

Giant beer pong takes the popular drinking game to the next level. We have seen Jimmy Fallon playing rounds on The Tonight Show with his guests such as Zoë Kravitz, Nina Dobrev, and Pitbull. Now you can play too at your next party. Giant Beer Pong is an oversized twist on the time honored game of beer pong. Instead of the classic red solo cups this game makes use of giant buckets and softball sized “beer pong balls.” To play 6 buckets are set up in a pyramid formation on each side 6 to 8 yards apart. Each player gets an oversized ball to shoot once per turn. Every Time a bucket is made a person on the other team must chug half of a beer. If both players on a team make the same bucket they get balls back. This game is a great pastime at the park, at the tailgate, on the beach, or at the pool.

Check out some fun clips of celebrities playing oversized beer pong on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon below. Jimmy will get a win one of these days…

Giant Beer Pong

Beer Pong on Steroids!

Titan Pong

Titan Pong comes with 12 giant red buckets and 3 plastic white balls perfect for a beach or poolside game of giant beer pong. Pick up Titan Pong from Amazon and receive a custom carrying case to transport your oversized beer pong kit.

Bucket Ball

Bucket Ball

Bucket Ball

Bucket Ball offers 6 blue buckets in addition to 6 red buckets for your backyard or tailgate game of jumbo beer pong. With Bucket Ball you will receive 2 tennis game balls and a tote bag to carry it all.

BEARPONG Kit

BEARPONG offers a premium take on giant beer pong. Each of the 12 BEARPONG buckets is designed to match with 2 giant beer pong balls that is calibrated by weight. Each BEARPONG set also comes with a convenient carrying case.

BEARPONG Ball

Bear Pong Ball

Giant Beer Pong Ball

You can also pick up a giant beer pong ball at BEARPONG that is specifically weighted to be used with BEARPONG buckets. Each white ball is marked with the Bear Pong Logo.

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Shot Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Shot Pong

Ante up! Beer pong is getting an upgrade. If you thought beer pong got you bombed quick prepare yourself for shot pong, beer pong’s dangerous older brother. Now there a couple of different versions of shot pong floating around the net so here’s a quick rundown:

Simple Shot Pong

You’re going to need a wide table or separate place to keep your shot glasses. This simple version of the beer pong variation requires 12 plastic cups and 12 shot glasses. Fill each of the shot glasses to ~1/3. Now play pong as normal, but every time your opponent sinks a cups you must take the shot of the corresponding shot glass. Pull your solo cups as usual.

Beer Tab Shot Pong

Here is a another cool take. Beer tab shot pong uses beer tabs instead of pong balls. Set up a six cup rack of some uniform shot glasses and fill them to ~1/3 -1/2 with your favorite liquor. Beer tab shot pong works well on smaller table tops. These guys use 2 tabs a piece, if you do the same you’re sure to get tanked.

Rotating Shot Pong

Here’s a fun one and it’s a little less intense. To play start by setting up a 6 cup rack at one side of the table. This game requires four players but there are no teams. Each player sets up on a different side of the table. The person that is opposite the cups is the shooter. The shooter gets 3 shots per turn. For every shot the shooter makes, the person standing on the side of the cups must take 1/3 of a shot. Rotate after each turn.

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Strip Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.

Strip Beer Pong

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Strip Beer Pong

Naughty

Official Rules of Strip Beer Pong

Strip beer pong is a 10 cup beer pong game with a sexy twist. The game proceeds according to the normal rules of beer pong except that if a player makes a full cup on the rack the cup of beer is drank and then returned empty to the table. The player who made the shot gets the ball back and if that player makes the empty cup on his/her next shot, then both players on the opposing team must remove an article of clothing. The game continues until all cups are removed from play.

 

 

 

 

CLOTHING REMOVAL ORDER

  1. shoes
  2. socks
  3. shirt
  4. pants
  5. bra
  6. underwear

Strip Beer Pong as a House Rule:

Some houses have a rule to include strip beer pong into all games. The rule calls for a player to remove an article of clothing if that player misses the table on their shot. Clothing would be removed in the same order as above.

Strip and Dare Beer Pong Mat on Amazon – Naughty

Strip Beer Pong Table Game Mat

Need some help setting up your strip beer pong game? You can check out these naughty strip beer pong mats over in our beer pong mats section.

More beer pong variations: Civil War, Baseball Pong, Chandeliers, Giant Beer Pong, Shot Pong, Oche Pong, Rope Swing Pong. See them all on our beer pong variations page. Playing the classic game? See the full rules of beer pong and our rack formations.