How to play beer pong

Beer pong is one of the most common drinking games, and also one of the most indepth.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1. 14 cups
• 2. 2 pong balls
• 3. good amount of beer
• 4. hand-eye-coordination
• 5. a partner

1. Before the game- Print out a sheet for the rules of beer pong. There are several, but most will have a good general idea. These are handy to have when having a dispute over a rule. This site works for me, except that I only allow one re-rack: http://www.angelfire.com/ak6/beerpong/

2. Racking the pyramid- Now that you know the rules, its time to put them into practice. When setting up the cups, it is generally 1/3 of a beer per cup, but if your measurements are off, it doesn't matter much. Make sure your rack is tidy and symmetrical, and make sure your opponent does the same. Believe it or not, this can affect the game immensely.

3. Cleanliness- Now that your pyramids are set up, fill two cups with water, one for you and one for your opponent. If any ball lands on the floor, dip it in the dip cup so that no particles on the floor get in a cup on a shot made.

4. Begin- Time to begin the game. There are several ways to decide who goes first, but the most popular is Eye to Eye. This is when each opponent takes one pong ball and they look at each other in the eyes. On the count of three, you both shoot whilst still looking eye to eye. This process repeats until someone makes a cup, and that person goes first.(The cup you made it in does not get eliminated, it was just a prerequisite to start.)

5. Shooting- It's your turn, time to teach you how to shoot. Think of your forearm as a catapult while playing. Your upper arm should not move much while shooting, because this will throw off your shot. Use your thumb and one or two fingers to hold the ball. Keep your eye on the cup you are aiming for while throwing, and when your instinct tells you to let the ball fly, do so. This is the standard technique to throwing. While there are others, this seems to work best. Most of all, make sure you elbow does not cross the edge of the table, because if called on this rule, and cup made can be cancelled.

6. Bouncing- Bouncing can be a deal-breaker or the John Elway comeback of beer pong, depending on how good you are. Rarely do people bounce in the first or second game. If you are patient and don't bounce much at the beginning, your now somewhat inebriated opponent will not be as alert, and will be sloppy when attempting to defend a bounce. Benefits: 1. May knock out two cups with one shot, 2. Your opponent may knock over some of his/her own cups in his fervor to stop you.

7. Rebounds- If you have thrown lands on the floor or rolls towards, and you are quick enough to get it, you get a rebound shot. This shot may be taken either by throwing it behind your back, or by not using your dominant hand to throw.

8. Re-racks- This can be a hard decision in a game. The most common, re-racks are with 3 and 4 cups left. With 4 cups you have the choice of a diamond, and with three cups you have the choice of either a straight line, or a triangle. (diagrams can be found online.) Test them all out, see what you like best and then put it into play.

9. Final cup- The hardest cup for most people to make. There are very few things one can do but just focus to get this last cup. If made, victory is only a rebuttal away.

10. Decision- If you win, congratulations, victory is indeed sweet. Take what you learned from this game with you and put it into practice. IF you have lost, it's a bummer. While sitting waiting to play again, watch how others shoot and learn their technique. There are several ways to play, study them while watching to see what is out there for you to learn. And As in any game, win or lose, do it with respect and without being a sore loser or a sore winner.

[johngalt310]

on 9/15/2009 Very Very detailed.

[Miragi]

on 10/2/2008 I'll just take the beer, please! :) Drinking games have muchly evolved since Quarters!