Q&A for How to Play Beer Pong

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  • Question
    Do both teams drink, regardless of who sinks the shot?
    Community Answer
    The only one to drink is the person whose cup has been shot into by the opposing player.
  • Question
    What is the distance between the 2 sets of cups?
    Tom De Backer
    Top Answerer
    It depends on the table. However, feel free to experiment. You can set up each triangle on a different table across the room, or move each triangle as close together as you like. This will increase and decrease the level of difficulty, respectively.
  • Question
    Do I have to use beer or can I use cider or some other drink?
    Community Answer
    You can use whatever drink you want, just make sure to change the name according to the drink, for example "milk pong."
  • Question
    Can I and my partner shoot at the same time?
    Community Answer
    Yeah, but nothing happens. If both of the balls make it to the cups, the opponent team drinks those cups.
  • Question
    Can you cover the cup before they shoot in beer pong?
    Community Answer
    Yes. It is often used as a distraction, but once the ball leaves the other players hand you must move what ever is blocking the cup.
  • Question
    If you bounce the ball, can the other player hit it away?
    Community Answer
    Yes, that's a common variation of pong. Bounce shots still count if your opponent misses the swat or isn't paying attention.
  • Question
    What happens if your ball bounces twice then lands in a cup?
    Community Answer
    There are different variations to this occurrence: 1) You count an extra cup for each bounce (aka 2 bounces = 3 cups); 2) Any bounce is always 2 cups. You should decide what rules to play by and stick to them or adhere by the "house rules".
  • Question
    How far apart should I place each set of cups?
    Community Answer
    They should all be touching rim to rim in the pyramid. You can move your opponent's cups back together if they become separated.
  • Question
    How many cups do I pull for both players making the same island in the same turn?
    Community Answer
    If they both make the same cup in one turn, the game is over.
  • Question
    What happens if my ball bounces off one cup and lands in another?
    Community Answer
    Then the cup that it bounces off of and the cup that it makes it into are both taken out.
  • Question
    Do I have to drink if I miss a cup call?
    Community Answer
    No, you do not.
  • Question
    If a player accidentally knocks a cup over, is that cup removed from the pyramid?
    Community Answer
    No, you just fill the cup back up to the level it was at before it was knocked over and put it back.
  • Question
    How far should my opponent's cups be away from mine?
    Community Answer
    Your opponent's cups should be at least a foot or two apart from yours if not more.
  • Question
    Is my elbow or body allowed to reach over the cups?
    Tom De Backer
    Top Answerer
    Yes, this is not a requirement. The only objective is to get the ball in a cup. However, it is a good idea to decide on the rules before you play. If no agreement can be reached, then 'house rules' apply, i.e. the owner of the house you are in has the final word.
  • Question
    Am I allowed to put my hands over the cups when another person is shooting in beer pong?
    Community Answer
    No, you aren't allowed to interfere with their shot at all. If you accidentally do, then just replay that shot.
  • Question
    Can the other team hit the ball away when I bounce it?
    Community Answer
    No, once the ball leaves the opponent's hand, there can not be any interference.
  • Question
    Can one person decide to drink for both themself and their teammate? You're supposed to alternate who drinks, but could one person drink every time (like if their teammate can't have alcohol)?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Absolutely! If one player can't have alcohol, their teammate can drink all of the cups. You can also fill 5 cups with water, 5 with beer and have the non-drinking teammate drink the water cups. Beer pong rules can be adjusted to fit the comfort of the players. What's most important is everyone is having fun and being safe!
  • Question
    Can we play it with 14 people?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Officially, no. The game has a maximum of 4 players. However, if you want to adjust the rules so players rotate with 7 on each side, that's perfectly allowed. In this instance, though, it might be better to fill the cups with water and have everyone drink from their own beer can to avoid spreading germs. 14 people is a lot!
  • Question
    What happens if a defender swats a ball into a cup?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    That counts as a point and that cup must be drunk from and removed from play.
  • Question
    Can the game may also be played with cups of water that players do not drink from?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Absolutely! While this would technically be considered "Water Pong" or "Cup Pong," this is a safer alternative and can be played with the exact same rules.
  • Question
    I got a beer pong set, and the box said something about re-racking. What is that?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    "Re-racking" is a term for re-stacking cups into a formation where they're closer together. The most common re-rack is when there are 4 cups remaining on either side. Since these cups are usually spaced apart due to the other cups being removed, players re-rack them into a diamond to make points easier to score.
  • Question
    How far does the shooter need to be from the cups?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    As long as your elbow is behind your side of the table when you shoot, you can be as far or close as you want.
  • Question
    How many balls does each team start with?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Playing by the traditional rules of beer pong, teams start with one or two balls each.
  • Question
    When the other team has no cup left are they the winners ?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    No. Whichever team loses all their cups first is the losing team. The winners are the team with cups remaining.
  • Question
    How do you keep the cups from tipping over? You can't tape the cups onto the table, right?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    It's not recommended to tape the cups down. Your cups should not tip over if you've filled them at least halfway. If tipping is still a problem, consider filling the cups all the way up with water. Then, drink from your own separate beer can any time the ball lands in one of your cups.
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