Download Article
Bounce balls into cups to avoid drinking in this classic party game
Download Article
Boom Cup (also called Slap Cup or Rage Cage) is a time-honored drinking game that’s a staple at any college party. In it, players race to bounce a ping pong ball into an empty plastic cup. If you’re not quick enough, you drink! It’s a breeze to set up and play, and we’ll show you how to do just that. Let’s make your next party a rager.
Things You Should Know
- Number of players: 4+
- Setup: Place 20 cups ⅓ full of your beverage of choice in the center of a table, where players are gathered. Give 2 players an empty cup and a ping pong ball each.
- Object: Players attempt to bounce a ping pong ball into an empty cup on the table. If they’re slower than the person to their right, they drink.
Steps
Section 1 of 2:
Setting Up the Game
Download Article
-
Gather at least 4 players around a large table. Boom Cup requires at least 4 players, which shouldn’t be a problem when the drinks are flowing and the party is in full swing. Play with as many people as you can fit around your table—there’s not really any limit. Gather and evenly space the players around the table. [1] X Research source
- If you’re playing with alcohol, make sure everyone’s of legal drinking age, and that everyone has a way to get home safely.
-
Fill and arrange about 20 plastic cups in the center of the table. Fill the plastic cups about ⅓ full of beer (or juice or soda, if you’re running a dry event). Then, gather all the cups in the very center of the table with their rims touching. Place them so that they're within reach of every player, for easy access. [2] X Research source
- Twenty cups is a typical number, but generally, fill about 3-4 cups for each player participating.
- Some games also include a full cup in the very center, which the last player has to chug.
Advertisement -
Give an empty cup and a ping pong ball to 2 random players. Two players each receive an empty cup and a ping pong ball . These players set their cups anywhere on the table in front of them. [3] X Research source Feel free to choose these players however you wish—the youngest of the group, the oldest, whoever didn’t bring their own beer, etc. These are the starting players.
- All players remain standing around the table in a circle throughout the game.
Advertisement
Section 2 of 2:
Download Article
-
Bounce the ping pong ball into your empty cup on “Go!” Count down “3, 2, 1, Go!” On “go,” you and the other starting player attempt to bounce your ping pong balls off the table and into the empty cup in front of you. Keep trying until you make it! [4] X Research source
- If you accidentally bounce the ball into one of the cups in the center of the table, you must drink it, then stack the empty cup inside your own.
-
Pass the cup and the ball to the left when you land the shot. Once you’ve successfully bounced your ping pong ball into your cup, hand the ball and the cup to the player to the left of you, who then tries to do the same. Once they’ve landed the ball into the cup, they pass it to the left, and it keeps going around the table. [5] X Research source
- If you land the ball in the cup on your first try, pass the ball and the cup to whomever you want (except for the person currently trying to bounce their own ping pong ball).
- While playing, both cups move clockwise around the table.
-
Slap the cup away from the player to your left if you make your shot first. At some points during the game, one cup will “catch up” to the other on their way around the table, so that 2 players right next to each other are trying to bounce the ping pong balls into them. If the player on the right makes their shot first, they slap the cup away from the player on their left. [6] X Research source
- The player who slapped the cup then passes their own cup to any player at the table.
- In one variation, the player on the right stacks their cup into the cup of the player on the left, making for a taller and more challenging target as the game progresses.
-
Drink a cup from the center of the table if your cup gets slapped. If the player immediately to the right of you lands their ball in their cup before you and slaps your empty cup away, grab one of the filled cups from the middle of the table and drink! [7] X Research source But you’re not done yet; keep trying to land the ball into your newly-emptied cup. [8] X Research source
-
Keep playing until there are no more cups in the center. Keep bouncing the ping pong balls, passing the cups, slapping your opponents’ cups, and drinking from the cups in the center of the table until the center cups are all gone. In some games, the last person to have their cup slapped has to chug! [9] X Research source
- Nobody really loses in Boom Cup—that is, everyone wins. But if you like, determine a winner by having a scorekeeper keep track of how many times each player lands the ball in the cup. Whoever has the most points at the end wins.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- If you land your ball on the first shot, pass the cup to the player immediately to the right of the other cup to set up a tense race between 2 players.Thanks
- Or, pass the cup to the player opposite you to help take some of the pressure off, if you’ve got another cup closing in.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Warnings
- Make sure to stay hydrated, keep track of your friends, and drink responsibly . Never drink and drive.Thanks
- Note that the CDC advises that men drink no more than 24 fl oz (710 mL) (2 cans or bottles) of beer each day, and women drink no no more than 12 fl oz (350 mL) (1 can or bottle) per day. [10] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to sourceThanks
Advertisement
References
- ↑ https://gamerules.com/rules/slap-cup/
- ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
- ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
- ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
- ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
- ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
- ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
- ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
- ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 10,773 times.
Advertisement
100%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
