How to Play Boom Cup (a.k.a. Slap Cup or Rage Cage)

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Bounce balls into cups to avoid drinking in this classic party game
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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.
Section 1 of 2:

Setting Up the Game

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    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]
    • If you’re playing with alcohol, make sure everyone’s of legal drinking age, and that everyone has a way to get home safely.
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    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]
    • 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.
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    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] 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.
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Section 2 of 2:

Playing the Game

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    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]
    • 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.
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    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]
    • 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.
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    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]
    • 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.
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    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] But you’re not done yet; keep trying to land the ball into your newly-emptied cup. [8]
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    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]
    • 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.
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      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.
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      • 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.
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      Warnings

      • Make sure to stay hydrated, keep track of your friends, and drink responsibly . Never drink and drive.
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      • 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]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://gamerules.com/rules/slap-cup/
      2. ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
      3. ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
      4. ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
      5. ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
      6. ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
      7. ↑ https://bargames101.com/boom-cup-drinking-game/
      8. ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
      9. ↑ https://collegepartyguru.com/games/pages.php?link=Slap_cup
      1. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm

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