Beer Pong

What You Need

• Two teams.
• 20 cups total: 10 cups for each team.
• Ping pong balls.
• Beer or another agreed-upon beverage for beer pong.
• A table with enough room for both cup formations.

Setting Up the Cups

Each team arranges its 10 cups in a pyramid formation: four cups in the back row, three in front of those, two in the next row, and one cup at the front.

Both teams set up their pyramids on opposite ends of the table. The goal is to land shots in the opposing team's cups.

1. Eye-to-Eye: Who Shoots First?

1. One player from each team steps up and faces the opposing player.
2. The two players look each other in the eyes while aiming toward the cups.
3. Together, they count down using numbers or by saying "eye to eye" in succession.
4. At the same time, both players shoot while maintaining eye contact.
5. If one player makes the shot and the other misses, the team that made it gets to shoot first.
6. If both players miss, or both make it and the result does not determine who goes first, switch to another player from each team and repeat.

2. Making Shots

Teams take turns shooting at the opposing team's cups. A ball that lands in a cup counts as a made shot, and the affected cup is removed from play. The game continues until one team clears the opposing team's cups.

Both Players Make It

When both teammates make their shots into cups during the same turn, there is no automatic extra turn simply for making both shots. The game continues under the normal rules.

Both Balls Land in the Same Cup

If both teammates sink their shots into the same cup, the shooting team gets both balls back and may remove one additional cup of its choice from the opposing team's remaining cups.

3. Island

Each player may call Island once per game. To call it, identify a cup that is separated from the other cups and is not touching another cup.

• You must call Island before taking your shot.
• If your ball lands in the designated Island cup, your team gets that cup.
• You also get to remove one additional cup of your choice from the opposing team's formation.
• If the shot misses or lands in a different cup, the Island call is lost.

4. Heating Up and On Fire

This rule rewards a player who keeps making shots in a row.

1. Make two consecutive shots and call "Heating Up!"
2. Make a third consecutive shot and call "On Fire!"
3. While On Fire, keep shooting for as long as you continue to make shots.
4. Your extra shots end as soon as you miss.

The streak is based on consecutive made shots by the same player.

5. Ring of Death

Ring of Death is an instant-win condition. The required cups are the front cup, back-left cup, back-right cup, and center cup of the opposing team's formation.

• You must get all four of those cups.
• You must not hit any other cups while completing the sequence.
• If you complete the required four-cup sequence, your team wins immediately.

The four target cups create a flower-like pattern within the pyramid.

6. Reracking

Each team is allowed one rerack per game. Use it to rearrange your remaining cups into a formation that makes them easier to target.

Once your team uses its rerack, it cannot request another one for the remainder of that game.

7. Bounce Shots and Defense

Bounce Shots

A shot that bounces off the table before landing in a cup counts as two cups, provided the opposing team does not stop it. The cup hit by the ball and one additional cup of the shooting team's choice are removed.

Defending Against a Bounce

Once a player attempts a bounce shot, the opposing team may swat the ball or grab it as soon as it contacts the table or another object, including a cup. The defending team must not interfere with a ball before that contact.

Multi-Cup Contact

A ball touching or passing through multiple cups does not automatically count as multiple cups. The ball must enter one cup and then enter another cup for the shot to count as a multi-cup shot.

8. Trick Shot

If a player shoots and the ball rolls back to their side of the table, the shooting team may retrieve it. However, the opposing team can call "Trick Shot!" before the ball is retrieved.

If Trick Shot is called in time, the player retrieving the ball must attempt a trick shot with it. Examples include:

• Shooting behind the back.
• Shooting from behind the body.
• Shooting under the leg.

The player must attempt the trick shot rather than simply taking the ball and continuing normally.

Beer Pong vs. Cup Pong

Beer Pong

Beer pong is played with beer or another agreed-upon beverage in the cups. The Orchard House rules on this page describe our version of beer pong.

Cup Pong

Cup pong follows the same basic idea, but uses water in the cups instead of a beverage to be consumed. Players do not drink the water from the cups. Cup pong can use similar shooting rules, but it is a separate variation from the beer pong rules described above.

More House Rules Coming Soon

These are the hardcore beer pong rules we currently use at The Orchard House. More rules and clarifications may be added later, along with a separate explanation of traditional beer pong.

Watch How to Play