Beer Pong Rules | House | Amateur | Professional | Official (2024)

This is where you’ll find a collection of our own branded beer pong rules. We took what we feel are the best of both worlds between house/amateur and professional competition. Then we added in a bit of our own Pongstars flair to spice things up! Below you’ll see our Pongstars official beer pong rules which will be used for the first time in our upcoming January 2020 event, The Arizona Beer Pong State Championships.

Not too far down the road we’ll be introducing our own Pongstars Tapeline beer pong rules. These will be used in conjunction with our Pongstars official beer pong rules later on in 2020. Aside from that you’ll also see Pongstars further legitimize both the Mixed Doubles and Triples tournament variations with their own set of rules. These won’t be much different than what you’re currently used to. The main takeaway here is that we no longer want uncertainty when it comes to specific situations laid out in those structures.

Official Beer Pong Rules

• Starting the game
  • Equipment
    • Table: Professional grade beer pong tables
    • Balls: 40mm 3-Star tournament grade balls
    • Cups: To Be Determined
    • Racks: To Be Determined
  • Setting up
    • Rack Formation: Traditional 10 cup triangle formation.
    • Tabletop: Clear of all items not related to the game except for one drink per player max.
    • Who’s First: If the schedule doesn’t already declare this then the use of a coin flip, R/P/S or “Eyes” can be used.
• Playing the game
  • Shooting
    • Going First: The team that shoots first will receive one shot for each player(2); in the event both players make it, no roll back is given for this scenario only.
  • Leaning
    • The table cannot slide out of place from touching the table during your lean.
    • No edging which means your entire body must be within the width of the table during your shot; feet included.
    • You cannot follow through onto the table with force or excessive momentum(Big Mark).
  • Rollbacks
    • When both players make a cup in the same turn, one rollback will be given to the team.
    • Players MUST alternate rollback attempts; no player can ever take two rollbacks in a row. Alternating a three rack in rebuttal does not constitute a rollback.
  • Bouncing
    • If your natural shot is to bounce then you must make this known before the start of the game and each cup will only be worth one and cannot be defended.
    • All other bounces will be worth two cups but can be defended; Bonus cup will be chosen by the defending team.
  • Reracks
    • A team is permitted two reracks during regulation at any time of their choosing including during rollbacks.
    • These reracks must be part of our Pongstars Approved Beer Pong Reracks list.
    • Last cup is an automatic rerack to the center position.
    • There are no reracks in overtime; all cups stay as they are including last cup.
  • Rebuttal
    • If a team has 1-5 cups remaining they must make all cups while alternating each shot without missing.
    • If a team has 6+ cups remaining this is called the “Hail Mary” rule which allows each player the opportunity to shoot until they miss. Players must still alternate shots.
    • 1 cup to 1 cup: You must match or better whatever your opponent did to put you in rebuttal.
      • Ex. Making the first shot and missing the double bag will require the first cup to be made at minimum to guarantee overtime.
  • Double Bagging/Stealing Overtime
    • Once a players makes last cup their partner has the opportunity to double bag in order to guarantee they receive the balls in overtime if rebutted.
      • The only exception here is if a team is on last cup to start their turn. If player one misses and player two makes it, player one does not get an opportunity to double bag leaving it wide open for the rebutalling team to steal overtime.
        • Stealing overtime results in the rebuttalling team to go first next.
    • The rebutalling team must double bag if their opponents did in order to go to overtime regardless of how many cups they had left to rebuttal.
    • If the rebutalling team’s opponentmissed the double bag; the rebutalling team now has a chance to steal overtime by successfully double bagging last cup themselves.
    • The ball is always removed from the cup automatically when double bagging.
    • Double bagging from the two rack does not count towards a roll back since each member is forced to participate in the double bag scenario.
  • Interference
    • Cups during a shot: Interfering with a cup during a shot that removes it from its natural position in the rack will result in a made cup penalty.
      • Made cup penalties are counted as if the cup was made and a rollback is potentially still in play.
    • Cups not during a shot: Interfering with a cup before or after a shot that removes it from its natural position in the rack will result in a penalty cup.
      • This penalty just removes the cup and does not count towards a made cup.
    • Balls: Interfering with a ball that is shot before it makes contact with a cup will result in a made cup penalty.
    • Racks: Interfering with the rack during a shot that moves it from its original position will result in a made cup penalty.
      • Cups cannot be added back into the rack for any reason once they are removed from natural game play. Ex. As a shooter you are not permitted to put a cup back in the rack as a dip cup for yourself.
      • Rack adjustments are not permitted while your opponent has addressed the table prior to shooting. The shooting player must request that the rack be fixed if they deem it necessary.
      • Because rack adjustments are not permitted unless asked, a shooter cannot intentionally move their rack prior to shooting.
  • Other interference
    • If a ball accidentally makes contact with any part of a defending team and/or any legal item(cups/rack/drinks) and goes into a cup without hitting the table it will count as a made cup
    • Once a ball makes contact with the table during a shot(not a bounce) it is considered a dead ball.
    • A shooting team has the right to decline taking a penalty cup at anytime during the game.
  • Distractions
    • All distractions must stay behind the table at all times; this includes all of your body parts.
    • There is a zero tolerance on using props that are not part of the game.
      • The use of props during a shot that are not part of the game(cups/balls) will result in a made cup penalty.
      • The use of props all other times not part of the game(cups/balls) will result in a penalty cup.
  • Overtime
    • Round 1: Four Cup Diamond
    • Round 2: Three Cup Triangle
    • Round 3: Two Cup “tit*”
    • Round 4+: One Cup Sudden Death
      • Both teams get an opportunity to shoot each round of Sudden Death.
      • The game ends when one team outperforms the other in the same round; there is no rebuttalling(extra turns) in Sudden Death.
      • If both teams match one another in the same round then we continue with one cup until they don’t.
      • Rollbacks still exist if both players make last cup.
      • Players must alternate shots at all times even from round to round; no player will ever shoot back to back even from one round to another round.
    • For Sudden Death examples please click here
• Miscellaneous Rules
  • Shot Clock
    • If one is requested by a team a 1 minute timer will be utilized for each teams shot. This timer does not reset for a rollback.
  • Disputes
    • These will be handled by support staff who will investigate the dispute to the best of their ability. Their decision is final.

Triples(3v3) Beer Pong Rules

All of the rules will be the same unless otherwise stated here:

• Standard Triples(3v3)
  • Double bagging/Stealing OT:
    • This rule is not utilized in 3v3.
  • Reracks:
    • There can be three in total; One will be automatic at the 10 rack and the next two follow the same guidelines as 2v2.
    • Last cup is automatically centered.
    • There are no reracks in OT.
  • Rollbacks:
    • Must alternate among all three players.
  • Rebuttal:
    • One cup: However many players shot on the opposing team to put you in rebuttal is the same number of players that can shoot at last cup if necessary.
    • 2 to 7 cups: Players must rotate without missing.
    • 8+ cups: Hail Mary rule which allows each player to shoot until they miss. Players must maintain a rotation after each shot. Once you miss, you are out of the rotation.
  • Overtime:
    • This is a continuous 4 rack diamond with no reracks.
• Mixed Triples(Coed 3v3)
  • Going First:
    • The female must be one of the two members on the team shooting first.
  • Rollbacks:
    • Females must take all rollbacks with the exception of one; Either male on the team is allowed to take one rollback at anypoint in the game.
  • Rebuttal:
    • Gentleman’s Rule: If at a situation where the game is 1 cup to 1 cup; The females will shoot first.

Mixed Doubles(Coed) Beer Pong Rules

Coming in 2020

Tapeline Beer Pong Rules

Coming in 2020