Beer pong

Beer Pong and Beirut are drinking games that involve propelling a table-tennis ball across a table with the goal of making the ball hit or land in one of several cups of beer. The games are generally played with two teams of two or four people. The meaning of the terms Beer Pong and Beirut vary depending on where the game is played: Beirut is generally accepted to be the version of the game where players throw the balls and do not use paddles to hit the ball, while Beer Pong can either be the same game, or can mean the game where players use paddles to hit the ball toward the cups of their opponents. Both games are popular in the American college subculture, especially in (although certainly not exclusive to) fraternities and sororities.

Beirut

Rules

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A game in progress near Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York

Beirut is the game as played with hand-thrown balls. The objective of the game is to eliminate the other team's cups from the table by sinking ping pong balls in them. The rules are many-fold and vary greatly by region/house, but easily grasped, which makes the game accessible to beginners yet exciting to all.

The name "Beirut" is said to derive from an irreverent, and some would deem offensive, allusion to the civil war in Lebanon in the 1980's in which mortar shells were lobbed at Beirut, the country's capital city.

Note too that Beirut is almost always played with ping pong balls, though beer caps are used in some forms of the game, calling for a different set of throwing skills.

Each team begins the game with six, ten, twelve or occasionally fifteen cups of beer placed in a triangle formation on their end of the table. One edge of the triangle is on the edge of the table, the opposing "tip" points toward the opposing team.
Each team fills each cup to a predetermined level, typically four or six ounces. This will require two or three beers per team, per game.
The game is played with the same number of ping pong balls as there are players per team, either one or two.
Each team is allowed to throw their ping pong ball(s) unimpeded directly into the other team's cups, one at a time. If the ball goes into a cup, the other team must consume that cup of beer and remove the cup.
An "Elbows" rule may present a limit to how far towards the opposing team's cups a throwing player's elbow may go. The edge of the table is a common boundary, as is somewhere over the throwing player's cups. This rule is most often used when playing on a short table.
If the ball is not flying directly into a cup (i.e. it is bounced off the table, a wall, etc.), the defending team may be allowed to obstruct the ball from entering a cup, either by swatting it or by blowing it away.
A bounce shot (one which did not fly directly into the cup, but landed into a cup before coming to a stop) can count as two cups — the defending team must remove the sunk cup as well as another cup.
If the ball is spinning inside a cup, players may blow into the cup to try to make the ball fly out. In some places, only females are allowed to blow. A variation of this is that any player may use one finger to try to pop the spinning ball out of the cup; however, this introduces the danger of knocking over one's own cups, which would require that team to drink.
If a player throws a ball, but it lands in his/her own cup (eg. failed bounce attempt) they must consume that cup.
If both players hit cups during their team's turn, the defending team loses its next turn ("balls back").
A "re-rack" occurs when a team reaches certain increments of cups. Popular counts for re-racks are 6 (cups rearranged into a triangle), 4 (diamond), 3 (triangle), 2 (horizontal or vertical line) and 1 (the cup is recentered), although various rules will omit some or all of these racks. Some rules do not allow a re-rack in the middle of the team's throwing turn ("mid-term re-rack"), and sometimes the re-rack is not automatic and must be requested.
The team whose cups are cleared first are allowed a "rebuttal" or "redemption" — Each player on the team is allowed to shoot until they miss. If overtime is not forced (see below), the game is over and the first team which cleared the cups wins.
If the rebuttal is successful (all the non-rebutting team's cups are cleared), an overtime shootout period shall begin in which one cup or three cups are played on each side. In matches between highly skilled teams, overtimes and rebuttals can extend the length of the game significantly.
"Death Cup" is when a thrown or bounced ball lands in a cup that the opposing team has not yet finished drinking. If this rule is in effect, the game is over and the cup holder's team does not receive rebuttal honors. This is regionally referred to as a "Gangbang."
The game is won when one team clears their opponents cups or scores a Death Cup. The losing team must immediately drink the winning team's remaining beer, unless a "drink your own" rule or "beer conservation" rule (wherein remaining cups are left on the table for the next round; for when beer is in short supply) is in effect.
The winning team continues playing at the table, against the next challenging team. The defending champion team receives "honors" and throws first.

Variations

The game as decribed above represents the most widely-recognized rule set. Of course, as with most party and drinking games, there are many variations on the basic rules. Below are some examples:

"Gentlemen's Beirut": Every cup must be called by the shooting team in order to count, similar to calling a shot in billiards.
"Hawaiian Rules", allows the throwing team to continue to throw as long as the other team is still drinking. In this variation all spectators are required to assist in returning the balls to the thrower so that he or she can throw as quickly as possible.

Rules also often vary by gender: oftentimes only women can "distract" or "blow", for example. An aspiring player would do well to observe a few games of beirut at any given venue before participating. This is often necessary anyway due to the popularity of the game versus the number of tables usually available at any given ___location.

Miscellaneous gameplay factors in Beirut

There is often a "wash cup" or "holy cup" on each team's side of the table, another plastic cup filled with water to cleanse ping pong balls with should they accidentally hit the floor, table, etc. It is good etiquette to wash any ball that does not land in a cup, although the game is not known to promote good hygiene. Some players may prefer to wash after any throw to try to cut down on the number of variables possibly affecting the ball's path.

Over the course of several games, water and beer may accumulate on the table, drastically altering the characteristics of the cups. Cups on wet surface may shift across the table due to table movement or unlevelness of the table. Such motion is referred to as "Act of God" and the players may or may not be responsible for correcting this depending on house rules.

Technique in Beirut

Arc Shot

The most common throwing technique is to grasp the ping pong ball with the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the player's good hand, and hold the arm at an angle with the ball upwards, then throw by using gentle elbow motion, holding the upper arm parallel with the table. Wrist movement is not usually necessary, although a good player may push off with the knees as they throw to create an upward arcing motion.

The arc motion allows one to put enough force on the ball to get it to the other side of the table, while conserving velocity and slowing it down so that it is not as likely to bounce off the rim of the cup but gently roll into the cup.

Fastball

Some players prefer or occasionally use a "fastball" style throw (named for its speed, it is not thrown like a baseball!) which uses more of a hard chopping motion to send the ball in a more direct line to the intended target cup. This can be done with the hand in the usual "pistol grip" orientation or in an overhand "slam-dunk" orientation. The fastball is especially favored by taller players, as it is easier to throw from a higher position.

Due to the straighter path the ball will follow, the player may feel more confident in hitting using the fastball. However, caution must however be used if a "no elbows over the table" rule is in use, as it is much easier to violate that guideline with a less controlled throw. Fastballs are also much more likely to knock down a cup, which may have positive or negative consequences depending on house rules. As noted above, the higher velocity of the ball will also cause less-precise shots to bounce off the rim rather than gently bounce into a cup.

Finger Roll

Other players prefer to grasp the ball with the thumb, index and middle-finger and release the ball in a somewhat "finger-roll" fashion. Throwing in this manner is very accurate once mastered but it is difficult to use on relatively large table. It also takes time to perfect so it is not recommended for beginners. Therefore, this form is most oftened employed by veteran players playing on normal to relatively short tables.

Bounce Shot

Bounce shots are much harder to accurately throw. The best time to use a bounce is when the opposing team is not paying attention to the game, as the risk of deflection is zero. The current rack must be taken into consideration as well — there is obviously a much higher chance of sinking a bounce on an unspoiled ten cup rack than on an inconsistent rack which has floated all over the table by "Act of God". Serious defenders should also always keep one player on alert for bounce shots to their cups.

Beer Pong

Basics

When referring to the game using table tennis paddles, the rules of Beer Pong are relatively close to those of table tennis and thus presumably emerged as an adaptation of table tennis into a drinking game. It is unclear where the game was first played, some have suggested Dartmouth College in the 1950's, but there has been no definitive date or place. At Dartmouth, the game did not mature until later when plastic cups became readily available; students there have held all-school tournaments and computed rankings. The game is typically played in either Lob or Slam form, with the former encouraging high, arcing shots into the cups and the latter requiring speedy direct shots meant to hit a cup or knock it over.

In either Lob or Slam, two or four players face off from opposite ends of a table typically made from a finished 4×8-foot sheet of plywood, often painted with elaborate scenes or symbols relevant to the institutional owner. A 2×4 or other board typically serves as the net. The game is played with wooden table-tennis paddles. Two, four, eight, or more sixteen-ounce plastic cups half full or completely full of beer are placed on each team's side, usually centered a paddle's-width from the edge but in some variants placed at the corners of the table or elsewhere. Twelve-ounce cups are also used.

Lob

The game mirrors the basic form of a friendly game of regulation table tennis. Each serve and return must complete an arc acceptable to opponents and observers, though the goal of sinking the ball in a cup tends to reward returning in the proper form. Hitting an opponent's cup scores one point, and sinking a ball in a cup scores four points (or two, if playing with half-full cups). Score is kept by drinking one-quarter of a cup per point, and the first team to drink its last point loses. Spilling one's own cup usually merits some penalty. Other beverages than beer, including water or cocktails, are permitted, but some beverage is necessary.

Service

The ball is properly served by striking it with the paddle, ensuring it bounces only once off the serving team's half of the table, and then lands on the opposing team's half. If the ball hits an opponent's cup the serving team typically scores 1 point and serves again. If the serve lands in an opponent't cup (sometimes referred to as "poofs") that team must drink half a beer and the server's team receives 5 points. If the serve is not good, the other team then serves.

Return

The ball must be returned after it has bounced just once off of the returning team's half of the table; this includes the table top and the cups. Blowing a spinning ball out of a cup and returning it is permitted but it is highly-frowned upon unless done by girls. Ricocheting the ball off external objects such as a vertical or horizontal structural member in the basement, a ceiling, or a bystander is usually permitted.

There are a number of formal variants of Lob, including the standard Two-Cup (one full cup per player), Four-Cup (two full cups per player), Shrub (a triangle of six beers with a "stem" attached to one side), Tree (much like Shrub, except the triangle includes 10 beers), Line (with four half cups per player), Full-Cup Line or Wall (cups in a line across the width of the table), Great Wall (cups lining all sides of the table), Table (cups covering the surface; one must foul out to clear a space on his own side for service), Battleship (or 'Ship, lines of six, four, and two cups placed strategically), Rotating Randomness (irregular groups of cups placed in irregular pie-shaped sections of the table and played by six or more people who change positions after each point, encouraging shifting ad-hoc team behavior), and Henge (stacked cups or trilithons in irregular pie-shaped zones, with each player having a separate "Tourist" cup whose strategic drinking out of turn imposes the requirement that all others drink theirs, and other ritual elements).

Other Games

Slam

Slam is a lightning-fast game that is difficult for observers to understand. One player prepares to serve while his partner hovers near the net, leaning into the opponents' airspace; then the serve happens, people swing, cups are spilled, and someone has lost a point. An explanation of Slam that does it justice is required here. Understanding Slam can take some time but DEVO

Dartmouth Pong

Dartmouth Pong is played with paddles that have the handles removed. The table is 5'x9'. Each team has a predetermined amount of cups completely filled with beer and arranged in a predetermined shape (shrub, tree, ship, line, etc.) The game is played by serving the ball as in normal beer pong, but the ball is not allowed to hit an opponents cup. If a serve strikes an opponents cup, the serving team must drink half a beer. If a serve lands into an opponent's cup, the serving team must drink a full beer. If a serve does not land on the opponents side and does not strike a cup, it is considered "out" and the server receives a second serve. If the second serve is out (some frats allow three serves), the serving team must drink and then keep serving until a valid serve is made.

Once a serve is valid, teammates rotate turns hitting the ball. Each player tries to hit the ball into the opponents cup (this would force the opposing team to drink the entire contents of that cup). If the ball only hit, but does not land in, a cup the team whose cup was hit must drink half of the cup, unless a save (ball is hit back to the other side on one or no bounces) is made. The game is over once all the beer on one side has been consumed.

Though these rules are the basic ones followed by many houses, the specifics regarding number of serves, certain types of saves, environment (using the surrounding walls, ceilings, etc in play) and other factors are determined on a house-by-house basis.