In this blog post I will be explaining how to play the sport
of cornhole. This will include basic rules along with certain variations of the
game so you and your friends can play the way you think is the most fun. The
rules that will be laid out will be the official rules of the American Cornhole
Organization. Information in this post will range from the basic rules to the
official dimensions of the equipment. I will be explaining the essential rules
of the game and then some variations you can add in yourself. If you want to know all of the
technicalities of the game, that information can be found on the American Cornhole
Organization’s website here: http://americancornhole.com/players/aco-official-cornhole-rules/
The Equipment
Official Rules:
The equipment that will be needed is two boards and eight
bags. The bags should consist of two colors so that there are four for each team.
The bags should be made of material similar to canvas, be in the shape of a
6’’ by 6’’ square, and should weight about one pound. The dimensions of the
boards are approximately as follows:
- 24’’ wide and 48’’ long
- 6’’ diameter hole centered 9’’ from the top of the board
- Front of the board is 3’’ – 4’’ off of the ground
- Back of the board is 12’’ off of the ground
- The angle between the “legs” and the board should be about 110˚
The
graphic below approximately displays the dimensions that are explained above.
 |
| Cornhole board dimensions from the American Cornhole Organization |
Variations:
The
variation for this part of the game would be to use whatever dimensions of the
boards and bags that you and the people you are playing with want to have. For
example, I own a set of boards and bags that are about half of the size of the
official size. This defiantly makes for a fun challenge after playing with the
official dimensions for awhile.
Court Layout
Official Rules:
The “court” is referring to the playing field for the
cornhole match. This will include dimensions like how far away each board
should be from each other. The following information is the official court
layout for the American Cornhole Organization.
- Boards are placed so that the front of the boards face each other parallel and are 27’ apart
- The pitchers box is a box 4’ by 3’ (The pitcher’s box is the area that the thrower must not leave while throwing their bag.)
The graphic below approximately displays the dimensions that
are explained above.
 |
| Conhole Court Dimensions from the American Cornhole Organization |
Variations:
The variations for this are up to how creative you want to
get with it. Sometimes when my friends and I play and feel like messing around
and separate the boards to nearly 60’ to make it really hard to even hit the
board. Warning: There are no promises that this won’t damage you boards or bags.
Scoring
Official Rules:
The rules explained below are the official tournament rules
for the American Cornhole Organization.
- First team to score 21 points wins
- Ringers (bag in the hole) are worth 3 points each.
- Bags on the boards are worth 1 point each.
- Scoring is by cancellation.
Variations:
There are a lot of variations for how to score in cornhole.
One way to play would be that there is no cancellation of points so that both
teams would be able to score each round. At local tournaments that I have played in, the usual rule is just like the official rules but you have to win
by two. For example, the score could be 21-20, so the game would have to
continue until one team is winning by two even though one team had already
reached the 21 score limit. Finally, when me and my friends play we
always play that you have to land on 21 exactly to win. Playing this way makes
for an intense finish to a lot of games that almost always ends in a clutch
a throw. The penalty for exceeding the score of 21 is to have your team's score
knocked back to 15. You can always be as creative as you want to when it comes
to scoring.
Throwing:
Official Rules:
The following rules are the official rules from the American
Cornhole Organization for throwing or pitching your bag.
- Every player will throw their bags from inside the pitcher’s box
- The throw must be in an under-hand motion
- The thrower cannot cross the foul line while throwing their bags
- The teams should alternate throwing bags one at a time
- The team who has scored last should throw first for that round. A coin toss can decide who is to start throwing at the beginning of the game.
Variations:
Variations
for the throwing could be that one team throws all four of their bags before
the other team throws all four of theirs. Another variation could be deciding
who throws first. And of course, how you throw the bags could be changed. If
you really didn’t want to throw under-hand you could make a variation to that rule too.
Now
that you know how to play it’s time to get out there. After learning the official
rules and some variations, you can certainly decide for yourself what the best
way to play is between you and your friends. The variations in this post along with any amount of creativity you want to add yourself can make the sport of cornhole even more fun. Playing cornhole can be a
super great time and even when it starts to feel like it's getting old, making variations to the
game can make for a new and fresh experience!
References and Pictures:
American
Cornhole Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from
I didn't know there were so many rules and regulations when it came to cornhole. I'll have to try and play by the official rules next time!
ReplyDelete-Colin