Overview of Cornhole Rules

 

Objective: Cornhole, also known as bag toss, is a popular game played with two boards and two sets of bags. The objective is to score points by tossing bags onto the opposing board or into the hole.

Cornhole Equipment:

  1. Cornhole Boards: Two rectangular boards, each with a hole near the top.
  2. Cornhole Bags: Two sets of four bags. Sets should be unique enough to distinguish them apart when scoring each round.

Game Setup:

  1. Boards Placement: Place the two boards 27 feet apart from front edge to front edge. (Mini boards are placed 13 feet, 6 inches apart)
  2. Board Angle: The boards should be positioned at a slight angle, with the top edge farther away from the players.

Scoring:

Scoring occurs at the end of each round since thrown bags may alter the position of bags that are laying on the board. (they may push one or more bags into the hole or off the board)
  1. In the Hole: A bag that goes completely through the hole scores 3 points. (bags that are hanging in the hole are only one point)
  2. On the Board: A bag on the board surface, not in the hole, scores 1 point.
  3. On the Ground or Touched the Ground: Bags that touch the ground outside of the board are not scored, even if they bounce onto the board or in the hole.
  4. Cancellation Scoring: Only one team can score in each round, and points cancel each other out. For example, if Team A scores 5 points and Team B scores 3 points in a round, Team A earns 2 points for that round.

Gameplay:

  1. Teams: Cornhole is typically played with two teams of two players each.
  2. Position: Players on the same team stand across from each other at opposite ends of the court.
  3. Singles: When playing singles, the players throw all bags and walk down their lane to tally the score, They stay in that lane and start the next round throwing bags at the opposite board.
  4. Pitching Rotation: Players from opposing teams take turns pitching bags in each round.
  5. Throwing From Behind: Players must throw from behind the front of the board.
  6. Underhand Throw: Bags may only be thrown underhand.
  7. First Throw: To start the game, players determine which team throws first. This can be a coin flip, spinning the bag, rock/paper/scissors, etc. The team that won the previous round throws first the next round. If no one scored the last round, the team that threw first that round starts first the next round.

Fouls:

  1. Stepping Over the Foul Line: A player must not step past the front edge of the board when throwing.
  2. Touching Bags Before Round Ends: Players should not touch bags that are on the board or in the hole before the final bag is thrown.

Winning the Game:

  1. Game Duration: A cornhole game is typically played until a team reaches 21 points.
  2. Limited Rounds: Due to time constraints, a game may also be played for a fixed number of rounds. The team scoring the most points after the final round is played wins the game.  If the score is tied, the game goes into sudden death, with the team scoring first in a subsequent round declared the winner.
  3. Winning Round: The team that scores the most points in a round adds the difference to their overall score.

Note: While these are standard rules, variations may exist, and players are encouraged to agree on specific rules before starting a game. Additionally, leagues and tournaments may have their own set of regulations.