In a beer pong game, each player from each team takes their turn trying to sink a ping pong balls inside the opponent team cups. The opponent must drink from the cup if the ball lands inside, and the cup is removed from the formation.
So, can a player bounce the ball in beer pong? Yes, bounce shots are allowed in a beer pong game. In fact, there are two ways a ball can land into the cup.
The ball, once thrown, can fly straight into the cup, or the ball can hit the table first before landing into the cup, a classic bounce shots. However, on bounce shots the defending team is allowed to swat the ball away before it lands in the cup.
If the ball lands in the cup, the shot is counted and considered a bounce shot.
This article covers everything you need to know about bounce shots in beer pong. Answered below are frequently asked questions about bouncing the ball in beer pong, so that the drinking game beer pong rules remain accurate.
What is a bounce in beer pong?
A bounce shot in beer pong happens when the ping pong ball hits the table before landing in the cup. The bounce shot is allowed in beer pong, but defending players are allowed to interfere with the shot after the ball bounces.
The defending team can deflect the ball away before it lands in their cup, therefore the shot occurs on rare occasions and it’s extremely hard to get the shot in.
Whenever a bounce shot is made, some house rules declare that two cups are removed instead of one. The cup the ball dropped in, and another one selected by the defending team.
If the bounce shot occurs when only two cups remain in play, then only one cup is removed.
Again, a bounce shot that comes from an object that is not the table, the shot is counted and only one cup is removed instead of two.
Do bounces count in beer pong?
Yes, bounce shots count as two cups or one cup, depending on how many cups are left in the game, or what caused the ball to bounce. When a player with ball possession bounces the ball into any opponent cup, the shot count as two, and two cups are removed instead of one.
One cup is the cup that the ball sank, and the defending team chooses the second cup. However, a bounce shot counts like an ordinary shot (one cup count) when only two cups are left in play.
Furthermore, if the ball bounces into the cup when it hit another object other than the table, the shot counts as only one cup.
During bounce shots, ball swatting is allowed by the defending team. Therefore, the opposing team can deflect the ball in midair after the bounce and before entering the cup.
Can you bounce from anywhere in beer pong?
Yes, a ball can hit anywhere on the table and still count as a bounce shot, provided the ball has sunk inside the cup.
Any object on the beer pong table is considered a game fragment, and a bounce shot that hits another object counts as a regular shot, and therefore only one cup is removed instead of two.
Again, the opponent team can grab or swat the ball before it lands on the cup after any type of bounce shot.
The bounce shot will count if it lands inside the cup, but if the shot knocks the cup off the table, the cup is refilled and replaced into formation.
Can you bounce the ball on the table in beer pong?
Yes, the shooting player can make the ball hit the table before spinning into the cup. The defending team has a chance to swat the ball before it lands inside the cup, therefore the shot is difficult to make, and counts for two cups instead of one.
The two cups removed when the ball bounces off the table are the cup in which the ball sank, and a second cup the defending team chooses.
When the ball bounces off the table when only two cups are left in the gameplay, only one cup is removed instead of two.
An object on the table is taken as part of the game. Therefore, a bounce that comes from an object on the table is still counted, but only one cup is removed instead of two cups.
A bounce shot will always count, even if the ball lands into the cup completely on accident.
Bounce Shots in Beer Pong: Conclusion
The team with ball possession can bounce the ball instead of shooting directly into the cup. When the ball manages to land into the cup as a result of a bounce, the defending player must remove two cups (one the ball dropped and another the defending team choice).
Not only can a ball bounce from the table, but a ricochet from any other object on the table still counts since anything on the table is considered as part of the game.
The rule of two cups after a bounce shot does not apply when only two cups are left in gameplay, instead only one cup is removed.
The defending team can swat or grab the ball after it bounces off the table and before it lands in the cup. Note, the defending team can only swat at a bounce shot, but not a standard shot.
If the defending team swats a ball from a non-bounce shot, the team with possession gets both balls back and earns another shoot attempt.
Indeed, bounce shots do count in a beer pong game. It can either count as two cups if the ball comes from the table or as one cup if the ball ricochets off any object around the table.
And a player can bounce the ball anywhere around the table since all the objects on the table are considered part of the game.