What You'll Need
- One cup for the middle of the table
- One ping pong ball per player
- A hard table with some bounce to it
- Three or more players, drinks in hand
Setup
Put one cup in the middle of the table. That single cup is the entire target for the whole table. Everyone else grabs a ball and takes a spot around the edge where they can bounce toward the middle.
How to Play
Everyone bounces at the same time, trying to sink their ball into the middle cup. There is no turn order and nobody waits. Miss, and you grab your ball back and go again immediately. It is a free-for-all from the first bounce to the last.
The Sink
The first person to sink their ball in the cup points at anyone at the table, and that player drinks. Then the cup resets and the whole table starts bouncing again.
The Twist
Sink it twice in a row and you earn a new house rule. You write it, the table plays by it, and back-to-back sinks are how a simple bounce game turns into something unrecognisable by round ten.
Winning
There is no score to chase. The game runs until the table is done, and the person everyone remembers is whoever went back-to-back and wrote the rule that ruined the night for someone else.
Tips and Strategy
- Bounce short, not hard. A low bounce close to the cup beats a high arc every time, and you get your ball back faster.
- Speed is the whole game. There are no turns, so every second between your miss and your next bounce is a second somebody else is shooting.
- Keep the cup centred. Twelve people bouncing at once moves the cup. Recentre it between rounds or the players nearest it get a free edge.
- Save your house rule. If you go back-to-back, make the rule you actually want rather than the first thing that comes out.
Make It a Party Night
One cup, a handful of balls and a table is the whole kit for this one. More printable rules, scorecards and dare decks are in the Party Pack, and the free Party Starter Pack gets you going tonight.
Variations
One Ball Between Everyone
Short on balls? Play with fewer and let players share, though it costs the game some of its chaos.
Rules Stay for the Night
Let every house rule earned stick for the rest of the session rather than clearing between rounds. It escalates fast.
This game involves alcohol. Please drink responsibly. Intended for adults 21 and older in the United States.
