RULES FROM THE ACA COMMUNITY

 The ACA officially sanctioned cornhole rules and create the guidelines for the popular backyard game that we all know and love. 4 players, 2 boards, and 8 bags. 1 point on the board. 3 points in the hole. First to 21 wins the game.

But sometimes, you need to switch things up a bit. Below are some of our favorite alternative ways to play cornhole, using just your boards, bags, and a couple of friends!

21 EXACT
In this widely popular game mode, teams have to finish the game by landing exactly on 21. Points and cancellation scoring are the same as standard rules. However, if any team surpasses 21 points at the end of the inning, they “bust” and reset their score to 13.

NON-CANCELLATION
This game mode is played like usual, EXCEPT scoring doesn’t cancel, and instead, every point counts. The advantage of this style is that the game moves along quicker. This game mode can be played as first past 21 or 21 exact.

KNOCKOUT
This game variation is for larger groups, preferably four or more players. To begin, two players face off alternating tossing four bags each as usual. After the first inning, the player with the higher score advances to the next round, while the player with the lower score is eliminated. If the two players tie in a round, both players advance. Then, the next two players in line take a turn, following the same rules. This pattern continues until only one player remains and is crowned the winner.

FOOTHOLE
This game requires your feet. Teams throw and count points as usual, except the players on the receiving end of the board are allowed to kick the bags back onto the board if they are sliding off. The bag must be off the board and kicked back on. Bags kicked onto the board count as 1 point, and bags kicked in the hole are worth 5 points. Players may not already have their foot touching the board to serve as a backboard in any way. Kicking is not required to play this game mode, but it is allowed!

SPEEDHOLE
This game is all about speed. Teams align as normal rules, except there are NO TURNS. You do not have to wait on the opposing player to throw their bags. There is no cancellation scoring, and the first team to score 21 points wins. You may not interfere or touch incoming bags. If you are retrieving a bag and touch a live bag thrown by the opposing team, that counts as 1 point to the opposing team. *Teams may not directly throw away from the board and towards another player to be awarded points.

BATTLESHIP
This game requires three sets of boards lined up across from each other. The distance of these boards should be roughly 30 ft. apart. The space between the boards should give enough room for players to throw comfortably. Teams flip a coin to see which team starts with the bags. Only one bag per player is used. 3 total bags are used per game. One at a time, each player shoots at the board of any of the 3 players across from them. If you make a shot into an opposing player’s hole, that player is removed from the game and may not throw anymore for that game. To eliminate a player, you must make the bag in the hole of that player’s board. You may shoot on any opposing player’s board, not only the player directly across from you. The team with a remaining player or players once all players on the other side are eliminated is the winning team. Matches are played as best of 3, best of 5, or best of 7.

FRAME GAME
A frame game follows a setup similar to bowling, rather than cornhole. Each game consists of 10 frames. Players toss as normal, but there is no cancellation. At the end of every frame, each team gets the points they scored. Play continues until the end of the 10th frame, and the highest score wins the game.

LONG TOSS
Players compete to see how far away they can score. Players start at 15 feet distance, and each player gets 3 bags. At 15 feet, all players toss, attempting to land at least one bag on the board. If you score, you stay in the game. If you do not score, you are eliminated from the round. Players must score at least 1 point out of the 3 tosses to advance to the next round. There is no bonus for a bag in the hole versus a bag on the board. After each round, the remaining players move back by 3 feet. Play continues until only one person scores in a round and that player is the winner. If no one scores in a round, play the round over.