Cornhole

Objective

The goal is to be the first team to reach 21 points or more (using cancellation scoring) at the end of a round.

Equipment

• 2 boards placed 27 feet (8.23 m) apart from front edge to front edge (for adults).
• 8 bean bags total:
• 4 of one colour/team
• 4 of another colour/team

Players

You can play:

• Singles (1 vs 1): Each player throws from opposite ends.
• Doubles (2 vs 2): Partners stand at opposite boards. After one round, the players at the opposite end throw back.

How a Round Progresses

1. Teams decide who throws first (coin toss or similar).
2. Players alternate throws:
3. Team A throws one bag.
4. Team B throws one bag.
5. Continue until all 8 bags have been thrown.
6. After scoring the round, everyone moves to the opposite board (or the opposite players throw in doubles).
7. The team that scored points in the previous round throws first in the next round.

Scoring

There are two ways to score with a bag:

Bag on the board = 1 point

A bag resting anywhere on the board at the end of the round scores 1 point.

Bag in the hole = 3 points

A bag that goes through the hole (whether directly or after sliding in) scores 3 points.

No points

A bag scores 0 points if it:

• Lands on the ground first.
• Touches the ground before ending on the board.
• Is knocked off the board before the round ends.

Cancellation Scoring

Cornhole almost always uses cancellation scoring.

Example:

Team A:

• 2 bags in the hole = 6
• 1 bag on the board = 1
• Total = 7

Team B:

• 1 bag in the hole = 3
• 2 bags on the board = 2
• Total = 5

Only the difference counts.

Team A scores 2 points (7 − 5 = 2).

Team B scores 0 that round.

Winning

The first team to reach 21 or more points at the end of a completed round wins.

Many casual games require exactly 21, but official tournament rules generally do not—simply reaching or exceeding 21 wins.