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Beer Pong Calculator

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The math behind beer pongHow drunk can I get?Beer pong rulesFun facts about beer pong

Do you think that beer pong is “just a drinking game”? If you do, you’re dead wrong. Shooting ping-pong balls into cups full of beer is the very foundation of higher education. For some, it’s the only reason to go to college. Others turn this pastime into a fully-fledged career and participate in world beer pong championships. This game gives you a chance to become a part of a college community, make lifelong friends, develop dexterity and throwing skills, and – above all – have loads of fun.

Beer pong is not just a game. It’s a lifestyle.

The math behind beer pong

Not everyone is a beer pong expert with so much experience that they can organize a tournament for 200 teams. That’s why we have created this beer pong calculator, which answers the Ultimate Question of Beer, the Universe, and Everything:

How much beer should I buy?

Naturally, the more the better, but you might not be in the mood to sponsor a game for the whole campus. Thanks to this calculator, you will be able to determine exactly how much beer you need and, consequently, what is the minimum fee each player should chip in before participating in your kick-ass beer pong tournament.

The calculator is extremely easy to use. All you have to do is fill in the setup section - things like how many teams will compete in the tournament and how many beer pong tables you have at hand. We've already provided some values – for example, the number of cups each team will use – but you can customize all of them as you please.

Once you give all of the necessary details, our beer pong calculator will automatically display the amount of beer to buy in the shopping section. The last step is to input the price of beer in your local shop. Then, you can find out how much will the tournament cost you and what entrance fee to demand from fellow players.

Naturally, we included only the cost of beer in the shopping section. If you want to feed your friends as well, take a look at our pizza party calculator to figure out how much pizza you need. The BBQ grill size calculator is another helpful option when you hold a party outside.

How drunk can I get?

As beer pong is a drinking game, it’s obvious that you will get at least mildly intoxicated. It’s hard to determine the exact amount of alcohol you will drink, as it depends largely on the aiming skills of your opponents. As a rule of thumb, we assumed that the players who drink the most are the ones who get to the finals (after playing the most games) and drink up all of their cups after each round.

In order to determine the blood alcohol content (BAC) after a beer pong tournament, you have to specify your sex and body weight, as we explained in the BAC calculator. Obviously, we don’t take into consideration all of the beer you drink while waiting for your turn – don’t act surprised if your blood alcohol levels turn out to be much higher!

Beer pong rules

If you’re a beer pong veteran, you can surely skip this section. We created a brief summary of beer pong rules you need to know in order to participate in your very first tournament. Keep in mind that there are often tons of house rules, too – ask your fellow students for some heads-up!

  • You need two teams of two players each.

  • Each side starts with ten or six cups (usually red solo cups) arranged into a triangle on their side of the table.

  • The cups are partially filled with beer; you will need 2-3 beers per team.

  • During your team’s turn, each player tosses a ping-pong ball, trying to land it in the opponents’ cups.

  • If the ball lands in a cup, the opponents must drink the beer from that cup.

  • The aim of the game is to hit all of the opponents' cups before they hit yours.

  • Before each turn, the players have to wash the balls in a water cup.

House rules can apply to the distance between two teams, rearranging (“re-racking”) of the cups during the game, bouncing the balls off the table, and additional points awarded for placing two balls in the same cup.

Fun facts about beer pong

Beer pong is now an inherent part of the student culture. No wonder that it’s now an inspiration for screenwriters, table manufacturers, and even engineers!

  • You can get yourself a professional beer pong table. If you have a few extra dollars to spare, you can even get yourself an inflatable one to use in the pool, or a beer pong table that glows in the dark!

  • In a variation of beer pong, called strip beer pong, the players have a choice to remove an item of clothing to “save” a cup. If the cup is hit for the second time, they have to drink it up.

  • There’s even a movie revolving around the topic of beer pong! It’s called “Road Trip: Beer Pong” and tells a story of three college students heading to the National Beer Pong Championship. Speaking of which…

  • The top beer pong players from all around the globe can compete in World Series of Beer Pong, where they have a chance to win as much as $50,000. The 2017 champions were Kevin Kessler and Brandon Marx from the team “Blitzkrieg”.

  • The Guinness world record in bouncing a ping-pong ball into five pint glasses is 5.09 seconds.

  • In 2015, a robot that excels at beer pong – the Versaball – made its first appearance. Even though it has acquired many other skills since then, it remains a challenging opponent in a beer pong game.

If you haven’t had a chance to see our other party calculators yet, the party drink calculator or wedding alcohol calculator are tools that might interest you too. They will help you prepare an appropriate amount of drinks for your events!

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