Cornhole is a fantastic day to play on a fall afternoon when you don’t have a care in the world or anything to do for hours. It’s also very addictive, so watch out! Here’s how to play the perfect barbecue game.

The Box and the Bags

First, get your supplies. The box should be 2 feet long and one foot wide. It should also slope downward from the back with a round hole toward the top. The cornhole bags are typical beanbags, with two sets of colors.

Set Up the Game

When you set up the game, you should place the boxes about 15 feet apart or whatever feels comfortable. With children, it’s a good idea to move them as close together as they need to be. Otherwise, kids tend to get frustrated fast if they can’t reach their target. One player from each of the two teams stands at one of the boxes. One side starts with the bags so that both teams are ready to shoot. Players may not go past the front end of the set to make their throws. You might want to mark this with a piece of tape (or use your eye!)

Start Gameplay

Using alternating throws, the players on one side throw each of their bags. Then the players on the other team throw them back. You’re aiming to get the bag into the hole, or at least have the sack stay on the board. We’ll talk about scoring in the next section!

Scoring – Where the Bags Fall

Players get 3 points for each bag thrown through the hole. One point for each bag that stays on the board without touching the ground at any point. At the end of each turn (both players on both teams completing their four throws), total the points. Subtract the smaller from, the more significant, and that’s the current score!

What is an Example of Gameplay?

The first player on Team 1 gets eight on his turn, and his partner then gets 6 for a total of 14. The first player on Team 2 gets four on his throws, and his partner gets 9 for a total of 13. Team 1 had the higher score, so they subtract Team 2’s 13 from their 14 and end up with a score of 1 to 0 for the round. Play until one team passes 21, then set the game up again — after all, you’ve got all day to play!

Thanks to Play Cornhole for sponsoring this post