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Rules for the Bean Bag Game


You can't play the game if you don't know the rules

Once you've secured the proper board and bean bags for the bean bag toss game, you'll be ready to get to it. Here, we give you some bean bag toss game rules for one of the many versions of the game; feel free to meld them to your party or simply make your own.

Game Play

  • Flip a coin to decide which player or team will go first. Each player or team gets four bean bags (a total of eight will be used); all players or teams throw from the same end of the game board. In doubles games, two boards should be used (one for each team).
  • The first single player will throw a bean bag from behind the front of the board; doubles players will throw bean bags toward the opposite board. In either case, a player aims for the hole, and players and teams alternate throws until all bags have been thrown.
  • If bags bounce off the ground onto the board, they don't count.
  • Add points for each player or team. If no one has reached 21, continue until a player or team does. The team or player with the highest score adds the difference of the two team or players' scores to its score. Points are cumulative, and the player or team with the most points gets to go first in successive rounds.
NCAA Bean Bag Tailgate Toss Game

Point System

  • Award 3 points for bags that go into the hole.
  • Award 1 point for a bag on the playing surface.
  • Award 1 point for a bag hanging into the hole.
  • Award 1 point for a bag hanging on the edge of the board but not touching the ground.
  • No points will be given for bags on the playing surface but also on the ground, bags hanging off the board but touching another bag on the ground, or bags that land on the ground entirely.
  • If a player goes out of turn or throws past the front of the board, the throw is considered foul.