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Rules of the Cornhole  / Bean Bag Games

Everyone plays the game different. Remember, Play the game for fun.
Enjoy the time spent with friends and family

Always have fun and "Get Your Cornhole On®"
Boxes are anywhere between 30' and 33' apart from hole to hole.
Some tournaments are 30' and I have seen them at 33'
So it depends where you are playing.

Boxes are 4" tall in the front and 12" tall in the back.
6" hole centered and 9" center down (It used to be 12" down)

Throw from anywhere behind the foul line. (Stay on your side)
I have seen people throw from directly behind the board
and I have seen people take a few steps and throw (Do not cross foul line)

I did see on some of these Cornhole sites that they want you to stay with-in a 3' x 4' area?
NO, that would never happen in reality. I personally stand behind the box and take 2 steps then throw.
That is how most people do it. well at least in the Chicago area.
I have been to hundreds of Tournaments and believe me no one person plays the game the same way.
I like bringing my own bags as most people do. I found some tournaments have terrible bags.
I went to one tournament where they made you play with their bags and they weighed 10oz and floated all over the place.
That would be like telling a professional Pool Player to use a House stick to play in a Pool Tournament or a Dart player to use bar darts. NO!

So you see it depends who is playing, where you are playing and what their style is.

Just have fun! and "Get Your Cornhole On!"
Basic Rules

    Each person takes turns throwing all 4 of their bags (One at a time, alternating players).
    At the end of each inning the score is added up.
    Now the other side throws all 4 bags and it is scored.

Scoring

    (1) Point for getting on the board and (3) points for getting it in the hole.
    remember that bags cancel each other out.
    If both players get 4 points then No one get a point.
    If one person gets 4 points and the other person gets 5 points then the score is (1) one for the person with 5.
    First team to 21 wins (Must win by 2) so 21 to 20 doesn't work. Must be 21 to 19, or 22 to 20 or 21 to 3 if one team is very bad :)


More explained rules:

Singles Or Doubles Play

    Cornhole / Bean Bag Toss can be played as doubles or singles.

    In doubles play two contestants are partners against another team of two contestants.
    In singles play a contestant competes against another contestant.

    In doubles play, one member of each team pitches from one Cornhole board/box and the other members pitch from the other cornhole board/box.
    In singles play, both contestants pitch from the same Cornhole board/box.
    All other rules are basically the same for doubles or singles play.

Innings

    Every Cornhole / Bean Bag Toss match is broken down into innings of play.
    During each inning of play each contestant must pitch all four corn bags.

Point Value

1. Bag In-The-Hole (3) Three Points
    A bag in-the-hole (or Hole-In) is a bag which is thrown through the hole in the cornhole board/box or knocked in by another bag.
    Yours or theirs.
    A bag in-the-hole has a value of (3) three points.

2. Bag In-The-Count (1) One Point)
    Cornhole Bags that are not in-the-hole but land with any portion of the corn bag resting on the cornhole board/box
    is in-the-count or Bag-On.
    A bag in-the-count has a value of (1) one point.
    For a bag to be in-the-count, it must not touch the ground or any other portion of the court prior to coming to rest on the cornhole board/box.
    If a bag touches the ground before coming to rest on the cornhole board/box,
    it is a foul and must be removed from the cornhole platform prior to the continuation of play. So NO bounce-ons!

3. Corn Bag Out-Of-The-Count
    A bag which comes to rest anywhere except in-the-count (on the board) or in-the-hole is out-of-the-count and has no scoring value.
    A bag which is declared to be a foul is considered to be out-of-the-count (no matter where it comes to rest)
    and must be removed from the cornhole surface prior to the continuation of play.

Cancellation Scoring

    In cancellation scoring, bags in-the-hole and bags in-the-count pitched by opponents cancel each other out.
    Only non cancelled corn bags are counted in the score for the inning.

1. Bags In-The-Hole or Hole-ins cancel each other.
    A bag in-the-hole of one contestant shall cancel a bag in-the-hole of his competitor and those corn bags shall not score any points.
    Any non cancelled corn bag in-the-hole scores three points.

2. Bags In-The-Count or Bag-On cancel each other.
    A bag in-the-count of one contestant shall cancel a bags in-the-count of the opponent and those corn bags shall not score any points.
    Any non cancelled corn bags in-the-count score one point each.

Score Calculation

    Cancellation scoring may be easily calculated as follows:

1. The points of both contestants are calculated for hole-ins and bag-ons corn bags.

2. The points of the lowest scoring contestant for hole-in corn bags are subtracted from the points of the highest scoring contestant for hole-in bags.
    The result is the hole-in score for the highest scoring contestant. The hole-in score for the lowest scoring contestant is zero.

3. The points of the lowest scoring contestant for in-the-count bags are subtracted from the points of the highest scoring contestant for
    in-the-count corn bags. The result is the in-the-count score for the highest scoring contestant.
    The in-the-count score for the lowest scoring contestant is zero.

3. The hole-in score for each contestant is added to the in-the-count score for each contestant and subtracted.
    the remaining player scores for the inning.

4. In this manner hole-in and in-the-count bags from each contestant or team of contestants are cancelled out
    and only non cancelled corn bags are counted in the score.

WHAT?
   
    Basically if you have 5 points (1 in and 2 on) and your opponent has 6 points (2 in), your opponent only gets 1 point.
    or
    You have 4 points (1 in & 1 on) and your opponent has 3 points (3 on) You get 1 point
    because everything else cancels each other out. it is extremely easy, it is just worded terribly.


Delivery Of Corn Bags

1. In doubles play, the first side of contestants alternate pitching the bags until they have thrown all four corn bags.
    then the remaining contestant pitching from the other cornhole board/box continue to alternate in the same manner
    until all four corn bags are delivered and the inning completed.

    Delivery in singles play is handled in the same manner (but from the same platform) with each of the two contestants alternating
    their pitching of bags until all four bags have been pitched completing the inning.

2. A contestant may deliver the bag from either the left or right pitchers box but, in any one inning,
    all corn bags must be delivered from the same pitcher's box.
    A contestant can switch hand at any time but must remain in the same pitcher's box.

3. Each individual contestant shall pitch the bag within 20 seconds.
    The time shall start when the contestant steps onto the pitcher's box with the intention of pitching.

4. Bags are pitched from the pitcher's box which is behind the front of the box. Pitching past the front of the box is a foul.


Pitching Rotation During The Game

    The contestant who scored in the previous inning shall pitch first in the next inning.
    If neither pitcher scores, the contestant who scored last regardless of how many innings go by shall pitch first in the next inning.

Point Limits

    The Cornhole / Bean Bag Toss match shall be played until the first team of contestants reaches
    or exceeds 21 points at the completion of an inning. The winning team needs to win by two or more points.

Ties At The End Of An Inning

    If the Cornhole / Bean Bag Toss match is tied at 21 or more at the end of an inning, play continues until one team or the other
    achieves a higher score at the end of an inning and wins by at least 2 points to end the match.



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