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Cornhole Rules: What You need to Know to Play Cornhole
Cornhole is a highly entertaining game for people of all ages that has exploded in popularity in recent years. No surprise there, the game is highly addictive and is fun for all ages.
If you're looking to jump in and see what all the buzz is about, here's everything you need to know to get started playinhg Cornhole today!
Cornhole is a game of strategy and skill. Always a hit at tailgating parties, cornhole game play consists of two opponents (or teams) facing each other in front of two boards with 6” holes. Each player takes turns throwing four cornhole bags in the direction of the opponent's board.
The objective of a cornhole game is to be the first team to reach a score of 21. Seems simple enough, right? Read on to learn more.
The team that scores the most points in a round wins the round.
Follow the link to download a printable cornhole rules PDF.
The winner of a round earns the difference in points between the two teams' scores.
For example, team A scored 12 points, team B 6 points. The difference is, therefore, 6 points.
Team A wins 6 points. Cancellation scoring is also referred to as "Net Scoring"
Another inning starts again, this is repeated until a score of 21 is reached or exceeded.
Like a game of 1:1, Two players compete against one another until a single winner is determined.
Two teams, consisting of two players, compete against one another until a winning team is determined.
We like to keep it simple and do a coin toss. Whoever wins the coin flip gets to chose direction of play (left/right side pitchers box) or first cornhole bag toss (but not both).
After net score for an inning is determined, the player who earned points in the last inning get to pitch their cornhole bag first in the subsequent inning. If the net score for an inning is a wash (ie - no points scored), the team/player who pitched first in the prior inning will continue to pitch first.
Can You Bust in Cornhole?
According to official rules, it doesn’t matter if you go over 21 (AKA “bust”). However, many non-formal backyard games require an exact score of 21 and if an opponent goes over, the score resets back to a predetermined amount (often 15).
These games can go on for hours, especially if opponents are closely matched so make sure you've got plenty of cold beverages near by if your playing this way.
Whether playing for fun in the back yard, or prepping for a career as an ACL Pro, you'll want to ensure your equipment and cornhole court is setup in alignment with regulation play, per the American Cornhole Association. Keeping the cornhole court a consistent distance will help you develop as a player and ensure more consistent game play.
Distance between cornhole boards
The two boards must be located 27 feet apart, and the players must throw from behind (the front edge) of their board. This is the adult play foul line. For younger players, a junior play foul line is an line 12-15 feet between the front of each board. When setting up cornhole boards for youth games, its best to keep the distance at 12-15 feet (to match the foul line with the front edge of the cornhole board).
With regular and consistent cornhole practice, your aim and ability to place the bags strategically will improve, which will eventually turn you into a great player.
A great way to think of a designated Pitcher's Box is an imaginary rectangular space 4x3 ft along the side of the cornhole board you're tossing from. Basically, if you don't drift beyond the 4ft length of the board (ie - the front edge leading up to the foul line) and further than 3ft away from the board on the side, you'll be in great shape (easy enough, so long as you haven't had a few too many! 🤣.
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Top players can use advanced tossing techniques to elevate their cornhole games, like the block - as the name implies to block the other opponent from scoring, or flop shot (AKA “the Rollover”) in response to a block to effectively have the bag rollover the opponents tossed bag and into the hole. Spoiler Alert - we’ll cover these (and other cornhole trick shots) in an upcoming blog post as well as the best cornhole bags to use depending on your style of play.
You can quickly see how cornhole can become like a game of chess, depending on the player's skill level.
The Basics: You don't need much to enjoy a great cornhole game. It can be played with two sets of cornhole bags, two cornhole boards, and two to four players.
You'll need eight cornhole bags (two sets of four bags, each set of bags should be distinguishable from others) measuring 6 by 6 inches (15 by 15 cm) and weighing 15.5 to 16.5 ounces (440 to 470 g).
At Cornhole Canvas, all our cornhole board sets come with two sets of durable, duck cotton regulation bags.
You'll need two Cornhole Boards (2 by 4 feet). The hole in your cornhole board should be exactly 6-inch (150 mm) in diameter and 9 inches (230 mm) from the top of the board. We may be biased, but we believe the quality of your play can be enhanced by playing on a premium cornhole board.
Each cornhole board should be angled so that the top edge of the playing surface is 300 mm (12 inches) above the ground, and the bottom edge is 76-102 mm (3-4 inches) above the ground.
For a regular playing field, the holes are spaced 33 feet (10 m) apart or 8.2 m (27 feet) between the platforms' bottoms. As mentioned earlier, shorter distances may be used when young players are involved, or there is insufficient space.
Let's get to the heart of the matter. Is it simply a matter of throwing the bag into the hole and scoring points? Maybe it is.
Even if you play cornhole just for fun, it's definitely more fun if you win more often than you lose. Who doesn't like to win, right? In this section, you'll find 5 tips for beginners that will help you improve your performance.
Those new to cornhole often ask the question: “Where did Cornhole originate?” We did some digging into the history of cornhole and found some interesting theories that may surprise you. Keep reading to learn more!!
To discover the origins of Cornhole, look no further than the Midwest region of the United States. If there is one city that is completely under the spell of Cornhole, it is Cincinnati, Ohio.
It’s no surprise that my first encounter with Cornhole was during my college years at Miami of Ohio, where bean bags were often tossed outside of dorm rooms over a frosty can of Natty Light.
The game was also huge at rival Ohio school, OSU. Some say the West side of Cincinnati was the first to play the game of cornhole as far back as the 1960’s, as mentioned in Cincinnati Magazine here.
However, Cornhole is also immensely popular in Kentucky. As the story goes, pioneer and farmer Jebediah McGillicuddy played the first version of "Baggo" in the distinctive mountains of Kentucky, after which the game spread like wildfire and the rest was history.
Of course, the Cincinnati and Kentucky pioneers were not the first inhabitants of the American landscape. Legend tells of resourceful Native Americans from the Blackhawk Tribe in Illinois. They made bags from dried animal bladders (yes, bladders!), filled them with corn kernels, and then competed with them. This could very well be the origin of most sports games played with a ball today.
Some believe cornhole originated in Germany, where in 1325, a cabinet maker named Matthias Kuepermann, watching children throw stones into a dug hole (often injuring themselves), invented a less dangerous way to play using grain filled bags and a box made of cabinet materials lying around the shop. This may be an early version of the game. Note: At Cornhole Canvas, our cornhole boards are made of premium cabinet grade plywood. Mathias would be proud!
It’s easy to see how grain could be substituted for corn filled bags when the sport came overseas, given the abundance of corn crop and low corn prices in Ohio as well as plenty of immigrants and farmers who had arrived from Germany.
Yet, in addition to the stories that have survived for generations, some of the most convincing evidence of Cornhole's origin can be found in the United States patent records. In 1883, Heyliger de Windt applied for a patent for "Parlor Quoits."
With this game, which could be the earliest version of a cornhole board; there was a square hole instead of a round hole in the board. This game was the first to be recorded where bags of corn were thrown onto a wooden board with a hole in it.
The sport we now know as cornhole seems to have been influenced by many different regions. No one can say for sure, but evidence of this is in the many different names the game has taken on. For example, if you are from Chicago, you might simply call it "Bags" while those in Kentucky would prefer to call it "Baggo" and your grandpa might simply call it "Bean Bag Toss". Whatever you call the game, it's clear the history of cornhole is multi-faceted.
People also call it Cornhole, Bag Toss, Bean Bag Toss, Bags, Bean Bag Game, Bags Game, Tailgate Toss, Soft Horseshoes, Soft Horseshoes, Hillbilly Toss, Chuck-O, and Doghouse to name a few.
After a dive into the history of Cornhole, the question remains as to where exactly the addictive sport came from. Like farming, there is proof that Cornhole probably originated in several places at once, although history shows its origins are almost certainly in the United States.
Despite the contradictory origin stories, there is one thing people from all these regions have in common: good food, drink, family, friends and a really good time. Cornhole is proving to be timeless, and the game can be enjoyed anywhere by anyone.
If you're inspired by the history and would like see first hand why the game has become so popular among so many people, pick up one of our many cornhole sets and start tossing! You won't regret it.
