The Complete Guide to the Official Cornhole Game

Cornhole is an outdoor game that is popular throughout the United States. This family-friendly pastime has a long history, even though it has only recently become a mainstream form of entertainment. Also known as corn toss, bean bag toss, soft horseshoes, tailgate toss, baggo, and bags, cornhole is a fairly simple game. The rules and gameplay are easy to understand, making it a great game for all ages and abilities.

With a minimal amount of equipment, the official cornhole game can be played just about anywhere. Because of its versatility, cornhole has become a necessity for popular activities like tailgating, backyard BBQs, family reunions, and competitive tournaments. Cornhole is an enjoyable form of entertainment — but it is also a competition, so there are official guidelines intended to standardize play. Below is an outline of the regulations covering the equipment, the court, gameplay, scoring, and more.

Cornhole Bags and Boards

Cornhole game sets consist of two pieces of equipment: the cornhole boards and the cornhole bags. To play, participants need two boards and four bags per player (eight bags total). So that points are easy to tell apart, each player or team uses a different colored set of bags.

Regulation Cornhole Board Dimensions and Requirements

• Official cornhole boards must be constructed from wood.
• The regulation cornhole board measures 48 inches by 24 inches.
• The hole is 6 inches in diameter, centered 9 inches from the top of the board and 12 inches from both sides.
• The front edge of the board sits roughly 3 to 4 inches off the ground; the back edge is 12 inches off the ground.
• The playing surface must be smooth and free of blemishes that could impede play.

For full measurements and a labeled diagram, see our cornhole board size & dimensions guide. Every set we sell is built to these specs — browse regulation custom cornhole boards or read up on building vs. buying your boards.

Regulation Cornhole Bag Requirements

• Official cornhole bags measure 6 inches by 6 inches.
• The finished weight is approximately 16 ounces (1 pound).
• Two pieces of duck canvas are sewn together with a quarter-inch, double-stitched seam.
• Each bag is filled with 16 ounces of plastic resin pellets. Bags were traditionally filled with corn, but we no longer offer corn fill — resin is weatherproof and doesn't attract pests.

Learn more on our custom cornhole bags page, or see how big cornhole bags are and our official cornhole bag FAQ.

Regulation Cornhole Court Dimensions and Layout

The game of cornhole is played on a court. While this court can be set up just about anywhere, there are certain rules that apply to its overall design and size. The two boards face each other, and the most important measurement is the distance between them.

• A large, rectangular area is needed — at least 10 feet wide by 45 feet long.
• If multiple cornhole courts are laid out side-by-side, leave 10 to 12 feet between each court.
• If the court is set up indoors, there must be 12 feet of vertical clearance.
• The court must be level. Before play begins, all players evaluate the court and remove any obstacles; no changes can be made once play starts.
• To reduce the effects of the sun, avoid courts that are aligned east to west.
• A pitcher's box sits on each side of each board and extends 3 feet from the board's edge. All pitches are made from this area, and a player must stay in the same box for the entire inning.
• The foul line runs parallel to the front edge of each board. For adult play it is 27 feet from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other; for junior play it is 21 feet.

Regulation Cornhole Rules and Gameplay

Cornhole is played as singles (one vs. one) or doubles (two vs. two). Players alternate tossing bags one at a time until all eight bags have been thrown, then the round — called an inning — is scored. Here is how a regulation game runs:

• Before play begins, players agree on a singles or doubles match.
• In singles, one competitor plays another. Both toss from the same board, then switch boards after each inning and aim at the other target.
• In doubles, two teammates play two opponents. One player from each team tosses from the same board; the other two toss from the opposite board. Players switch boards at the end of each inning.
• A game is divided into innings. In singles, both players pitch four bags each from the same board, alternating tosses. The inning is complete when all eight bags have been thrown.
• In doubles, two opponents pitch four bags each from one board, alternating. When they finish, the other two players toss in the same manner from the opposite board. The inning is complete when all four have thrown.
• Each board has two pitcher's boxes. A player may toss from either side but must remain in the same box for the whole inning. Switching sides is allowed in the next inning.
• Once a player steps into the pitcher's box, he or she has 20 seconds to toss the bag.
• A player must toss with the same hand for the entire match (or tournament).
• Pitching order: the player or team that scored in the preceding inning tosses first in the next inning. If no one scored, the side that pitched second goes first.
• In doubles, the player who is not tossing must respect the pitcher's space and stand at least 2 feet behind the competitor.

For the complete rulebook see our official cornhole rules page, and for the obscure ones read cornhole game rules you didn't know exist.

Fouls

The following actions are considered fouls. If one of them happens, the tossed bag must be removed from the court before play resumes:

• Crossing the foul line while pitching
• Stepping outside the pitcher's box after entering it with the intention of tossing
• Failing to toss the bag within 20 seconds of entering the pitcher's box
• Switching pitcher's boxes during the same inning
• Dropping the bag after the pitch's forward swing has begun
• Any bag that hits the ground (or any other object) before landing on the board

Scoring

• Three points: a hole-in — a bag that passes through the hole. It can be tossed in, slide in, or be knocked in by another bag.
• One point: any bag that lands and stays on the board without passing through the hole. The bag cannot touch the ground first.
• Zero points: a bag that comes to rest anywhere off the board. A bag that hits the ground before landing on the board is a foul and is removed before play resumes.

• The first team (or player in singles) to reach or exceed 21 points wins.
• It is possible to win via a skunk: if one side scores 7 or more points before the opponent scores any, the scoring side wins.
• A match cannot end mid-inning. Even if a side reaches 21, play continues until the inning concludes.
• If both sides are tied at or beyond 21 at the end of an inning, play continues until there is a winner.
• Cancellation scoring — hole-ins cancel each other out. If Player A scores two hole-ins and Player B scores one, Player A earns three points and Player B earns zero.
• Bags on the board cancel each other out the same way. If Player A lands three bags on the board and Player B lands two, Player A earns one point and Player B earns zero.

For worked scoring examples and the terms players use, see how to keep score in cornhole. Running an event? Grab our printable cornhole tournament brackets.

Cornhole Culture and Popularity

Since its inception, cornhole has become a staple of American entertainment. Its popularity comes from a few things:

• The game can be played anywhere. You don't need a court like basketball, a field like football, or even sand pits like horseshoes — cornhole boards can be set on just about any flat surface.
• People of all ages and abilities can play. The bags are light and easy to toss, and the rules are straightforward.
• The equipment is simple to store and transport. Boards and bags take up very little space, and most boards have handles for hauling them from place to place.

Cornhole is most famously known for its contribution to tailgating parties. For American sports enthusiasts, the pre-game party is nearly as important as the sporting event itself — and cornhole is a big part of that. Because of its close association with sports, it is common for boards and bags to be customized with team logos or mascots, and friendly games often turn into highly charged competitions.

Stadium parking lots aren't the only place you'll find cornhole boards. The game is a fixture at backyard parties, BBQs, family reunions, weddings, music festivals, and just about any other outdoor gathering. It moves indoors too: physical education teachers use it when the weather is too poor for outdoor class, and in bars and pubs across the country cornhole has replaced traditional games like darts, with matches and tournaments running alongside drinking and socializing — some patrons even turn it into a cornhole drinking game.

While cornhole is usually thought of as entertainment, it also has practical uses. Many companies host cornhole tournaments as marketing events, and charities and non-profits use tournaments to raise money. Professional play has grown too — leagues like the ACL now air championships on national television.

The Legends and Origins of Cornhole

The origins of cornhole are numerous and vary by region and legend. There are two main theories about how the game got started.

The Legend of Cornhole: A German Solves a Problem

The first legend has it that a German farmer invented the game sometime around the year 1325. The story goes that he was walking home from tilling his fields when he came across boys trying to throw large, heavy rocks into a hole in the ground. He remarked that they could get hurt, but the boys wouldn't stop. So that night the farmer filled cloth swatches with dried corn kernels and stitched them into sacks. He couldn't find the boys the next day, but he and his family replicated the game on their own land with the corn sacks instead of cumbersome rocks. From there, German immigrants are said to have brought the game to the colonies, where it had modest success among farmers and pioneers before being rediscovered in Kentucky in the early 1900s.

The Legend of Cornhole: An American Pastime

The second major legend has a more modern flair. This account holds that a Midwestern farmer in the 1900s invented the game as a way to pass the time between farm work. Others claim a very similar pastime was already being enjoyed by Native Americans in the Midwest — mostly the Blackhawk tribe — who filled pigs' bladders with dried beans and tossed them in a similar fashion.

These stories go on to recount that the first documented games took place on the west side of Cincinnati among bar patrons. After the game gained a local following, it became a popular pastime for tailgating parties and group events, and visitors to Cincinnati carried it home to their own states. The game spread from there and has remained a tailgating mainstay ever since.

Although cornhole has stayed fairly consistent in both equipment and rules, there have been a few modifications over time. The original sacks were cloth filled with corn kernels, so they didn't last long — especially if they got wet. In the modern game, cloth has been replaced by durable duck canvas and the kernels by plastic pellets, so bags last for years of play. Read more in the history of cornhole.

Cornhole Game FAQ