Learn How to Play Cornhole

There is no question about it; cornhole is one of the best games ever invented. If you are just figuring that out, you have a lot to learn! For starters, you’ll need to know how to play cornhole.

A Technical Caveat

There are several official organizations that have made it their mission to standardize cornhole play. Technically, these are just suggested guidelines; they are an attempt to keep things consistent.

While you are welcome to follow the hard-and-fast rules of how to play cornhole, everyone knows this great game can be adjusted every once in a while to better suit those playing.

You’ll need to start somewhere, though, so let’s give you the official cornhole rules!

Get the Equipment

To play cornhole, you’ll need two simple pieces of equipment: boards and bags.

When buying cornhole boards, you’ll have to choose between wood and plastic. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

If you choose wood (the most popular type of cornhole boards), make sure the surface of the board is smooth. Bags need to slide, and that won’t happen if the surface has blemishes.

Regardless of the construction material, the boards will be 48 inches by 24 inches. There will be a six-inch hole in the center of each board that players will aim at. The boards will be slightly elevated in the back to make it easier to hit the target.

Regulation cornhole bags are 6 inches by 6 inches. Cornhole pros are forever arguing about the best cornhole bag filling; your options are corn or plastic pellets. Again, there are pros and cons of each filling, so choose according to your personal preference.

Set Up The Court

Some sports are high maintenance. To play basketball, you need a court with hoops. To play soccer, you need a field with goals.

Fortunately, to play cornhole, all you need is a flat surface. Set up your boards in a parking lot, your backyard, or wherever else you want to play. One small suggestion; put the boards in a north-south layout. This will help avoid interference from the sun.

You will want to make sure there is plenty of space for the pitching boxes. There are four pitching boxes, one on either side of the two boards. These are areas the contestants will toss from.

Lastly, measure out the foul lines. Think of the foul line as an imaginary line that extends parallel to the edge of the cornhole board you’re tossing from. The foul line should be 27 feet from the front edge of the other cornhole board.

Learn the Scoring

There are two ways to earn points while playing cornhole.

A bag that goes through the hole

Any bag that passes through the hole (whether tossed, knocked, or slid there) earns three points. This method of earning points is called a cornhole, bag-in-the-hole, or hole-in.

A bag that lands on the board

Any bag that lands on the board (and doesn’t touch the ground first) earns one point. These are usually called bag-in-the-count by cornhole officials.

A bag that lands anywhere else

If the bag doesn’t pass through the hole or land on the board, it doesn’t earn any points. So basically, any bag that lands on the ground or hits the ground before landing on the board. These tosses are called bag-out-of-the-count.

Choose Your Teams

Cornhole can be played as singles or doubles.

If you play as doubles, one player from each team will stand together behind one of the foul lines. Those two players will alternate tosses until all bags have been played. The other two opponents behind the other foul line will repeat the process. When the inning has finished (when all four players have tossed all their bags), the two teams will rotate positions and aim at the other board.

With singles, both players will pitch from the same foul line. The players will alternate until all bags have been tossed. Then, both players will move to aim at the other board.

Start Playing

Here it is; what you’ve been waiting for. How to play cornhole!

To play, simply use an underhand toss to launch the bags (one at a time) at the board. Since sending the bag through the hole earns the most points, your goal should be to throw a cornhole as often as possible.

Players can toss from either pitching box, but they can’t switch places until the inning has ended.

Whoever scored the most points in the preceding inning will be the first to toss in the next inning. If there was a tie or no one scored, the person (or team) who tossed last will toss first.

Play will continue until one player (or team) reaches 21 points. The game cannot end in the middle of the inning though, so the winner might exceed 21 points.

Now that you know how to play cornhole, it is time to get your own customized set. Take a look at what we have available. Clearly, cornhole’s popularity won’t diminish any time soon, so investing in your own high-quality game set is definitely worth it!