Start of the Game:
• A popular way to start the game is to have two opposing players look each other in the eye and without looking away or looking at the cups, shoot at the cups. The first team that makes a cup goes first. Teammates alternate turns until someone makes it. If both teams make it, you keep shooting.
Playing the Game:
• Each team takes their respective shots. Each team will get two (2) shots for each turn, one shot per team member, subject to any other rules below.
• If a player makes a cup, the other team should consume this cup and removes the cup from the table. Players alternate drinking cups made by the other team.
• The game continues in this way, with both players from one team taking a shot, followed by both players from the other team. The team that is able to clear all of the opposing team’s cups first is the winner, with the losing team splitting the contents of the winning team’s remaining cups.
• In general, if both players on a team sink his/her shot on the same turn, that team will get one (1) additional rollback shot. The only exception to this rule is during rebuttal.
• If they bounce a ball in, drink two cups. You choose the second cup. HOWEVER, if they bounce, you have free reign to swat that shot away. Bouncing is a good strategy if a) you're good at it and b) the other team isn't paying attention.
• Although the cups begin in a pyramid, they don’t necessarily stay that way. As there are more holes in the pyramid from removing cups, it gets more difficult to make shots. To account for this, a team must “re-rack” at certain numbers of remaining cups in order to keep a compact shape at which their opponents can shoot. Each team gets 2 re-racks per game at any time. The shooting team can choose how they want their cups arranged. Use them wisely. A standard rule of thumb is to take one with 6 cups remaining, and with 2 or 3 cups remaining. Reformation is to take place as soon as applicable, even in the middle of a turn.
     
Ending the Game:
• Once a team has made all the cups, the other team get the chance to answer (regardless if they threw first to start the game) and cause the game to go into overtime. This is called a Rebuttal or Redemption.
• There are two different general scenarios for how to determine redemption rules: There are two or more cups remaining, or there is only one cup remaining on the side of the team that has hit last cup.
A. If there are two or more cups remaining, Unlimited 1-ball Redemption is given. Either player may take the first shot, and the ball is rolled back until a player misses. As soon as a miss occurs, the game is over and losers proceed to drink what’s left of their opponents’ alcohol. At this time, players MUST alternate throwers in the event of multiple hits-one player may NOT take all the redemption shots
B. If there is one cup remaining when the last cup is sunk, the rule is, Take as many shots as you have balls remaining on your side. For example:
a. Your opponent misses their first shot, but sinks the second into your last cup. You get 2 chances to redeem, i.e. you may miss once.
b. Opponent sinks your last cup on their first shot. You get 1 chance to redeem.
c. If an opponent sinks your last 2 or 3 cups in 1 turn, you get 2 chances to redeem, i.e. you
may miss once
b. Successful redemption results in initiation of a 3-cup overtime, with the dominant team
(the team which would have won had their opponents not redeemed), selecting possession.
Overtime:
• If a team hits the remaining cups during rebuttal overtime is forced. Overtime consists of each team setting up 3 cups in a triangle format using a beverage to fill them up. The team who hit the last cup first shoots first in overtime. Overtime is played like a normal game with the same rules applied (i.e. overtime can be forced again following the same process).
Balling your own cups:
• In the event that a player who has possession of the ball drops that ball into his own cups either accidentally or intentionally, no penalty is taken.
• In the event that a player who does not have possession of the ball comes in contact with the ball and as a result that ball enters one of his own cups, such as by unintentionally acting as a backboard, that shot IS counted.
Interference:
• In the event of player interference prior to the ball making contact with a cup, a one-cup penalty will be imposed for the interference. The thrower who had his or her shot interfered with may choose the cup to be removed.
• Players may not make contact with the table while their opponents are shooting.
• Balls may not be interfered with while inside of a cup. i.e. no fingering.
• In the event that a player knocks over his or her own cups, those cups are to be counted as though sunk and removed from the table. They are not to be refilled or replaced. If the entire rack is knocked off of the table, all of the cups are counted as hit, unless this occurred during reformation, in which case the cups are replaced.
• In the event that cups are knocked over by any non-player, those cups are not counted as sunk, and are to be refilled and replaced in their appropriate positions on the table.
• In the event that cups drift or are otherwise moved out of formation, those cups may be replaced in their appropriate positions upon request from the opposing team.