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World Series of Beer Pong™ Full Rules and Regulations

  1. General

    1. These rules are designed with three purposes in mind:
      1. Fairness to all players
      2. Efficiency in running a maximum number of games simultaneously
      3. Minimization of possible disputes between participants
    2. These rules are meant to be applied to all BPONG Sanctioned events. However, some elements of these rules are specific to The World Series of Beer Pong, including Tournament Structure, etc. When an event uses a format that is different than that of the WSOBP, discretion on the part of the organizers should be used to apply these rules.

  2. Tournament Structure (WSOBP Specific)

    3.
    1. Prelims
      1. Prelims will take place on the first two days of the event (January 2 and January 3)
      2. Each team will play 6 games per day (for a total of 12 games) during prelims. Opponents will be chosen randomly. For each game in prelims, one team will have choice of table side, and the other team will have choice of first possession.
      3. Each team will receive a schedule of their preliminary opponents. The schedule will indicate which team has choice of possession and which team has choice of table side.
    2. Scoring of Prelims
      1. After each game in prelims, a scorecard must be filled in and signed by a member of each team. The scorecard should be filled out with the following information: name of the winning team, name of the losing team, round number, table number, and the number of cups remaining on the losing team's side. In the event of a forfeit, an 'F' should be placed in the "remaining cups" section.
      2. At the conclusion of prelims, all teams will be ranked, first by number of wins, and then by "Total Cup Differential".
        1. "Total Cup Differential" is defined as the sum of the "Cup differentials" for all games actually played. For each game played, the winning team receives a "cup differential" equal to the number of cups remaining on the opponents side. The losing team receives a negative "Cup Differential" for each cup remaining on his side.
        2. In the event of a forfeit, the forfeiting team receives a Loss and the opposing team receives a Win. Each team will receive a cup differential equal to the average cup differential of the rest of their games. In the event that the winning team has a negative cup differential, they will receive a cup differential of 0 for the game. In the event that the losing team has an average cup differential higher than -3, they will receive a cup differential of -3.
        3. Any game that is won in overtime (or any successive overtime) will be counted as a cup differential of 1.
    3. Finals
      1. Finals will take place on the third day of the event (January 4). The highest ranked 160 teams will qualify. The lowest ranked 64 teams will face off against each other in a single game (aka the “play-in” round). The 32 teams that survive will be joined with the 96 teams who had a bye yielding 128 remaining teams.
      2. The remaining 128 teams will be broken down into 16 groups of 8 teams.  Each group of 8 will enter into a “double-elimination” bracket.
      3. The 16 teams that win their brackets will be split up into two groups of 8. Each group of 8 will enter in a “double-elimination” bracket.
      4. The two teams that survive will face off in a “best-of-3” finals. There will also be a single game for third place.
      5. If there is a tie for 160th or 96th place, ranking will be determined by a strength-of-schedule calculation. In the event that a tie still remains at the end of day 2, tiebreaker games will be held.

  3. Equipment

    1. Tables: 8' x 2' x 27.5" BPONG Tables
    2. Balls: 40 mm 3-Star Tournament Grade BPONGTM Balls
    3. Cups: BPONGTM 16 oz. cups
      1. Top width: 3-5/8"
      2. Height: 4-5/8"
      3. Base width: 2-1/4"

  4. Game Setup

    5.
    1. Cup Formation
      1. 10 cups per team
      2. Starting formation is a "tight triangle" formation (rims touching), pointing towards the opposing side.
      3. The 10-cup triangle must be centered on the table and the back row of cups must be within 1 inch of the edge of the table.
      4. Cups must not be tilted or leaned against the surrounding cups.
    2. Content of Cups
      1. For the World Series of Beer Pong main event, 24 ounces of beer or water will be used per team and will be distributed evenly in the 6 front cups. The back 4 cups will be filled 1/3 with water. These water cups are not for consumption--they are to be reused every round. All official World Series of Beer Pong Satellite Tournaments must abide by all local laws concerning beer pong.

  5. Playing the Game

    6.
    1. Shooting and Table Sides
      1. In prelims, first possession will be determined by random selection. Each team will receive a printed schedule which will indicate which team has choice of first shot. Table side will be pre-determined, and will appear on each team’s schedule.
      2. On day three, possession and table side will be chosen by the team with the superior rank in prelims. In the event of a tie (two teams with the same win-loss record and Cup Differential Per Game), a coin toss will determine who chooses to shoot.
      3. The team with first possession will get one (1) shot. Each team will get two (2) shots for each turn thereafter, one shot per team member, subject to any other rules below.
    2. Grabbing
      1. The ball in play may be grabbed, however ONLY after it has already made contact with a cup, but not while the ball is in the cup. You may not grab before the ball has hit a cup.
      2. In the event of player interference prior to the ball making contact with a cup, (aka premature grabulation), 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.
      3. Bounce Shots: Players ARE allowed to let their shots bounce off of the table before making it to the cup.. In accordance with B(2) above, bounce-shots may not be interfered with until they have made contact with a cup. It should be noted that bounce-shots\do NOT count for two cups.
      4. Balls may not be interfered with while inside of a cup. I.e., no fingering.
    3. Reformation
      1. Cups must be reformed at 6, 3, and 1 cups remaining according to the diagram below:
      2. Racks must be aligned to the center of the table.В  When one cup is remaining, the cup shall always be pulled back to within an inch of the end of the table, and it shall be placed in the center of the table.
      3. Cups that drift out of position may be reformed at the request of the thrower.
      4. Reformation is to take place as soon as applicable, even in the middle of a turn (i.e. mid-turn reracks).
      5. Cups should be removed as soon as they are hit, even in the case where a reformation is not warranted. It is the responsibility of the shooting team to wait until a hit cup is removed to take their next shot. If a team shoots while the opposing team is reforming or in the process of removing a cup from the table, and the ball goes in the cup after making contact with the defending teams hand(s), the shot will count as a miss. If a shooter hits a cup that has already been hit, it will count as a miss.
      6. If a team mistakenly shoots when a reform should have occurred, they have the right to ask for a reform after the fact. If a cup has been hit, and the shooting team then asks for a reform, the defending team gets to choose which cup gets removed from the reformed rack.
    4. Rollbacks - The Pope's Rule
      1. 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, not two.В  The only exception to this rule is during redemption.
      2. Either teammate may take the rollback shot.
    5. "Miracles" - If a shot happens to land and stay on top of the cups, that shot will count as a miss. Congratulations - you are lucky, but you have not proved that you have any pong skills at all. If you can prove to us that you can intentionally land a ball on the cups on demand, we'll consider changing this rule. Until then, put the ball in the cup - that is the point of the game.
    6. Leaning will be permitted, with the following considerations:
      1. A player may not place a hand/foot/leg/penis/whatever on the table in order to gain additional reach and/or leverage. A player's hand may touch the table after a shot is released.
      2. Players may not edge themselves around the table when they throw.
      3. Under no circumstances may a player shoot with any part of his or her body on (against is permitted) the table. Of course, if you have a beer gut that must rest on the table because there's nothing else you can do with it; the "beer gut on the table" exception will apply.
      4. Players may not move cups out of position in order to gain a leaning advantage. If the cups move as a result of contact with the body while shooting, the cups must be returned to their original spot before the opposing team shoots. Any cup knocked over as the result of excessive leaning will count as a hit shot. Beer Pong Events, LLC will not be liable for the resulting ridicule excessively leaning players are bound to receive from other participants..
      5. Beer Pong Events, LLC will not be liable for the resulting ridicule excessively leaning players are bound to receive from other participants.
    7. Distractions
      1. Distractions are permitted with the following restrictions (subject to a one cup penalty)
        1. Players may not cross the plane of play (the imaginary plane which runs vertically and separates you from your cups) with any part of their bodies, clothing, or other objects, while the other team is shooting. To avoid violating this rule, just stand back a few feet from your cups.
        2. Players may not fan, blow, or otherwise intentionally create an air current surrounding the cups in play.
        3. Players may not approach the opposing team members in an unsportsmanlike manner. This includes running alongside the table to talk trash in an opposing players face. In general, players should never be on the side of the table (picking up a ball is an exception).
        4. Players and spectators may not visually block cups from opposing players. This includes the use of lighting mechanisms to interfere with vision. As an example, no player may shine a laser pointer in his opponent’s eyes.
        5. Spectators are permitted to aid in distractions, but may not be inside the playing area at any time. In addition, in the event that players are positioned close to the outer edges of a playing area, spectators are prohibited from unreasonably interfering with a players ability to shoot. Specifically, no spectator is allowed to scream directly into the ears of players at close range, or attempt to block a player’s view of the cups.
        6. Distractions should not violate any local, state, or federal laws.
    8. The Dipshit Not Paying Attention Rule
      1. If TEAM1 knocks over one of its own cups, that dipshit's team (TEAM1) loses that cup(s). However, if the other team (TEAM2) also contains dipshits not paying attention that do not catch the first team of dipshits (TEAM1) knocking over their cup, then TEAM1 may keep that cup.
    9. Balling your own cups
      1. 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.
      2. 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.
    10. Interference
      1. Ball Interference
        1. Interference is defined as any contact, intentional or otherwise, between game pieces (balls or cups) and any other objects.
        2. In the event of player interference prior to the ball making contact with a cup (aka Premature Grabulation), 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.
        3. In the event of interference on the part of non-players, such as spectators or officials, the shot is replayed.
        4. In the event that a player drops his/her ball into one of his/her own cups, no penalty is enforced. (See "Balling your own cups")
        5. All objects sitting on the table are considered part of the table for the purpose of determining interference. Specifically, if a shot bounces off of an errant object on the table (such as a water cup, a cup that has already been hit, a personal can of beer, etc) and then goes into a live cup, that shot is counted.
        6. The previous clause notwithstanding, the playing area should be kept as clear as possible at all times. Specifically, no objects should placed in between the opposing cup formations.
      2. Cup Interference
        1. 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 unless the dipshits are not paying attention (See: Dipshit Not Paying Attention Rule).
        2. 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.
        3. 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.
        4. Drifters: In the event that a cup drifts out of its position while a ball attempting to sink those cups is in mid-flight, the shot is to be counted as a miss, unless it is absolutely clear that the movement of the cup was caused by the defending team, i.e. the defending team makes contact with the table. Once a ball has touched a cup, the defending team can cause the cups to move without penalty, but if they do knock cups over, the cups will be removed from the game.
        5. Cup Adjustment: Cups may NOT be moved or adjusted while the ball is being released, or while the ball is in mid-flight. Doing so incurs a 1-cup penalty.
        6. Balls Knocking Over Cups: Cups should be filled to the point where it is not possible to knock the cup over with the ball. However, in the event that a ball does knock a cup over, the shot is counted as a hit, UNLESS it is absolutely clear that the ball never crossed the top plane of the cup before it was knocked over, in which case the cup is reset and the shot is considered a miss. To clarify, if a ball enters a cup, spins, and then exits the cup, and the cup falls off of the table as a result, the cup is counted as a hit shot, and is removed.
        7. In the event that a ball enters a cup causing the cup to move, the defending team may not stabilize the cup. To clarify, if it appears that a cup is going to fall over, the defending team must allow this to happen.
      3. Interference During Reformation
        1. Players are not allowed to shoot until the opposing team has clearly finished reforming. In the event that the thrower shoots before this:
          1. A cup made does not count and the opposing team receives possession of the ball.
          2. A missed shot is counted as a miss and the opposing team receives possession of the ball.
    11. Ending the Game
      1. Redemption (A.K.A. Rebuttal) & Overtime
        1. As soon as the last cup is hit, the opposing team has the opportunity to try and bring the game into Overtime. See Appendix A for examples to illustrate the following rules. 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.
          1. 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. At this time, players MUST alternate throwers in the event of multiple hits-one player may NOT take all the redemption shots. The only exception to this rule occurs when there are three cups remaining when redemption begins. In this case, the first two shots must be alternated (i.e., the player who shoots first cannot shoot second), but the final shot may be taken by either player.
          2. 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:
            1. 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.
            2. Opponent sinks your last cup on their first shot. You get 1 chance to redeem.
            3. 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
        2. 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.
        3. Overtime (3-cup)
          1. Overtime formation is a tight triangle.
          2. The dominant team (the team which would have won had their opponents not redeemed) selects which side shoots first.
          3. The same redemption and rollback rules apply during overtime as apply pre-overtime.

  6. Miscellaneous

    7.
    1. Disputes
      1. A dispute is not considered to be valid unless witnessed by two or more individuals. In the event of a valid dispute, that game is considered paused and an official must be notified. Any witnesses to the event in question must remain at the table until the dispute has been resolved. All calls made by the referee are final. Intentional abuse of game rules and/or disputation without adequate cause is grounds for ejection from the tournament.
    2. Absentee Players
      1. In the event that a player is temporarily absent, no substitution may be made.В The game continues without the missing player; i.e. that team receives only one shot per side until the missing player returns.
      2. In the event that a player is forced to vacate the venue by the owner of the venue, Beer Pong Events, LLC, hired security, or any other entity deemed to be authoritative on this matter at the sole discretion of Beer Pong Events, LLC, the team will forfeit the rest of the tournament, will not be permitted back in the venue, and will not be entitled to any refund, in whole or in part, of any fees paid for the event or any associated activities.
    3. Conduct
      1. All players are to conduct themselves in a matter respectful to other players, referees, and the sport of Beer Pong. Unacceptable conduct will result in severe punitive action, to be applied at the discretion of the referees. Unacceptable conduct includes, but is not limited to, fighting, abuse of referees, unreasonably throwing balls at opponents, abuse of other players, abuse of beer (excessive spilling), etc.
    4. Interpretation of Rules
      1. Final interpretation of these rules is made at the sole discretion of the referees.

Appendix A - Redemption Examples:

Here are some common examples of how the redemption rules are applied. Each team has two players, who we will call Player A and Player B:

  1. There are 4 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and Team 1 has just hit last cup (It does not matter whether the first or second shooter hit last cup). Team 2 must hit all 4 cups on Team 1's side without missing. Player A from Team 2 shoots. If he misses, the game is over. If he hits, then the cups are reformed to a triangle, and Player B shoots. If Player B misses, the game is over. If Player B hits, then Player A shoots. If Player A misses, the game is over. If Player A hits, then Player B shoots. If he misses, the game is over. If he hits, the game goes to Overtime, and Team 1 gets the first two shots.
  2. There are 3 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and Team 1 has just hit last cup. В Team 2 must hit all 3 cups on Team 1's side without missing. Player A from Team 2 shoots. If he misses, the game is over, if he hits, then the cups are reformed to a triangle, and Player B shoots. If he misses, the game is over. If he hits, then Player A shoots. If he misses, the game is over. If he hits, then Player B shoots. If he misses, the game is over. If he hits, the game goes to Overtime, and Team 1 gets the first two shots.
  3. There are 2 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and one cup remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and misses. Player B from Team 1 hits last cup. Since there were two cups remaining when last cup is hit, the rule is still “Unlimited 1-ball Redemption”. So, Player A from Team 2 will shoot. If he misses, the game is over. If Player A hits, then Player B shoots. If Player B hits, the game goes to Overtime, and Team 1 gets the first two shots.
  4. There are 2 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and one cup remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits on the first shot. Since there are multiple cups remaining on Team 1's side, this situation is played exactly like Example C.
  5. There are 2 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and 2 cups remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits a cup. Player B from Team 1 then shoots and hits last cup. Since there are multiple cups remaining on Team 1's side, this situation is played exactly like Example C.
  6. There are 2 cups remaining on Team 1's side, and 3 cups remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits a cup. Player B from Team 1 shoots and hits a cup. One ball is rolled back. Either player shoots and hits last cup. Since there are multiple cups remaining on Team 1's side, this situation is played exactly like Example C.
  7. There is 1 cup remaining on Team 1's side, and 1 cup remaining on Team 1's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and misses. Player B then hits last cup. В Since there is one cup on Team 1's side, and there are two balls on Team 2's side, Team 2 has two opportunities to hit the cup to bring the game to Overtime. If Player A on Team 2 hits, the game goes to Overtime. If Player A misses, then Player B takes a shot.
  8. There is 1 cup remaining on Team 1's side, and 1 cup remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits on Team 1's first shot. Since the last cup has been hit, the game goes directly to Rebuttal. Since there is only one ball on Team 2's side, Team 2 has only one chance to hit the remaining cup to bring Overtime. Either player on Team 2 may take the shot.
  9. There is 1 cup remaining on Team 1's side, and 2 cups remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits. Player B from Team 1 shoots and hits last cup. Since there is one cup on Team 1's side, and there are two balls on Team 2's side, Team 2 has two opportunities to hit the cup to bring the game to Overtime. This is played exactly like Example G.
  10. There is 1 cup remaining on Team 1's side, and 3 cups remaining on Team 2's side. Player A from Team 1 shoots and hits a cup. Player B from Team 1 shoots and hits a cup. One ball is rolled back. Either player shoots and hits last cup. Since there is one cup on Team 1's side, and there are two balls remaining on Team 2's side, Team 2 has two opportunities to hit the cup to bring the game to Overtime. This is played exactly like Example G.

These rules are protected by U.S. copyright laws. Beer Pong Events, LLC, however, grants permission for these rules to be copied and/or modified, so long as credit is given to Beer Pong Events. For example, you may include, "These rules are based upon The WSOBP Rules, available at BPONG.COM." They may be copied and/or modified, so long as this statement is included on any and all copies.

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