Beer Ball Drinking Game Guide

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Master this popular (and chug-able) version of beer pong

Co-authored by Cheyenne Main

Last Updated: June 18, 2025 Fact Checked

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• How to Play Beer Ball
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• Optional Rules & Variations
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• Tips

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Beer ball (also called “dodge beer”) is a super fun and competitive game that’s perfect for any occasion. All you need to get started is a large table, 1 or 2 ping pong balls, and at least 4 cans of beer or whatever drink you’d like. Keep reading to learn how to play this insanely entertaining game, plus optional rules you can use to take it up a notch.

Beer Ball Overview

• Number of Players: 4, 6, or 8
• Setup: Divide the players into 2 teams and stand on opposite sides of a table. Place 1 unopened beer on each corner of the table.
• Objective: Hit your opponent’s beer can with a ping-pong ball and start drinking one of the beers. The first team to finish both beers on their side of the table wins.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

Beer Ball Rules and Gameplay

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1. 
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   Place 1 beer on each corner of a table and split into equal teams. Divide the group into an equal number of players and stand on each end of a standard ping pong table. If you're playing with 4 people, set 4 unopened beers upright on each corner of the table.

   • If you’re playing with more than 4 players, set 1 can of beer for each player on a team on each end of the table. For example, if you have 6 players, place 3 cans at either end.
   • If your table is larger than a standard ping pong table, try to place the cans an arms-length away from each other.
2. 
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   Toss the ping pong ball towards your opponents’ beers. Play rock, paper, scissors or flip a coin to decide which team goes first, then pick which player goes first. On your turn, try to aim the ball at the cans standing on the opposite end of the table. It can bounce first or just hit the can directly.

   • If you miss the other team’s cans, your turn passes and the other team gets a chance to throw.
   • Players cannot touch their opponents’ cans or the ball they’re throwing. If they do, give them a penalty, like increasing the distance they have to stand away from the table for a round.
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3. 
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   If the ball hits their can, drink a beer until they retrieve it. If the ping pong ball strikes either of the other team’s cans, open one of your beer cans and start to drink from it. When the other team retrieves the ball and slams it down on the table, stop drinking and put the can down. The next player on the opposite side of the table takes their turn.

   • If you finish one of the beers, you get a point and can start drinking from the other can. To win, you must drink both cans of beer on your team’s side of the table.
   • The ping pong ball must be in someone’s hand when it touches the table to make the opponent stop drinking.
   • The players on the defensive team can work together to get the ball to the table. For example, one player might throw the ball to another player, who then slams it down.
4. 
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   Take turns throwing the ball until the beers on one side are empty. The first team to finish all of the beer cans on their side of the table wins the game. If you’d like to play multiple rounds, count the number of beer cans each team drinks. The team with the most finished drinks at the end of the game wins.

   • Decide how many rounds to play ahead of time.
   • If a team quits or refuses to drink anymore, the other team wins the game.
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Section 2 of 2:

Optional Rules & Variations for Beer Ball

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1. 
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   Players must put the thrown ball on their can and yell “Stop!” If slamming the ping pong ball on the table to get the other team to stop drinking is too easy (or too competitive), make it so the defensive team has to place the ball on one of their cans. They then have to yell “Stop!” to signal the player on the other team to stop drinking.

   • Instead of “Stop,” the defensive team can also yell “Down” or any other signal you decide.
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   Give a penalty to teams that throw the ball in a restricted area. Scout out the playing area before you start and determine if there are any areas where it’s unfair for the ball to roll. If the ball enters that area during the game, give the throwing team a penalty that restricts their ability to throw the next round.

   • For example, they may have to start their next round 2 ft (0.61 m) away from the table’s end.
   • If you’re playing outdoors, a restricted area might be over the fence, under your place of residence, or down a hill where it’s difficult to retrieve the ball quickly.
   • Indoor restricted areas might be anywhere outside of the room where the game is happening, or under any objects that are difficult to lift or look under.
3. 
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   If a can is knocked off the table, finish it and get an unopened can. Finishing a drink only counts if the team it belongs to drinks all of it. If your shot manages to push your opponent’s can off of the table entirely, your opponent has to drink the rest of the can. They then place a new, unopened can in its place.

   • If a player knocks their own drink off the table, refill it or replace it with a full can. If they already drank a portion of the beer, replace it with a full can as a penalty.
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   Assign penalties to players who miss a shot. Instead of just ending the turn and passing on to the other team, decide on a fun penalty that other players have to do if they don’t hit the other team’s cans. For example, you might decide that players have to spin in a circle 3 times after they miss.

   • You can also reward defensive teams for catching the ball. For example, if a player catches your throw without the ping-pong ball hitting anything else, they get a free throw.
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Tips

• Use cold beers that will be more enjoyable to drink during the game.
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• Beer Ball is also the name of a plastic keg sold in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It held around 5.16 US gal (19.5 L) of beer, or around 55 12 oz (0.35 L) beers.
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• If you don’t like beer, use canned seltzers. For a sober version of the game, use cans of soda or bottles of water.
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Warnings

• Please drink responsibly. Walk away from the game if you feel intoxicated, and try to avoid overconsuming alcohol or driving after drinking.
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