Are You Ready for a Game of Cornhole?

Yeah. I know. What a name, huh? You might know it as Hillbilly Horseshoes, Baggo, Corn Toss, Beanbag Toss or Bags-n-boards, but no matter what you call it it’s a game that’s sweeping the nation! I’m not sure anybody really knows where and when the first Cornhole game was played, but for the sake of Midwesterners everywhere I’m going with the west side of Cincinnati, Ohio. I got a chance to visit Cincinnati not long ago and can vouch that Cornhole is right up there with the Bengals. It’s not just a game to many, but a way of life!

Just within the last few years the game of Cornhole has become a big hit and is quickly making its way across the nation to backyards, neighborhood bars and tailgating parties everywhere.  One reason for its popularity is simple; it’s mobile.  With two playing boards (can be foldable) and eight small corn bags to toss you’re ready to go. 

To play the game you need two teams.  A team can be made up of either one or two people each.  For singles play, opponents start and play from the same end.  However with doubles play teammates should line up next to boards on opposite sides. Start with all eight bags at one end.   (By the way, boards should be set up 30 feet apart from hole to hole).  From there it’s simple, aim for the hole.  If you make it directly in the hole, your team gets three points.  If the bag lands on the board, it’s one point.  Although if both players land a bag on the board, the bags cancel each other out and no one gets points for that round. The first team to score 21 points wins!

One reason the game is so popular is because of its mobility. It can be played in a parking lot, at a campground, at a bar, on the beach, at the park or in your own backyard. If you have a number of friends that have sets, you can line them up and play tournaments side by side. Take it a step further by handing out specially designed Cornhole trophies to the winners.

Still not convinced the game of Cornhole is catching on? Cornhole tournaments are popping up all over the country making it easy to test your skills against other Cornhole players.  In fact, there are a number of websites that offer tournament information including matching teams up against one another based on loction.

Cornhole is a game for all ages; young and old alike! The corn bags only weigh one pound each so anyone can play. The “snow birds” in Florida are having so much fun playing Cornhole that it’s now taking over the shuffleboard courts!

If you want to be a serious Cornhole player then you have to be up on some of the more popular “Cornhole Slang.”

• Slider - a low fast toss that hits the bag low and shoots off the back.
• Put it in the basement - refers to one partner’s direction to his throwing partner to get a ringer
• Dirty -a bag that hits the ground before the board
• Damage Control - means to cancel out as many points as possible after an opponent gets one or more ringers
• Blocker bag – bag thrown that blocks your opponent’s path to the hole
• 3 Banger - when a player holes 3 bags in a row

Cornhole is great game to play with all your friends and family. There is such a feeling of camaraderie and playful intensity to the game that you can’t help but be drawn into it.