Cornhole Rules: Based on the ACA and ACL
Arguing over the rules? Is that one cousin always claiming "house rules"? No worries, because we outlined all basic standardized rules and regulations based on the American Cornhole League and American Cornhole Association standards, so your games are always legit. From one tailgater to another, game on!
Cornhole Equipment
The standard cornhole board should measure 2 feet in width and 4 feet in length.
Each cornhole board should have a hole with a diameter of 6 inches, centered 9 inches from the top and 12 inches from each side.
Cornhole bags should be made of fabric material and measure approximately 6 inches by 6 inches.
A typical set consists of eight cornhole bags (four bags of one color and four bags of another color).
Layout & Game Setup
Court - A court is defined as the total area of play for a cornhole game consisting of two boards. Pitcher’s box - A rectangle measuring 3 feet wide by 4 feet long (length of board) on either side of a board designates a player’s pitcher’s box.
Lanes - A lane is defined as two pitcher’s boxes directly across from one another on two different boards on one court.
If a right-handed player is in the pitcher’s box forcing his right hand to be directly over a board, the other pitcher’s box in his or her same lane would be on the opposite board forcing his right hand to be on the outside towards the edge of play.
In doubles play players on the same team will line up directly across from each other in the same lane, not diagonally from each other in opposite lanes.
Boards - 2 boards should be located exactly 27 feet apart, from front of one board to front of another.
The front edges of the 2 boards must face each other.
Foul line - The foul line is designated as the front end of the board, which is also marked by the front edge of a player’s pitcher’s box.
Scoring
In singles play (1 vs. 1), players throw from one end only. In doubles play (2 vs. 2), each team occupies one end of the court, and partners stand at opposite ends.
A bag that goes through the hole is worth 3 points. A bag that lands on the board and remains there is worth 1 point.
Points are calculated by canceling out the points scored by the opponents in each round.
For example, if Team A scores 8 points and Team B scores 6 points, Team A would receive 2 points for that round.
Only one team can score per round.
Cornhole Gameplay
Players alternate throwing bags until all eight bags have been thrown. The player or team who scored in the previous round throws first in the next round. A bag must be thrown within 20 seconds of the player’s previous bag coming to rest.
Players must remain in the designated throwing area when tossing the bag.
Feet should not cross the foul line (front of the board) during the throw; if they do, the throw is considered a foul and does not count.
Any bag that touches the ground before landing on the board does not count.
Winning the Game
The game is typically played to 21 points, but players ARE NOT required to win by 2 or more points.
The match can never end in the middle of an inning. Thus, if a team that pitches first reaches or exceeds 21 points, the game can not end until the other side is allowed to pitch all of their corn bags and the inning is completed.
Once a team reaches 21 points, if they pitched first, the opposing team would have a chance to counter and tie up or win the game. A match can never end in the middle of an inning.
A match usually consists of a best-of-three games series to determine the winner.
