Cornhole

February 17, 2009 8:22 AM

As the days get longer and warmer, and winter turns to spring, Americans of all stripes dream of only one thing: playing some Cornhole in their backyard. Previously discussed on the blue, Cornhole has become even more popular in recent years, with the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) endeavoring to give away more than $1,000,000 in prize money in the coming years. Keep training, Cornholers, and one day you could claim the crown as King of Cornhole (seriously). For inspiration, watch The Cornhole Song. And if that's enough Cornhole for you, be sure to check out the upcoming scripted mockumentary "Cornhole: the Movie."
posted by billysumday (53 comments total)

Cornhole is insanely popular on the campus of OSU and surrounding area. It always seemed like a drunk version of horseshoes to me.
posted by lohmannn at 8:24 AM on February 17

I remember clearly the first time I heard about the game- I was fixing a computer in a nursing home, and I saw an activities schedule taped to a door that had a line: "6-7 PM: Cornholing"

I went "Whaaaaa?" Not a mental picture I needed.
posted by pjern at 8:29 AM on February 17 [17 favorites has favorites]

It is a drunk version of horseshoes. This has enormous benefits. Think of the amount of injury and property damage that could occur with drunken college students playing horseshoes on their front lawns in an urban environment.
posted by demiurge at 8:30 AM on February 17

Everyone's laughing, and riding, and cornholing except Buster.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:34 AM on February 17 [14 favorites has favorites]

I only have a moment, so I'm just going to say "cornhole in the backyard" and let you make your own joke.
posted by DU at 8:35 AM on February 17

ARE YOU THREATENING ME?
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:35 AM on February 17 [17 favorites has favorites]

Everyone’s laughing and riding and cornholing except Buster.

Puts that in a different context too.
posted by bjrn at 8:39 AM on February 17

We don't play cornhole around here; we play washers, although I don't know why. It's hard as hell when you're sober and doesn't get any easier. I've played games to 10 points that lasted an hour. Terrible game.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:43 AM on February 17

My cousins started playing this at family picnics.
“Hey, Smed, wanna play cornhole?”
“Dude... I will f’ing kill you where you stand if you think-”
“No, no, it’s a game. You toss a bean bag at a hole.”
“...”
“It’s fun, really.”
"... I'm gonna go for a walk"

Seems like no one plays softball or volleyball or kicks the soccer ball around anymore. Maybe it’s a response to limited space or something. But we typically get space at a forest preserve or something big enough to land a plane in. Much as I hated hacky sack - at least you’re exerting some minimal physical effort.
Not to take away from the obvious advantages to drinking and playing. And yes, having played it, it does require some skill. But if you’re outside already man, y’know, move more than a couple of feet. It’s just beer. They’re still gonna be making it later.
posted by Smedleyman at 8:44 AM on February 17 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'm just going to assume that we are talking about the other kind of "cornhole" and pretend that the world has become a wonderfully surreal place; with awards, million dollar prizes, and songs being written about this... hobby.
posted by quin at 8:44 AM on February 17 [2 favorites has favorites]

Mockumentary, eh?
posted by paisley henosis at 8:47 AM on February 17

The thing I love about cornholing is that people behind it understand the name has something to do with something found on urbandictionary.com, and as far as I can tell, they revel in it.

It's like going to grandma's to play the card game everyone can't stop talking about: Rimjob, Motherfucker.
posted by mathowie at 8:52 AM on February 17 [8 favorites has favorites]

Every time I visit my cousins in Indiana they play Cornhole, for hours. It's fun, in the way ANY "stand around the yard drinking beer" game is fun, but I'm baffled by it's ubiquity. I mean, they are really in to it. They've all got their own bags, and they are fairly impatient (in a kind way) with rookies.

Is it just branding? Cornhole *is* a great name.
posted by dirtdirt at 8:53 AM on February 17

Cornhole is just a frakking beanbag toss with a scatalogical re-naming. The name, IMHO, is the entire key to the game's success.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:54 AM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

Also known as Bags in the Chicagoland region. The terminology, like the game, is quite fun. There's even an arcade version.
posted by nitsuj at 8:58 AM on February 17

Cool, the aforementioned Target Toss Pro arcade game is also available for the Wii.
posted by nitsuj at 9:01 AM on February 17

Please tell me you all watched the King of Cornhole link. I can't stop laughing when the voice over guy says, "The KING of CORNHOLE!" Priceless.
posted by billysumday at 9:02 AM on February 17

I've heard of Rimjob, Motherfucker; I think it's a cross between Poker, Slap, and Spit.
posted by quin at 9:05 AM on February 17 [4 favorites has favorites]

Both my sister and my stepfather are pretty serious horseshoe competitors. During the season, they're on the road three weekends out of the month at various horseshoe competitions in North Carolina and surrounding states.

I've gone to a few of the bigger competitions when I'm visiting my family, and do you know what everyone does after the long day of pitching horseshoes in the sun, after the cookout, after the awards presentation? That's right...they drink beer and play cornhole.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:06 AM on February 17

Actual horseshoes, with the standing-around-drinking-beer aspect as well, seems to still be the standard summer lawn game for adults on the East coast. I've never seen this game played in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island.
posted by yhbc at 9:13 AM on February 17

I'd never even heard of this game growing up and going to college in California. Once I moved to Chicago this "bags" (apparently aka cornhole) crap was everywhere. I'll tell you what though ... I don't care for it. If I want to just stand around drinking and shooting the shit, I don't need to be throwing a bean bag while I do it. If I want to play a drinking game, I'll play a game where the scoring somehow relates to making people drink.

Waste of time.
posted by Arbac at 9:13 AM on February 17

It seems like I learn something new every day... and then wish I hadn't.
posted by lordrunningclam at 9:15 AM on February 17

Does this have anything to do with...taters?
posted by rand at 9:15 AM on February 17

King of Cornhole

Also known as "the Great Cornholio."
posted by octobersurprise at 9:15 AM on February 17

I AM CORNHOLIO
posted by Hovercraft Eel at 9:16 AM on February 17

Cornhole! Never heard of it until I moved to Cincinnati for a few years. It's insanely addictive, and goes well with beer. Not so much, though, with Skyline.
posted by scblackman at 9:16 AM on February 17

I headed out to my Grandma's 80th a couple years ago, rural area near Chicago. The game of Bags was brought up and no one could believe I hadn't heard of it. A cousin said he had a set-up in his truck, but that it "probably wouldn't go over too well".
He brought it out, it had a Green Bay Packers emblem on the big flat part.
He was told to put it back in his truck.
I was pretty mystified by the whole exchange.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 9:16 AM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

Somebody help me think of a dirty name for bocce.
posted by box at 9:34 AM on February 17 [2 favorites has favorites]

I have a serious rules question that was not answered by the Wikipedia link. What if my bag is sort of drooping into the hole, but still on the board -

1) If a subsequent bag falls in and also hits my bag in, do I get points?
2) Why is there not a special term for this event?
posted by Meatbomb at 9:37 AM on February 17

I admire the simplicity of this game, but once you get good at tossing little bags, you might want to graduate to something with thinking involved: Toss Across.
posted by iconjack at 9:42 AM on February 17

I don't believe I will attempt this game unless it's full contact with pads Cornhole.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 9:44 AM on February 17

Please remember--any joke that can be made about Cornhole has already been made, many, many times.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:46 AM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

box : Somebody help me think of a dirty name for bocce.

Well, I don't have a dirty name, but it can be described as "underarm ball tossing on an oyster-shell bed" and that's just awesome.
posted by quin at 9:50 AM on February 17

For those who don't know, "Rimjob, Motherfucker" is very similar to Euchre, but smells worse.
posted by billysumday at 10:00 AM on February 17

Cornhole! Never heard of it until I moved to Cincinnati for a few years. It's insanely addictive, and goes well with beer. Not so much, though, with Skyline.

Skyline, famous for the three-way! The Queen City loves their double endendres.
posted by Mcable at 10:07 AM on February 17

Hm. We always called it Bean Bags in Eastern Iowa.
posted by TrialByMedia at 10:44 AM on February 17

I have a serious rules question that was not answered by the Wikipedia link. What if my bag is sort of drooping into the hole, but still on the board -

1) If a subsequent bag falls in and also hits my bag in, do I get points?
2) Why is there not a special term for this event?

You get the points regardless of how your bag got in the hole. AFAIK there is no special term for it, but feel free to come up with your own. ("piggybacking?")
posted by squorch at 11:01 AM on February 17

I don't believe I will attempt this game unless it's full contact with pads Cornhole.

Extreme Cornhole?
posted by zippy at 11:29 AM on February 17

So that's what that is. Huh.

I second all those who'd never heard of this until moving to the midwest. Seeing cornholios on the sidewalks in front of frat houses in Madison, I thought it was a really lame version of whack-a-mole or something. Turns out it's far less imaginative.
posted by theefixedstars at 11:30 AM on February 17

On the American Cornhole Organization site. They appear to rank the players by average cornholes and average woodies. Something about those two words in the same sentence makes me wonder a bit.
posted by hexxed at 11:36 AM on February 17

AFAIK there is no special term for it, but feel free to come up with your own.

Saddlebacking?

(East coaster here, who has never heard of adults playing with a beanbag toss, under any name.)
posted by JoanArkham at 11:39 AM on February 17

I have a serious rules question that was not answered by the Wikipedia link. What if my bag is sort of drooping into the hole, but still on the board -

According to the official glossary. That would be called a LIPPER, and the hits just keep on coming.
posted by hexxed at 11:42 AM on February 17

Cornhole! Never heard of it until I moved to Cincinnati for a few years. It's insanely addictive, and goes well with beer. Not so much, though, with Skyline.

I'm by no means an avid player nor am I any good but, based on this comment, I feel obligated to note that I've actually played cornhole in the Skyline in downtown Cincinnati. Also, one of the small-time local tv stations was showing a local tournament late at night (... I was having a bout of insomnia). They had commentators and everything. Complete with great phrases like "His bags are really falling today" and "its tough when the hole gets clogged."
posted by srw12 at 11:47 AM on February 17

Okay, this finally makes sense now. At my favorite local haunt in DC, there's one arcade machine, awkwardly wedged in an uncomfortable back corner, which is the arcade version of this (called "Bags" on the machine.) I've never seen anybody play it, ever, and the manager/part-owner seems to not really give a shit. At least one of my questions (why have this machine?) is answered: the bar is the Billy Goat, a transplant from all the Chicago bars, and apparently this is the shit out there. who knew.

The question that still lingers is: This is a game that requires nothing more than beanbags and a piece of wood. An arcade version will be in all respects more expensive and less fun for everyone involved. Why have an arcade version of this?

Also: my grandmother's favorite new game is some version of dominoes called "chickenfoot." Can we come up with a dirty definition of that?
posted by Navelgazer at 11:54 AM on February 17

It is a drunk version of horseshoes.

There's a sober version of horseshoes?
posted by dw at 12:00 PM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

2) Why is there not a special term for this event?

Tea-bagging.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:32 PM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

Bags. Bah.

Just another example of the pussification of America.

In my day, we had Jarts. A giant freaking metal dart that flew into the sun and landed into your eyeball. There was no soft plush beanbag that lightly bounced off your head. This was cold hard steel missile that had the potential to tear a hole into your skull. And yes, it could kill.

You can go cornhole all you want my friends... but you truly haven't lived until you've felt the sheer terror of dodging a wild scud Jart.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 12:32 PM on February 17 [1 favorite has favorites]

Also previously. Cornholio joke and all.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:37 PM on February 17

2) Why is there not a special term for this event?

Tea-bagging.

I think that's if your bag goes into the hole, and then somehow falls back out. And then in again.

If you are playing Cornhole, and your half-in gets knocked the rest of the way in by another player also plunging in the hole, I think the only appropriate maneuver name would be Double Penetration.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:40 PM on February 17

Because, you know. Sodomy.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:41 PM on February 17

I like to keep up on what the kids are doing these days, but this one was completely under my radar (I'm on the east coast). Are there any other activities that are regional to this extent? Now I'm wondering if something ordinary to me would sound equally mysterious to midwesterners.

I once looked at the description of Target Toss Pro for the Wii and was completely baffled. I couldn't imagine why it was in the top ten. Mystery solved!
posted by diogenes at 12:50 PM on February 17

Reading this thread makes me realize how badly I need TEEPEE FOR MY BUNGHOLE.
posted by Mister_A at 1:31 PM on February 17

Fuck cornhole. Damn kids on my roof won't shut up with it! Can it really be that exciting to throw a bean bag into a hole?

If you want to stand around and drink beer, do it properly with an outdoor beer-pong table.
posted by mrgrimm at 4:33 PM on February 17