In the game of beer pong there are hundreds of possible cup formations possible. In this article, we will highlight our favorite formations for your re-racks to help you regain momentum, or keep your momentum and crush your opponents.
A rerack is a reformation of the cups your team is shooting at during a game of beer pong. Typical house rules will usually allow 1 or 2 reracks per game for each team and knowing when to use them and what the best options are can drastically improve your chances of winning.
House Rules
House rules will change at nearly every house you play at. Everyone believes their rules are the best beer pong rules. Some very common house rules for reracks and cup formations are:
- You can’t rerack mid-turn. So if your teammate has already shot you cannot rerack the cups before your shot.
- No reracks that are more than 4 rows long or wide. The initial 10 cup set up is 4 cups long and 4 cups wide in a 1,2,3,4 cup triangle. This is the longest and widest most houses will allow you to play.
- Some houses will not allow you to rerack with less than 3 cups. However, a lot of houses will use “gentlemen’s” reracks to put the final 2 cups in a vertical or horizontal line and will allow another gentleman’s rerack to center the final cup.
- Typical house rules allow 2 reracks per game, although some only allow 1.
Best Six Cup Formations
(3-2-1)
Why we like it: This is a simple rerack that returns the cups to their original triangle shape giving you more surface area to aim at.
When to use it: If your team finds itself missing too many shots with 6 cups still on the table and you need to recenter yourselves this rerack can be great.
Offset Stop Lights
Why we like it: This rerack is for the more accurate players. Having the cups in 2 lines of 3 cups makes it easier to sink the cups one at a time and keep the cups in a position that is very favorable for the shooters. Offsetting them limits the amount of open space between the cups which will lead to fewer shots hitting the rim of the cups and bouncing off.
When to use it: If you and your teammate are both shooting really accurately and you find yourself with 6 cups this rerack can help carry that momentum forward for the rest of the game.
Best Five Cup Formations
What the F%^&
Why we like it: There are not many 5 cup reracks to consider. This formation gives you the 3-2-1 mentioned above just missing one of the back corners that you would not be aiming for anyway.
When to use it: When you are stuck on 5 cups and absolutely need to rerack.
Best Four Cup Formations
Diamond
Why we like it: The Diamond is a great rerack because it gives you a solid clump of cups to shoot at with no space between the cups.
When to use it: Almost anytime you are on 4 cups and have not used a rerack yet.
Offset 2-2
Why we like it: The Offset 2-2 gives you 2 lines of 2 cups shoot at, but unlike a square rerack it removes the large area in the center of the cups that can cause a lot of missed shots due to the ball bouncing off the rim of the cups.
When to use it: If you are on 4 cups and only have 1 rerack.
Best Three Cup Formations
Stoplight
Why we like it: The stoplight is the only viable rerack when you are on 3 cups. It lines the final 3 cups in a straight line in the center of the table giving you just one line to aim at for better accuracy.
When to use it: Anytime you are on 3 cups with a rerack still available.
Worst Cup Formations
Any cup formation that has a lot of negative space between the cups. Think of the square formation, yes you have 2 straight lines of 2 cups to shoot at, but there is a large space in the very center, where your ball is most likely to land, that will cause the ball to bounce off the cups and you to miss your shot.
This same thing applies to the “House” formation with 5 cups. A 4 cup square and one cup in the middle front to be the roof of the house.
Other formations to avoid are any formation that is wider than it is long. You want to be throwing your ping pong balls parallel to the formation of the cups, not perpendicular. On 5 cups you would never want a row of 3 in the back with 2 cups directly in front.
Funny Cup Formations
Flower
Why we like it: You should almost never rerack when you still have 8 cups to shoot at, but the flower can be a fun rerack if you are feeling confident. It essentially creates a giant target, with one cup in the center that should be easy to hit. But once you sink that middle cup the rest of the cups are much more challenging to sink.
When to use it: When you have 8 cups to shoot at and just want to have a bit of fun.
Penis
Why we like it: A classic way to find humor in anything is to make it look like a dick. Put 2 cups side by side at the back to be the testicles and the rest of the cups in a straight line to be the penis.
When to use it: When you need a laugh and have 5 cups to rerack, or 4 if its cold outside.
Disclaimer
The Game Farm does not encourage or promote alcohol consumption of any kind. We do not take responsibility for any injuries, damages, or other consequences that may arise from the consumption of alcohol while playing our games.
It is the responsibility of each individual player to drink responsibly and know their limits. We recommend that players drink plenty of water and take breaks throughout the night to avoid becoming intoxicated.
If you are underage, please do not drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol underage is illegal and can have serious health consequences.
We hope you have fun playing our drinking games responsibly!
