Flip Cup: Official Rules

Be the first team to drink and flip every cup down the line.

Two teams of equal size stand on opposite sides of a long table, facing each other, one player per cup. Pour beer into each cup, a few ounces each, the same for every player. The players at one end go first; the players at the other end are the anchors.

Rule 1. The start

Rule 1.1. The two first players touch cups across the table, tap their cups on the table, and drink. The Official may count down from three.

Rule 2. Drinking and flipping

Rule 2.1. A player must finish their cup before flipping it.

Rule 2.2. To flip, set the empty cup upright on the edge of the table, with part of the rim hanging over. Flick or lift the rim with the fingers so the cup turns over and lands upside down.

Rule 2.3. A flip counts only when the cup comes to rest upside down, mouth flat on the table. A cup resting on its side, or leaning on another cup, does not count.

Rule 2.4. A missed flip is set back on the edge and flipped again. There is no limit on attempts.

Rule 2.5. A cup that falls off the table is picked up and flipped again from the edge.

Rule 2.6. Only the player's own hand may touch their cup. Blowing on it is not flipping.

Rule 3. The relay

Rule 3.1. When a player's flip lands, the next teammate down the line may start drinking. Starting before the flip lands is a false start.

Rule 3.2. The first team whose anchor lands a flip wins the round.

Rule 4. The match

Rule 4.1. A match is best of three rounds. Teams switch first players and anchors between rounds if they like.

Rule 4.2. If the teams are uneven, one player on the smaller team drinks and flips twice, once in their place and once as anchor. The team chooses who.

• Best of five, or best of seven. Approved.
• Survivor Flip Cup. After each round, the losing team votes one player off; that player drinks and flips an extra cup in the next round, or leaves the line. Approved. The Commission notes that the vote is the most competitive part.
• Double cups for the anchor. Approved.
• Any out-of-turn drink disqualifies the team. Commissioner's Discretion. The Commission prefers the false-start ruling, which punishes the player and keeps the game going.
• Two-handed flips. Prohibited. One hand. The other hand may hold the table.

What happens when a player starts drinking before their teammate's cup has landed? A false start. The player's cup is refilled, and they start again once the flip lands. See the full ruling in Part 6.

A cup lands upside down on top of another player's cup. Does it count? No. It must land on the table (Rule 2.3).

A flipped cup lands, then is knocked over by a teammate's celebration. Does the flip stand? Yes. A flip that has come to rest has landed. The celebration is reviewed separately.

• False start. Penalty: the cup is refilled and the player starts again. Signal: the Official rolls both forearms over each other in front of the chest.
• Illegal flip (blowing, two hands, cup not flat). Penalty: the flip doesn't count. Signal: infraction (Provision 7.1).

Flip Cup is played as a relay, and is the rare drinking game in which a team can lose because of its fastest drinker. The Commission's archive records more false starts than any other infraction in any game. Most were committed by players who were sure their teammate's cup was about to land.

Fill the cups with any non-alcoholic drink. The flip is the hard part anyway.