How to Play Bean Bag Toss | Rules, Scoring & Setup

Bean bag toss, commonly known as cornhole, is played with two teams throwing bags toward a raised board with a hole, scoring 21 points to win.

Whether you call it bean bag toss or cornhole, the game is simple to learn and hard to put down once you get going. You throw small bags filled with corn or synthetic pellets at an angled board with a hole, competing to rack up points before your opponent does. The version most Americans play follows a standard set of rules that leagues and backyard players alike use.

Here’s exactly how to set up the boards, throw the bags, score the round, and win the game without hunting through confusing rulebooks.

What Equipment Do You Need For Bean Bag Toss?

You need two boards and eight bags — four per team. Boards are 48 inches long and 24 inches wide, made from at least half-inch plywood. A 6-inch hole sits centered 9 inches from the top edge and 12 inches from each side. The raised back edge stands 12 inches off the ground, giving the board its familiar tilt.

Each bag measures roughly 6 by 6 inches and weighs about 15 to 16 ounces when filled. The American Cornhole Association and other organizations sell regulation sets, but any board meeting those dimensions works for casual play.

How Do You Set Up The Court?

Place the two boards facing each other on a level surface. The front edges should be 27 feet apart for adult play. That measurement — 27 feet from the front of one board to the front of the other — is the standard distance used in official competition. Junior players and casual games often shorten it to 21 feet or less.

The playing area should be clear of obstacles and spectators. Keep the space around each board open so throwers have a clean path and won’t hit anything on their follow-through.

How Do You Score Bean Bag Toss?

Scoring is straightforward but trips up plenty of first-timers because of the cancellation rule. Here’s what each throw is worth:

• A bag in the hole — 3 points
• A bag resting on the board — 1 point
• A bag that hits the ground first — 0 points, even if it later lands on the board
• A bag that bounces onto the board — 0 points (some casual rules allow “bounce-ins”; official rules do not)

After each round, points cancel out between teams. If Team A scores 4 points and Team B scores 1, Team A gets 3 points for that round. Bags in the hole and bags on the board are counted together before the cancellation happens. The first team to reach 21 points wins, and play continues round to round until someone hits that target.

What Are The Basic Rules Of Play?

Bean bag toss uses two players or two teams of two. Each side has four bags. In a doubles match, one player from each team throws from one end, and the partners throw from the other end for the entire game.

Here’s the flow of a round:

1. One team throws first, with players alternating from that team until all four bags are tossed.
2. The other team then throws all four of its bags, also alternating players.
3. Score the round using the cancellation method described above.
4. The team that scored in the previous round throws first in the next round. If neither team scored, the previous throwing order stays the same in many rule sets.

Every throw must be underhand, and the thrower’s feet must stay behind the toss line — an imaginary line even with the front edge of the board on their side. Stepping over that line is a foul in official play. Players can’t block, distract, or stand in front of the board while an opponent is throwing.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

New players almost always make the same handful of errors. Skip these and you’ll pick up the game fast:

• Stepping over the line. Keep both feet planted behind the front edge of the board. The throw comes from the wrist and arm, not a forward step.
• Throwing overhand. A flat, underhand toss with a slight arc gives bags the best chance to slide onto the board or drop in the hole. Overhand throws often bounce off awkwardly.
• Counting bounce-ins. A bag that bounces off the ground and lands on the board scores nothing. Only bags that land cleanly on the board or fall directly into the hole count.
• Mismeasuring the court. The 27-foot distance is between the front edges of the two boards, not the back edges or the holes. Get this wrong and your backyard game won’t match official conditions.
• Forgetting cancellation scoring. If both teams score in the same round, the scores cancel out. Only the difference counts. Many casual players score every bag and never subtract the opponent’s points.

Where To Get A Quality Set

Boards range from budget plywood to tournament-grade sets, and the difference shows in weight, finish, and how well bags slide. If you’re in the market for your own boards, our roundup of the best bean bag toss games compares top-rated sets for backyard and league play.