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Cornhole 101 — America's Favorite Backyard Bean Bag Toss Game

Players:
2–4 players
Region:
USA
Tags:
少人数, 投擲, 北米, 家族向け, パーティ, 若者向け
Illustration of two angled cornhole wooden boards and red/blue bean bags on grass
Angled wooden boards with a hole, and fabric bean bags to toss

What is this game?

Cornhole (also called bean bag toss) is an outdoor game where two teams of two players take turns tossing fabric bags filled with corn kernels at an angled wooden board with a 15 cm hole in it.

The game's origins are debated across US states, but it exploded in popularity in the late 20th century as the go-to game for BBQs, tailgates, and camping. Today the American Cornhole League (ACL) runs a professional circuit with cash tournaments and ranked players.

The appeal: genuinely simple rules, compact setup, any surface works, and it scales from age 5 to 95.

Equipment & setup

  • Boards — wood, ~122 cm × 61 cm, angled at ~10°; hole ~15 cm diameter
  • Bean bags — 8 total (4 per team, 2 colors)
  • Distance — ~8.5 m (27 ft) board front to board front
  • Surface — flat grass, sand, asphalt — anything works

Foldable regulation-size sets cost $50–150. DIY plywood builds are extremely popular.

Players & ages

  • 2 vs 2 (doubles) is standard; 1 vs 1 singles also works
  • Kids from ~5 (shorter throw distance), through seniors — pure aim game

Rules

Minimal rules (just play)

  1. Place boards 8.5 m apart, facing each other
  2. Each team holds 4 bags of their color
  3. Players alternate throws (one from each team per round)
  4. Scoring:
    • Hole in (bag goes through): 3 points
    • Boarder (bag lands on the board and stays): 1 point
    • Falls to ground: 0 points
  5. Cancellation scoring: at end of each round, subtract the lower score from the higher
    • e.g., A=5, B=3 → A gets 2 points added to their running total
  6. First to 21 wins

Standard rules

  • A bag on the board that later slides in still counts as 3 points
  • Don't cross the foul line while throwing
  • Bags that bounce off other bags and go in count as 3
  • Bag-in-bag (pushing a lying bag into the hole) is a legal play

Official competition rules (ACL)

The ACL defines exact distances, board dimensions, and bag specs (leather or air-fill). Pro players earn rankings and compete for prize money in sanctioned events.

Tips for enjoying the game

Common beginner mistakes

  • Throwing too hard — cornhole rewards a soft arc, not velocity. Float it
  • Ignoring the hole — aim for the hole always; board points come naturally
  • Not tracking live scores — know the current differential before each throw

How to make it more fun

  • Pair with BBQ or drinks for peak American tailgate energy
  • Doubles rivalry: each pair cancels the other's points — reading the math is half the game
  • Custom-painted boards are a US tradition — personalize yours
  • LED-lit boards for nighttime play are wildly popular

Age variations

  • Kids: 4 m distance, tilt boards slightly lower
  • Seniors: 5–6 m is plenty. Bags are light; no strain needed
  • Competitive: ACL-regulation setup, strict cancellation scoring

Playing Cornhole in Japan

  • Search "コーンホール" or "ビーンバッグトス" on Amazon.co.jp or Rakuten
  • Campgrounds, parks, and riverside lawns are ideal
  • Increasingly seen at outdoor festivals and events

Learn more

  • American Cornhole League (ACL) — official rules and pro events
  • Related: see also Horseshoes, Kubb, and Ladder Golf — fellow backyard toss games

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