Cornhole (Bean Bag Toss) Rules: Scoring & Distance

What is this game?

Cornhole (also called bean bag toss) is an outdoor game where players, one on one or in teams of two, take turns tossing fabric bags at an angled wooden board with a 6-inch (15 cm) hole in it. The name comes from the dried corn kernels that traditionally filled the bags.

Games like it go back a long way: an 1883 US patent for "Parlor Quoits" already described tossing bags at a board, though with a square hole. The game as it is played today is generally traced to Cincinnati, Ohio, where it caught on in the 1980s, and from there it spread across the country as the go-to game for BBQs, tailgates, and camping trips.

It is also an organized sport. The American Cornhole Organization (ACO), founded in 2005, and the American Cornhole League (ACL), founded in 2015, each publish official rules and run tournaments. ACL events are broadcast on ESPN, and pro players compete for prize money and rankings. Japan has its own governing body too, the Japan Cornhole Association, which runs try-it-out sessions and sanctioned tournaments.

Figure: The ACO court seen from above. In doubles, teammates stand at opposite ends of the same lane. The holes are drawn slightly larger than scale so they stay visible.

Equipment & setup

Cornhole needs very little gear, and setup takes almost no time. All you really need are two boards, eight bean bags, and a flat strip long enough to set the boards 27 ft (8.23 m) apart, front edge to front edge.

• Boards — a matching pair of angled wooden platforms. Regulation size is 4 ft (122 cm) long by 2 ft (61 cm) wide, low at the front, with the top edge about 12 in (30 cm) off the ground
• The hole — a 6 in (15 cm) circle, centered left to right, with its center 9 in (23 cm) from the top edge
• Bean bags — 4 per player (or team), 8 in all. Each is a roughly 6 in (15 cm) square fabric bag weighing about 16 oz (450 g), and the two sides use clearly different colors. Old-school bags hold corn kernels, but ACO-approved bags must be filled with plastic resin pellets that will not break down
• Something to measure with — 27 ft (8.23 m) from front edge to front edge. A tape measure is the reliable way
• Surface — grass, dirt, sand, or pavement all work, as long as the boards sit flat without wobbling

Folding regulation sets are widely sold, and small mini sets or a DIY plywood build are popular for casual play.

Court and equipment dimensions

The table below combines the official rules of the ACL (American Cornhole League) and the ACO (American Cornhole Organization). Where the two bodies allow different tolerances, both are listed.

Item	Standard	Tolerance / notes
Distance between boards	27 ft (8.23 m)	Front edge to front edge. ACL: plus or minus 1/2 in
Court size	8 ft wide by 40 ft long (2.44 m by 12.19 m)	ACO rule. 12 ft (3.66 m) of overhead clearance recommended
Board size	2 ft by 4 ft (61 cm by 122 cm)	ACL: plus or minus 1/4 in. ACO: 23.5 to 24 in wide, 47.5 to 48 in long
Hole	6 in (15 cm) diameter	Center 9 in (23 cm) from the top edge. ACL: plus or minus 1/8 in each
Front edge height	About 3 in (7.6 cm) off the ground	ACL: 2.5 to 3.5 in. ACO: 3 to 4 in
Top edge height	12 in (30.5 cm) off the ground	ACL: plus or minus 1/2 in
Pitcher's box	3 ft wide by 4 ft long (0.91 m by 1.22 m)	One on each side of each board, four in all
Bag size	6 in (15 cm) square	ACL: plus or minus 1/4 in. Thickness 1.1 to 1.5 in (2.8 to 3.8 cm)
Bag weight	About 16 oz (450 g)	ACL: 15.5 to 16.5 oz (439 to 468 g). ACO: 15.75 to 16.25 oz (447 to 461 g)

Figure: One board, from above (left) and from the side (right). The front edge height of about 3 in is too small to label with an arrow.

Players & ages

Format	Players	Bags each	Where players stand
Singles	1 vs 1	4	Both players at the same board, one on each side, throwing at the far board
Doubles	2 vs 2	4	Each team splits between the two ends; you throw against the opponent at your end

• Aim matters far more than strength, so kids, adults, and seniors can all play together
• The Japan Cornhole Association also promotes a four-on-four team format alongside singles and doubles

Rules

Cornhole is all about landing more of your bags on the board, and through the hole, than your opponent does. Learn the minimal rules below and you can play the same afternoon.

How a round works (minimal rules)

1. Set the two boards facing each other, 27 ft (8.23 m) apart from front edge to front edge
2. Decide who throws first (a coin toss works); each side takes 4 bags of its color
3. The two throwers stand on either side of the same board and toss at the far board
4. Throws alternate one bag at a time; once all 8 bags are thrown, the round (a "frame" or "inning") is over
5. Per-bag scoring:
   • In the hole (a "cornhole"): 3 points
   • On the board and staying there (a "woody"): 1 point
   • On the ground, or slid off the board: 0 points
6. Cancellation scoring: the two sides' points for the round cancel out, and only the higher side scores the difference
   • e.g., A=7, B=4, so A adds 3 points (B gets nothing)
7. Keep playing rounds; the side that has 21 or more points at the end of a round wins

At first, just focus on getting bags onto the board or into the hole. Once that feels natural, add the techniques below.

Standard rules (adding skill)

• The throw — the official rules require an underhand release. Float a soft arc and spin the bag flat so it lands and slides straight toward the hole
• Sliders and airmail — a "slider" lands on the board and slides into the hole, while "airmail" drops straight in without touching the board. These are the two main ways to score, and airmail is the answer when bags are piled up in front of the hole
• Blockers and pushes — a "blocker" is a bag parked in front of the hole to stop the opponent's sliders, and a "push" shoves a bag already on the board into the hole. Knocking an opponent's bag off the board is a legal play too
• Mind the foul line — the front edge of the board is the foul line. Keep a foot in the pitcher's box as you release
• Late slides count — a bag that sits on the board and is pushed in by a later throw is in the hole when the round ends, so it scores 3
• Who throws first next round — under both ACL and ACO rules, the side that scored in the previous round throws first. If the round cancels out to nothing, the same player who threw first last round goes first again
• Doubles formation — teammates stand at opposite ends of the same lane. The ACL rules specify the same lane, not diagonal lanes. When the pair at one end has thrown all 8 bags, the pair at the other end throws them back

Official competition rules

In the US, the ACL and the ACO are the two main rule-setters. The core is shared: 27 ft between boards, the board, hole, and bag dimensions, cancellation scoring, and games to 21. The details differ.

• ACL — 15 seconds per throw. Four 60-second timeouts per game. A game ends when a side has at least 21 points at the end of a round, with no win-by-two requirement
• ACO — 15 seconds per throw. Two 1-minute timeouts per game. Bags must be ACO-approved, and all four of a player's bags must be the same series from the same manufacturer

Before a tournament, check which rule set the organizer uses.

The ACL also runs an annual World Championships each summer; the 2026 event was held in Rock Hill, South Carolina, from July 27 to August 2.

Scoring examples

With cancellation scoring, only the difference between the two sides goes on the scoreboard.

• Example 1 — A has one bag in the hole (3) plus two on the board (2), for 5. B has one in the hole (3) plus one on the board (1), for 4. A scores 1 point
• Example 2 — A has one bag hanging over the lip of the hole (1 point under ACL rules) plus one on the board, for 2. B has one on the board (1) plus one that bounced off the ground onto the board (a foul, worth 0), for 1. A scores 1 point
• Example 3 — A lands all four bags in the hole, a "four-bagger," for 12. B scores nothing. A scores 12 points

Figure: Example 1 on the left (A 5, B 4) and example 2 on the right (A 2, B 1). A green ring means a bag in the hole, an orange ring a bag stopped on the lip, and a red X a bag that does not count.

The endgame is where the math matters. If A has 19 and B has 15, A wins by out-scoring B by 2 or more in the round, while B needs a margin of 6 or more to reach 21.

Common fouls and tricky calls

• Bags that touch the ground before reaching the board — worth 0 under both ACL and ACO rules. The ACO says foul bags must be removed immediately
• Foot fouls — at release, at least part of one foot must be inside the pitcher's box and touching the ground (ACL). The ACO requires one foot completely inside the box
• A bag hanging over the lip — under ACL rules, a bag hanging into the hole without falling through is worth 1 point
• When a dead bag moves other bags — under ACL rules, the bags in play are scored where they end up
• A bag resting on both the board and the ground — the ACO treats it as a foul bag and removes it
• Bags that hit a branch or ceiling — dead under ACO rules. Be careful when setting up under trees

Tips for enjoying the game

Common beginner mistakes

• Throwing too hard — cornhole rewards a soft arc, not velocity. Float it
• Ignoring spin — a bag spinning flat stays stable in the air and slides straight on landing
• Aiming only for the board — keep aiming for the hole; board points come naturally
• Not tracking the live score — know the current differential before each throw, so you can choose between attacking the hole and laying a blocker

How to make it more fun

• Pair it with BBQ and drinks, the classic American tailgate setup
• Doubles rivalry: reading the cancellation math is half the game
• Track how many points you score per set of four bags; watching the number climb is a great motivator
• Custom-painted boards and LED-lit boards for night play are both popular

Age variations

• Kids: shorten the distance to about 4 m and celebrate any bag that stays on the board
• Seniors: 27 ft (8.23 m) is a long way; 5 to 6 m is plenty
• Competitive: use regulation boards and bags and play strictly by ACL or ACO rules

Playing Cornhole in Japan

• Search for "cornhole" or "bean bag toss" on Japanese shopping sites to find several sets. For serious practice, check that the board is the regulation 2 by 4 ft with a 6 in hole
• The Japan Cornhole Association runs try-it-out sessions and sanctioned tournaments, and rents and sells equipment. Sanctioned events have been held in Kanagawa Prefecture, and the game has been featured on NHK's morning show "Asaichi"
• Campgrounds, park lawns, and riverside grass are the usual venues. On grass, board legs can sink and tilt, so check that the boards sit steady
• Indoors, a gym easily fits the full 40 ft (about 12 m) court

Frequently asked questions

Q. How much space does a cornhole court need?

Under ACO rules the court is 8 ft wide by 40 ft long (2.44 m by 12.19 m). That covers 27 ft (8.23 m) between the board fronts plus the boards themselves and room to stand beside them. For casual play you can shorten the distance and fit into a much smaller space.

Q. What score wins? Do you have to hit exactly 21?

Both the ACL and the ACO play to 21. Under ACL rules, the side with at least 21 points at the end of a round wins, so you do not need to land exactly on 21 and there is no win-by-two rule. Backyard house rules sometimes differ, so agree on them before you start.

Q. Is "bags" the same game as cornhole?

Essentially, yes. "Bags" is what much of the Chicago area calls the game, and "bean bag toss," "corn toss," and "sack toss" are other common names for the same boards-and-bags game. If someone uses a different name, agree on the distance and scoring before you start; the ACL and ACO rules in this article are the standard.

Q. Can you play on grass?

Yes, and backyard lawns are where most people play. On grass the boards can tilt and bags slide differently than on a smooth floor. Choose a flat spot and check that both boards sit at the same height before starting.

Q. How old do kids need to be to play?

The official rules set no age limit. The bags weigh only about 450 g and are thrown underhand, so any child who can toss underhand in roughly the right direction can join in. For young kids, shorten the distance to about 4 m and keep an adult nearby.

Q. What can I use if I don't have a set?

Cut plywood or thick cardboard to about 60 by 120 cm, make a 15 cm hole with its center about 23 cm from the top edge, and prop the top edge up about 30 cm for a practice board. For bags, fill fabric pouches with dried beans and sew them shut. Aim for about 450 g each so they feel close to the real thing.

Learn more

• American Cornhole League (ACL) official rules
• American Cornhole Organization (ACO) official rules
• Japan Cornhole Association: What is cornhole? (Japanese)
• Cornhole on Wikipedia — history and terminology
• Related: Ladder Golf, Lawn Darts, Kubb, and Wanage, fellow backyard toss games