How to Win Easily at Every Drinking Game

The average college students drinks so often that simply having a few beers with friends isn’t exciting anymore; thus, drinking games were invented. Almost every college party has some kind of drinking game going on, whether it’s something intensely competitive like Beer Pong or a more friendly game like Kings, and being adept at them can make you the star of the party. Here’s how to kick ass at every drinking game you’ll ever see on campus.

Beer Pong

Beer Pong is probably the most commonly played game at college and as such it is highly competitive and people are usually well-practiced. The first thing you need to do in order to win is to make sure you’re familiar with the rules. Some people play with rules like Sniper (where if you and your partner sink a ball in the same cup before the other person drinks it, you automatically win) or Redemption (when you sink a ball in the other team’s last cup, they can shoot until they miss to try to tie the game) and these can burn you if you’re not aware.

Once you have the rules down, you need to know how to sink those balls. The easiest way to pot the balls is to shoot with a high arc — think catapult instead of bullet. Line drives tend to bounce off of the lips of the cups while pop flys fall in more easily. Take your time before every shot to line it up, like you’re shooting a basketball from the free throw line. If all else fails, play dirty. Look for arbitrary rule violations like the person’s hand crossing the ‘throw line’ and take them to task for it.

Boat Race/Chugging

Boat Race, also known as “Line Chug” is without a doubt the ‘purest’ drinking game. Unlike the other most popular drinking games, this one involves simply chugging as fast as you can and trying to help your team finish before your opponents. The most important thing about chugging is your mindset. Many people believe that they are simply incapable of chugging but this is not true.

The trick here is very simple: ACCEPT that chugging will be uncomfortable and simply push through it anyway. Even the fastest chuggers agree that it doesn’t really feel great going down but the difference between boat race glory and boat race shame depends entirely on sacrificing your body for the team. So next time, open your throat and go to town. If all else fails, practice and get used to the feeling of taking in a lot of liquid at once.

The other important thing to to AVOID SPILLING. Time is of the essence but make sure you don’t lose any liquid or you will be severely punished.

Flip Cup

Flip Cup is another commonly played game at college campuses and is oftentimes favored over beer pong for its easy setup and quick playing time. Since this is just Boat Race with a small twist, I’m assuming you’ve got your chugging skills handled and only need tips on how to flip. This is where most people let their teams down by being unco-ordinated but it’s actually incredibly simple to master this technique.

Do NOT flip the cup high and hard into the air like most people do. Instead, when the edge of the cup is over the lip of the table, simply pull it up and away from the table smoothly with your fingers at about a 45 degree angle. Usually this will cause the cup to roll forward onto its lip and then settle on the table having completed its required rotation. Since the cup has such a wide top you have a lot of room for error.

Edward Forty Hands/80 Oz to Freedom

Edward Fortyhands is a punishing game where some unlucky soul (perhaps you?) has two 40oz bottles of malt liquor ruthlessly taped to both hands. The point of the game, in essence, is that you have to drink at least one bottle before you can do anything (ie. urinate, slap whoever put you up to this square in the face). The only tip I can give you for this one is to finish one of the 40s as fast as you can, then you can take your time with the other one. Also, be careful. One of my friends told me that a buddy of his did it and tried to use his hands to stop him when he fell down the stairs. Long story short, he found himself at the hospital soon after.

Century Club/Power Hour

Century Club has somewhat of an undeserved reputation as a punishing game when it’s really not. The reason people end up throwing up a half hour in is because they’re not careful and methodical. Measure your shot glasses to exactly one ounce and make a mark on them so you know where to pour to each time. Free pouring will get you in trouble and result in disaster. Also, don’t eat for at least a few hours beforehand.

I’m sure you guys have more tips for raking in the victories at these games. Let me know by commenting or sending me an e-mail!