Outdoor & pub games
Cornhole
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 20
- years
- 6+
In the box
2 sloping boards with a hole · 8 weighted bags, four per side
Official rules (PDF, federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Toss your bags into the hole or onto the opposite board, and reach 21 points before the other side. Players take turns throwing underhand, one bag each, until all eight bags are thrown: a bag in the hole is worth 3 points, a bag left on the board 1 point. Only the difference between the two sides is scored each round, and the first side to 21 points wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
Boards 8.20 m apart, 4 bags per player
- Two sloped boards with a hole, placed 27 feet (about 8.20 m) apart, measured front edge to front edge. The front edge of each board serves as the foul line.
- Four bags per player per round, in a different colour for each side.
- In doubles, one player from each team stands at each board. In singles, both players throw from the same side.
How to play
Bags in turn, Underhand throw, 8 bags, then count
- Players take turns throwing one bag each, until all eight bags have been thrown.
- Throw underhand, from the pitcher's box beside the board, with one foot inside it at the moment of release and without stepping past the front edge.
- Once all eight bags are thrown, the round (inning) is over and points are counted.
- The team that scored in the previous round throws first in the next; if nobody scored, the same team starts again.
Scoring
Hole 3 points, Board 1 point, Only the difference
- Bag in the hole: 3 points.
- Bag left on the board without having touched the ground: 1 point.
- Bag that touches the ground, even if it then comes back onto the board, or left straddling the ground and the board: 0 points, and it is removed.
- Cancellation scoring: only the difference between the two sides is scored. Seven points against four give 3 points to the first side and nothing to the second.
End of the game
First to 21 points
- The first side to reach 21 points wins.
- Under the official rules, reaching or going past 21 is enough.
- Some tables play to exactly 21, going over bringing the score back to 15: that is a backyard convention, to settle before the first round.
House rules and pitfalls
A bag that pushes an opponent's bag into the hole counts for the side of the bag that fell in…
- A bag that pushes an opponent's bag into the hole counts for the side of the bag that fell in: blocking is part of the tactics.
- Cancellation scoring is the federation's rule. Without cancellation, games are much shorter.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Counting
With cancellation (official)
Only the difference between the two sides is scored: enter the round's net score.
Without cancellation
Each side scores all its points, with no subtraction.
Game to
21 points
11 points
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a bag in the hole worth in cornhole?
Three points. A bag that stays on the board is worth just one.
What is cancellation scoring?
At the end of each round, subtract the weaker side's points from the stronger side's. Only the difference is scored, and by one team only.