Okay, so you have the basics of how to play cornhole; You’ve practiced pitching and maybe even competed with a friend or family member and now you want to know how the game is actually scored. There are numerous ways that people keep score, along with a variety of rules that they use to make the game interesting for them. This article will list some of the various ways to score cornhole.
baseball style
If you play the baseball-style game of Cornhole, then it doesn’t matter if the beanbags fall, except when they go into the hole. Each player will toss, one at a time, as they normally would, until all four bags each (eight total) have been tossed. This will conclude an entry and they will add up the bags that made it through the hole. These will be considered ‘races’.
Turn around and pitch for the second inning. Continue to add up the ‘runs’ that are scored in nine innings and the person with the most ‘runs’ wins.
traditional punctuation
The more traditional method of scoring cornhole is for both players to play for a score of 21 (or 11, depending on each person’s preference). Players start with zero and toss their first set of bean bags, alternating tosses. Scoring is as follows: 3 points for each beanbag that is thrown down the hole, 1 point for each beanbag that remains on the board. (Any pitch that bounces off the ground and then rolls across the backboard does not count.)
When all four bags are thrown, the players add up their points. The player with the highest total subtracts their opponent’s score from their own and this is equal to the total points won for that round. For example, Player A throws 1 down the hole and 2 on the board, and Player B throws 3 on the board. Player A earned 3 + 2 points, or 5. Player B earned 3 points. Player A scores 5 – 3 or 2 points for that round. Scoring: Player A: 2, Player B: 0.
Players continue to play until one player reaches 21 points and is declared the winner. A variation of scoring is that to win, a player must hit exactly 21 points. If they pass (for example, Player A had 19 points, he tossed a beanbag down the hole -for 3 points- and Player B won no points that round, so Player A has 22 points for the game), then that player return to 11.
You can play however the score is most comfortable for you and your family or friends. There are endless possibilities when it comes to creative cornhole scoring and the most important thing is to have fun. Unless your career has been made playing cornhole, sheet music should be the minor aspect of what is a fun and exciting way to spend time with family and friends.