For those of you wondering about Beer Pong, which was nearly outlawed in MD...

[madinmaryland]

Beer pong (also called Beirut, lob pong, BP, etc.) is a drinking game in which players throw a ping-pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in one of several cups of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-player teams, one on each side of a table, and a number of cups set up on each side.<1> There are no official rules, so rules may vary widely, though usually there are six or ten plastic cups arranged in a triangle on each side. The number of players on a team can vary as well, from one to three or more.

When a ball lands in a cup, the defending team must consume all of the beer inside that cup. The cup isn't generally completely filled. It is also common to have a glass of water with the purpose of cleaning the ball between throws. An August 2008 Time article stated that cups were 1/4 to 1/3 full.<2> The game is won by eliminating all the other team's cups before all of one's own cups are eliminated. The losing team must then consume all the beer remaining in the winning team's cups.<1> The order of play varies – both players on one team shoot followed by both players on the other team, or players on opposite teams can alternate back and forth.<3>

[jmm]

1. Beer pong nearly made me a germaphobe.

I was at a party last summer where some people were playing it. After a round a guy from the winning team started asking around for people who wanted to play. One girl I hadn't met before yelled she didn't know if she could since she had oral herpes. She then said tried to take back her statement and she played a few rounds. I don't know if herpes can be caught from beer pong but I'm sure a ton of other stuff could be. People started looking at me like I was drunk when I pulled my little cousin (he's 6'4" I'm 5'7") away from the game when he started to play and threatened to kick his ass for every cold sore he got.