101
BAR GAMES 101
BARGAMES101.TV
DRINKING GAMESEasy6-20 players10-20 minutes

How to Play Flip Cup

The fast-paced team relay drinking game. Learn the rules, technique, and variations for Flip Cup — the ultimate party starter.

What You'll Need

Plastic cups (one per player), a long table, and drinks. Two teams of equal size line up on opposite sides of the table.

Setup

Each player fills their cup about 1/3 with beer. Teams line up facing each other. The first players on each team stand at the same end of the table.

How to Play

On 'Go!', the first player on each team:

  1. Drinks their entire cup.
  2. Places the cup right-side-up on the edge of the table, hanging slightly off.
  3. Flips the cup by flicking the bottom rim with their fingers so it lands upside-down.
  4. Once flipped, the next teammate goes.

This continues relay-style until one team finishes. First team where every player successfully flips their cup wins the round.

Winning

Best of 3 or 5 rounds. The losing team usually has to drink an extra cup.

Tips & Strategy

Use a light touch. Most beginners flip too hard. A gentle upward flick is all you need. Place your anchor players (best flippers) at the end of the line for clutch finishes. Don't chug too fast — spillage and choking slow you down more than drinking speed helps.

Variations

Survivor Flip Cup: Losing team votes off one player each round. Eliminated players' cups still need flipping by remaining teammates.

Batavia Downs: After flipping, you must also bounce a ping pong ball into the cup before the next person goes.

WANT MORE GAMES?

Get the Bar Games 101 book — over 50 games with full rules, drinking variations, and party strategies.

GET THE BOOK ON AMAZON