Printable Cornhole rules

Cornhole in one page

2 or 4 players · 2 boards · 8 bags (4 per color)

Cornhole is played with two slanted boards set 27 feet apart, front edge to front edge. Players alternate throwing four bags each at the far board, scoring 3 points for a bag through the hole and 1 for a bag resting on the board. Only the difference between the two sides counts each round, and the first side to reach 21 at the end of a round wins.

In brief

• Boards 27 ft apart, front edge to front edge
• Board 2 ft x 4 ft, 6-inch hole, 9 in from the top
• 4 bags per side, throw one at a time, alternating
• Stay behind the front edge of your board until release
• In the hole = 3 points; on the board = 1 point
• Bag that hit the ground first = 0
• Score bags where they rest after all 8 are thrown
• Cancellation: only the difference scores
• Side that scored throws first next round
• Singles: walk to the other end; doubles: partners at opposite boards
• First to 21 or more at the end of a round wins
• House rule: bust over 21 drops you to 15

Setup

1. Place the two boards facing each other with their front edges 27 feet apart. Both official bodies, the American Cornhole League (ACL) and the American Cornhole Organization (ACO), use 27 feet measured front edge to front edge.
2. Check the boards. A regulation board has a 2 ft by 4 ft playing surface with a 6-inch hole centered 9 inches from the top edge. The back edge sits 12 inches off the ground and the front edge about 3 inches up (ACL allows 2.5 to 3.5 inches, ACO 3 to 4).
3. Each side takes four bags of one color. Regulation bags are about 6 by 6 inches and weigh roughly 16 ounces; the ACL allows 15.5 to 16.5 ounces.
4. For singles, both players stand at the same board, one in each pitcher's box, the 3 ft by 4 ft area beside the board. For doubles, partners stand at opposite boards in the same lane, so each board has one player from each team.
5. Flip a coin. The winner chooses who throws first in the opening round. In singles, the ACL has the toss winner also pick a lane, and players keep that lane for the whole game.

On your turn

1. The first player throws one bag underhand at the far board. Your feet must stay behind the foul line, which is the front edge of your board, until the bag leaves your hand.
2. The opponent throws one bag, and you keep alternating until all eight bags at that end have been thrown, four per player. The ACL calls this a round; the ACO calls it a frame.
3. Leave every bag where it lands until the round is over. Bags on the board can be knocked off or knocked into the hole by later throws, and they score wherever they end up.
4. A bag that touches the ground before reaching the board is dead. Under ACO rules it's removed right away, and under ACL rules it scores 0 even if it slides or bounces onto the board.
5. When all eight bags are thrown, count each side's points at the far board and apply cancellation scoring (see Scoring). In singles, both players then walk to the other board and throw back. In doubles, the two partners at the other board take the next round.

Scoring

Winning

The game ends when a side has 21 or more points at the end of a round. You can't win in the middle of a round, because your opponent's remaining bags may cancel your points. Under ACL and ACO rules there is no bust, so 19 plus a 5-point round wins at 24. Because only one side scores each round, a game can't end tied.