Last week we started the Captain of the Tailgate series sponsored by Captain Morgan, with the basics of NFL tailgating. This week I wanted to address the games. Below you'll see two basic, common tailgating games to play on Sunday afternoon.
Beer pong: What would beer be without beer pong? If you've ever played the game, then you will know two things about it. First, it's fun and doesn't get old. Second, it will get you drunk. Beer pong is one of, if not my favorite drinking game out there. It's a game that you can play as a team or single. It starts with a table -- without one, you have nothing. Next you will need plastic drinking cups(usually 6 or 10). You start by arranging a pyramid pattern at both ends of the table with the cups. Then you fill the cups up to an inch or so with the drink of your choice. Each player will attempt to throw their beer pong into one of the cups of the opposing players. If you make a cup, the opposing player must drink the contents of that cup. This is repeated until a player sinks a shot in all of the opposing players cups. At that point they are crowned the winner. You cannot smack the beer pong away unless it is bounced. If a bounced beer pong lands in a cup, that counts as two shots made, and two cups drank. There are some rules that variate depending on the crowd, such as a team of two players making a shot in one cup or two cups on one turn, a beer pong that bounces back, how many times the cups can be rearranged, and so on. Either way, this game will get you drunk without you realizing, while also having fun on gameday.
Bean bag toss: This game I am less experienced with, but nevertheless have played it and see it often by tailgaters. You start with a beanbag toss board(or two I should say) that can be purchased online. The boards are 4x2 feet in size and have a hole big enough for the bean bag to go through located near the top. The boards are separated usually by 33 feet. This game can be a one on one or two on two game. It starts with each player tossing four bean bags on one turn, standing behind their board. If a beanbag lands through the hole, that counts as 3 points. If it lands and stays on the board, that counts as one point. The bean bag doesn't count if it touches the ground first. The object of the game usually, is to reach 21 points. If you've ever played horseshoes, it's virtually the same, but remains a very fun tailgating game to play.
I'm sure there are many tailgating games out there, but these two seem to be the most popular to me. It also helps that I've played both games and love them. What games do you prefer/recommend?