Once you can land bags on the board, a little strategy separates a good player from a great one. Then keep it fresh with variations — and settle any question in the FAQ.
Keep the bag level so it slides toward the hole on landing instead of bouncing. A soft loop lands softer than a hard, flat throw.
Same stance, grip, and release every time. Cornhole rewards a boring, repeatable throw over a flashy one.
Land a bag just below the hole to block your opponent's slide-in — turning their easy 3 into a tricky shot.
Shove your own board bags — or your blocker — through the hole with a well-aimed follow-up throw.
With cancellation scoring, matching your opponent's board bag is sometimes smarter than a risky 3.
The side that throws last gets to respond — use it to cancel, block, or take the lead.
Shorten the target for quick games when rotating lots of players in and out.
No turn order — both sides throw all four bags at once, then score. Chaotic and fast.
Call your target before each throw and only score if you hit what you called.
Play nine innings — on the board is a single, in the hole is a home run.
Great for parties: rotate a new thrower onto each team every frame.
Give newer players a shorter distance or a few starting points to keep it close.
| Cornhole | A bag that goes through the hole — worth 3 points. |
| Woody | A bag resting on the board surface — worth 1 point. |
| Frame | One full round: all eight bags thrown, then scored. |
| Blocker | A bag placed in front of the hole to guard it from an opponent. |
| Airmail | A bag thrown directly into the hole without touching the board first. |
| Bust | Going over the target score; under bust rules, you drop back to 15. |
| Foul line | The front edge of the board — cross it while throwing and the bag doesn't count. |
| Skunk | An optional mercy rule ending a game early on a lopsided score (e.g. 11–0). |
Regulation distance is 27 feet from hole to hole. Casual and younger players often shorten this to make the game more forgiving.
The first side to reach 21 points wins. Most groups play bust rules, where going over 21 drops you back to 15 — so you must land on 21 exactly.
A bag through the hole is worth 3 points, a bag on the board is worth 1, and a bag on the ground scores nothing.
The two sides' points in a frame cancel out, so only the higher side scores the difference. It's the standard, most competitive way to score. See the scoring guide for a worked example.
You can play one-on-one or two-on-two. In doubles, one teammate stands at each board for the whole game.
No. A bag that hits the ground before landing on the board is removed and scores zero, even if it ends up resting on the board.
Grab a set, set the boards 27 feet apart, and put it all together.