UBPC 1 Full Rules

I. General
A. These rules are put in place to achieve three goals:
1. Fairness to all players
2. Efficiency in running a maximum number of games
simultaneously
3. Minimize disputes between participants
II. Tournament Structure
A. Prelims
1. Prelims will take place on the first two days of the event (January 3
and January 4).
2. Teams will be separated into divisions consisting of 10 to 12 teams
per division. Each team will play between 4 and 6 games per day.
B. Finals
1. Finals will take place on the third day of the event (January 5)
2. Not all teams will play on the third day of competition. The
winners of each division will be determined by win/loss as well as
cup spread. These 12 teams will be automatically entered into a
final 32-team double elimination bracket along with the next 4
highest-ranking teams. The top-ranking 64 teams from all the
divisions combined will play off in a 64-team single elimination
bracket until 16 teams remain. These 16 will seed the final 32-
team bracket. These details are subject to change and UBPC
tournament committee may fill the field in any additional way it
wishes.
III. Equipment
A. Tables: 8’ X 2’ X 27.5” Bing Bong Tables
B. Balls: 40mm Pong Balls
C. Cups: 16 oz cups
IV. Game Setup
A. Cup Formation
1. 10 cups per team.
2. Starting formation is a “tight triangle” formation (rims touching),
pointing towards the opposing side.
3. The 10-cup triangle must be centered on the table and the back row
of cups must be within 1 inch of the edge of the table.
4. Cups must not be tilted or leaning against the surrounding cups.

B. Beer/Water
1. 24 ounces of beer or water will be used per team and will be
distributed evenly in the 6 front cups. The back 4 cups will be

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filled 1/3 with water. These water cups are not to be drank – they
are to be recycled round to round. The purpose of the water
cups is to keep the cups from falling over and not increasing the
number of beers consumed per game.
V. Playing the Game
A. Shooting
1. In prelims, first possession will be determined randomly.
2. On day three, possession will be given to the team with the
superior win/loss record and cup spread in prelims. In the event of
a tie of both record and cup spread, a coin toss will determine who
shoots first.
3. The team with first possession will get one (1) shot. Each team
will get two (2) shots for each turn thereafter, one shot per team
member, subject to any other rules below. If the team that shoots
first makes the ball, they do not get that ball back.
B. Let it ride (one (1) cup penalty)
1. The ball in play may not be interfered with until it is absolutely
clear that it will not hit a cup. Accordingly, none of the following
or any variation thereof is allowed:
a) Blowing
b) Fingering
c) Grabbing
d) Swatting
2. In the event that any of the above clearly occurs, a one (1) cup
penalty will be imposed for the interference. The thrower who had
his or her shot interfered with may choose which cup the other
team must remove.
3. Sloppy shots: In the event that a shot sinks a cup-in-play after it
has bounced off cups not in play, such as cups set aside or the
water cup, that shot is NOT counted.
4. Bounce Shots: This rule accurately implies that bounce-shots are
allowed. A shot that bounces into cups, however, will count as one
(1) cup (NOT two).
C. Reformation
1. Cups must be reformed at 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 cups remaining
according to the diagram below:

Cups must be centered, not tilted, and pulled to within 1 inch of the back end of the table.

10 6 4 3 2 1
2. When one cup is remaining, the cup shall always be pulled back to
within an inch of the end of the table, and it shall be placed in
the center of the table.

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3. Cups that drift out of position may be reformed at the request of

the thrower.
D. Rollbacks
1. In general, if both players on a team sink his/her shot on the same
turn, that team will get one (1) additional rollback shot, not two.
The only exception to this rule is during redemption shots in a
Finals game, in which case both balls are rolled back.
E. Perfect Games in Prelims
1. In the event that neither team misses a shot during Prelims, the
game does not end in sudden death. Instead, the team that did not
receive first possession is given one redemption shot, and if they
sink that shot the game may go into standard 3-cup overtime.
F. Leaning
1. Leaning is permitted, with the following exceptions:
a) A player may not place a hand/foot/leg whatever on the
table in order to gain additional reach and/or leverage.
b) Players may not edge themselves around the table when
they throw.
c) Players may not remove their feet from the ground while
throwing, unless it is a regular part of their throwing style
and they are not excessively leaning.
d) Under no circumstances may a player shoot with any part of
his or her body on (against is permitted) the table.
e) Excessive leaning players are subject to a one (1) cup
penalty at the discretion of the UBPC tournament official.
G. Distractions
1. Distractions are permitted with the following restrictions.
a) Players may not cross the plane of play (the imaginary
plane which runs vertically and separates you from your
cup) with any part of their bodies, clothing, or other
objects, after the ball has been thrown. To avoid violating
this rule, just stand back a few feet from your cups.
b) Players may not fan, blow, or otherwise intentionally create
an air current surrounding the cups in play.
c) Distractions must not violate any local, state, or federal
laws.
d) Players violating the distraction rules are subject to a one
(1) cup penalty at the discretion of the UBPC tournament
official.
H. The Dipshit Not Paying Attention Rule
1. If TEAM 1 knocks over one of its own cups, that dipshit’s team
(TEAM1) loses that cup(s). However, if the other team (TEAM 2)
also contains dipshits not paying attention that do not catch the
first team of dipshits (TEAM 1) knocking over their cup, then
TEAM 1 may keep that cup.
I. Balling your own cups

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1. In the event that a player who has possession of the ball drops that
ball into his own cups either accidentally or intentionally, no
penalty is taken.
2. In the event that a player who does not have possession of the ball
comes in contact with the ball and as a result that ball enters one of
his own cups, such as by unintentionally acting as a backboard,
that shot IS counted.
K. Interference
1. Ball interference
a) Interference is defined as any contact, intentional or
otherwise, between game pieces (balls or cups) and any
other objects.
b) In the event of a clear violation of the Let It Ride rule, a one
(1) cup penalty is imposed.
c) In the event of interference on the part of non-players, such
as spectators or officials, the shot is replayed.
d) In the event that the ball in play contacts the surrounding
out-of-play cups, such as the water cup or other cups, and
then sinks a cup in play, that shot is counted as though it
were a miss. (See: Let It Ride: Sloppy Shots)
2. Cup Interference
a) In the event that a player knocks over his or her own cups,
those cups are to be counted as sunk and removed from the
table. They are not to be refilled or replaced unless the
dipshits are not paying attention. (See dipshit Not Paying
Attention Rule)
b) In the event that cups are knocked over by any non-player,
those cups are not counted as sunk and are to be refilled
and replaced in their appropriate positions on the table.
c) In the event that cups are knocked over by a ball in play
which clearly did not sink the cup, (i.e. it has hit the rim or
outside surface of the cup, or has spun out) that cup is reset
in its previous position.
d) In the event that cups drift or are otherwise moved out of
formation, those cups may be replaced in their appropriate
positions upon request from the opposing team.
e) Drifters: In the event that a cup drifts out of its position
while a ball attempting to sink those cups is in mid-flight,
the shot may be re-tossed only in the event that it was not
an airball. ( i.e. the ball must have had a chance of making
the cup that drifted.)

3. Interference During Reformation

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a) Players are not allowed to shoot until the opposing team has
clearly finished reforming. In the event that the thrower
shoots before this:
(1) A cup made does not count and the opposing team
receives possession of the ball.
(2) A missed shot is counted as a miss and the
opposing team receives possession of the ball.
L. Ending the Game
1. Prelims- Sudden Death
a) Games are over immediately after the last cup has been hit
and no redemption chance is given, except in the event of a
perfect game. (See: Perfect Games)
2. Finals- Redemption (AKA Rebuttal) & Overtime
a) Redemption: As soon as the last cup on either side has been
hit, the opposing team receives one shot redemption. They
may continue to alternate shooting the ball until they miss.
The team may decide which player gets the first shot, but
after that point they must alternate shots. If they
successfully hit all the remaining cups on their opponent’s
side, the game goes into overtime. There are no “lock-out”
situations- a redemption opportunity is always given.
b) Overtime (3-Cup)
(1) Overtime formation is a tight triangle.
(2) The redeeming team (the team which would have
lost had they not sunk their redemption shots) gets
one shot to start, after which two shots per side
follow.
(3) The same redemptions and rollback rules apply
during overtime as apply pre-overtime.
(4) Games may go into multiple overtimes.
VI. Miscellaneous
A. Disputes
1. A dispute is not considered to be valid unless witnessed by two or
more individuals. In the event of a valid dispute, that game is
considered paused and an UBPC official should be called over.
Any witnesses to the event in question are to remain at the table
until the dispute has been resolved. All calls made by the official
are final. Intentional abuse of game rules and/or disputation
without adequate cause, are grounds for ejection from the
tournament.
a) Absentee Players
(1) In the event that a player is temporarily absent, no
substitution may be made. The game continues
without the missing player. ( i.e. that team receives
only one shot per side until the missing player
returns.)

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(2) In the event that a player is forced to vacate the

venue by the owner of venue, security, or any other
entity deemed to be authoritative on this matter at
the sole discretion of UBPC officials, the team will
forfeit the rest of the tournament, will not be
permitted back in the venue, and will not be entitled
to any refund, in whole or in part, of any fees paid
for the event or any associated activities.