Cornhole Rules
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// PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
1. All Players must be at least 21 years of age and have current, adequate health insurance.
2. All players must be properly registered on a team during the season for which they are playing.
*If a player is registered on more than one team within the league, they may only play for one team in the playoffs.
*All players must agree to the Fray Liability Waiver as described in the Fray Terms and Conditions section of Player Registration.
3. Any use of an ineligible player will result in a forfeit.
// GAME PLAY
1. Two (2) teams shall play. Teams will form pairs amongst their players. Pairs shall stand at opposite boards on the same side, from the perspective of a third person, and face each other, so there is no advantage given to one team.
2. All eight (8) bags begin at one end of the court. Each team shall have four (4) bags of one color.
3. Rock, Paper, Scissors shall determine which team has honors in the first round.
4. A player from the team with honors shall begin play by throwing a bag down the court at the opposite board.
*A player may throw from anywhere behind the foot foul line which is the front of the board.
5. The frame continues by alternating throws between the two (2) opposing players until all eight (8) bags have been thrown.
6. The team that wins the frame is given honors to throw first in the next frame. If both teams have the same frame score, then honors stay with the team that had won the previous frame.
7. The next frame starts when the team with honors, throws their first bag at the opposite board down the court, where it originated in the previous frame.
// Fouls
1. The player causing the foul loses the throw when the foul occurred and the bag shall be removed if it landed on the playing surface
*A player’s foot goes past the foot foul line (front of the board)
*A player goes out of turn.
// Scoring
1. Teams are responsible for recording their score on the scoresheet after all bags have been thrown for a frame.
2. Alternate: Teams run a tally and DO NOT subtract scores within each frame. The winner of the game is the team with the most points earned throughout the sixteen (16) frames.
3. Traditional: Games are scored using the subtraction format until one team reaches twenty-one (21) or more points. There is no bust and no win by 2. EX: If player from Team A scores 5 points, and Player from Team B scores 4 points, Team A will gain 1 point for that round.
*If time expires during a game, the team with the higher score at that time wins.
*If a team reaches twenty-one (21) points before the end of the frame, their opponent may still complete the frame. Scoring is not finished until all bags are thrown and the frame is officially completed.
4. Points are awarded as follows:
*Three (3) points for a bag that goes through the hole.
*One (1) point for a bag that is on the board
*One (1) point for a bag that is hanging into the hole.
*One (1) point for a bag that is hanging off the edge of the board but not touching the ground.
5. Points are NOT awarded for the following:
*Zero (0) points for a bag that is on the board, but also touching the ground.
*Zero (0) points for a bag that is hanging off the front edge of the board and is resting on a bag that is on the ground, unless the bag on the ground can be removed without making the hanging bag fall to the ground, then one point is given.
6. If a bag hits the ground then bounces up onto the board, that bag shall be removed from play.
7. A perfect score would be four “holes” or twelve (12) points.
// GOLDEN RULE
First and foremost, all Fray leagues are 50% Social and 50% Sport. While we have staff // officials, we expect individuals to respect the league’s culture of fair and fun play. Foul language and rough play will not be tolerated. Individuals who cannot adhere to our standards of fair play and sportsmanship may be asked to leave the league. We want everyone to have fun and be social while enjoying a great sport. We will do whatever we can to make sure all players are having fun!
// GENERAL POLICIES
Fray is proud to relieve captains of the burden of paying for full teams. We accept individual player payments and allow prepayment for additional players and/or full teams. We are also proud to welcome those who do not have a full team (small groups and free agents) to participate in our league.
Because our mission is to make fun possible, these policies make it easier for people to get involved with and build community through social sports.
All registrations are on a first come, first serve basis. Any roster that does not reach our official size (based on each sport) is eligible to receive free agents and/or small groups. Rosters made up of primarily free agents and/or a collection of small groups may have more players than the standard roster size. This policy is in place to help ensure free agent teams are able to consistently field a team each week.
// Roster Size Chart
Sport |
Promotion Size |
Official Size |
Max Roster Size |
Female Minimum |
Cornhole |
4 |
6 |
8 |
N/A |
// Teams & Substitutions
1. Teams must have the required 2 player minimum to start the game. There is no maximum number of throwers for an individual frame or a game.
2. Teams have until 5 minutes past the designated start time to field the minimum number of players. The 5 minute grace period is considered part of the overall game time. If a team is unable to reach the minimum number of players, the game will be deemed a forfeit.
3. Substitute players (players not on the roster) may be used at any time in the regular season. Substitutes are not permitted during playoffs.
*All substitutes must be a registered player on another team and/or in another Fray league that is currently in play.
*Teams may use additional substitute players above the player minimum with the opposing team’s consent. Teams who agree to play under these conditions must notify the Host before the start of the game and the outcome of the game will stand as is.
4. Teams have until 5-10 minutes past the designated start time to field the minimum number of players. The 5-10 minute grace period is considered part of the overall game time. If a team is unable to reach the minimum number of players, the game will be deemed a forfeit.
*Alternate: 5 minute grace period
*Traditional: 10 minute grace period
*Teams may play a “legal game” with less than the required minimum number of players with the opposing team’s consent. Teams who agree to play under these conditions will lose the option of receiving a forfeit win and the outcome of the game will stand as is. Team’s must notify the Host before the start of the game.
5. Teams must designate a captain prior to the start of the game.
// Equipment, Uniforms & Facility Use
1. All equipment will be provided on site, including cornhole boards and bags. All players must use the bags provided.
2. Players should make every effort to wear the official Fray division shirt.
3. If an individual or team violates the facility’s Code of Conduct, they may be asked to leave and a refund will not be issued.
// Game Set Up & Duration
1. Two (2) boards, fronts facing each other, twenty-seven (27) feet apart measured from front edge to front edge.
2. The front of the board constitutes the foot foul line.
3. Traditional: Each team has 45 minutes to play a best of three match.
4. Alternate: Each team has 30 minutes to play as many games as they can, typically 1-3 games.
5. Regular Season Games can end in ties. Playoff games will continue until a winner is decided.
// Playoffs & Standings
1. Playoffs are determined after the regular season has concluded and are based on scheduling and other league logistics. Playoffs are not guaranteed.
2. Standings are automatically sorted in Commish based on teams’ Win-Loss-Tie record. If there is a tie in the standings, we sort based on the following information in order until the tie is resolved:
*Head-to-head matchups
*Score differential
*Points For
*Points Against
// Forfeits
1. Teams have until 5-10 minutes past the designated start time to field the minimum number of players. The 5-10 minute grace period is considered part of the overall game time. If a team is unable to reach the minimum number of players, the game will be deemed a forfeit.
*Alternate: 5 minute grace period
*Traditional: 10 minute grace period
*First Forfeit – Loss of game and warning issued
*Second Forfeit – Loss of game and Fray reserves the right to remove team the playoffs.
*Third Forfeit – Loss of game and removal from the league with no refund
2. In the case of a forfeit, the final score recorded as 15-0
// Weather Cancellations
1. One week is built into the end of each season
2. All players will be notified via email if games are canceled
3. If more than one weather cancellation occurs, Fray will try to find another week if possible to make up the games, but it is not guaranteed.
4. Should inclement weather or other factors limit normal scheduled game duration, the game shall count as the full game if:
*Alternate: 8 frames have been completed.
*Traditional: At least 1 game has been played to completion.