Slap Cup

Slap Cup is Rage Cage with the politeness taken out. The cups in the middle, the two balls, the bouncing, and the passing are all the same. The difference is what happens when you catch the player ahead of you: instead of stacking your cup in theirs, you slap theirs off the table. It is the beer game people pick when the party is already loud, and it should be played somewhere you do not mind mopping.

What you need

• 18 to 30 plastic cups
• 2 ping-pong balls, plus a spare
• Beer to fill each cup about a third of the way, and one cup to the top
• A long, solid table with standing room all the way round, away from anything breakable

Setup

1. Fill the cups about a third full and pack them in a tight circle in the middle of the table. No gaps between cups.
2. Fill one cup to the brim and put it in the center of the circle. This is the center cup. Nobody touches it until the end.
3. Stand everyone around the table and pick a direction. Clockwise is the usual one. Say it out loud, because it matters in the first ten seconds.
4. Hand a ball and an empty cup to two players standing opposite each other. They start at the same time.

How to play Slap Cup

1. On “go”, both starting players bounce their ball at their empty cup. One hand, off the table, into the cup. No throwing straight in.
2. Make it and pass the cup and ball to the player on your left. They bounce into the same cup. Two cups move around the table at once, one from each starter.
3. Make it on the first bounce and you may pass to anyone who is not bouncing. Use it on whoever you want to see drink.
4. Catch up to the player ahead of you and slap their cup. If you make your shot while the player you would pass to is still bouncing, slap their empty cup off the table. Their ball goes with it.
5. The slapped player takes a fresh cup from the middle and drinks it. Then they bounce into the now-empty cup with their ball. The slapper passes their own cup and ball left as normal.
6. Bounce into a middle cup by mistake and drink it. Keep that cup as your new bouncing cup.
7. When the middle is empty except the center cup, the next player to be slapped drinks it. Game over. Pick up the cups from the floor before anyone steps on one.

Slap Cup versus Rage Cage

Rule	Rage Cage	Slap Cup
Cups in the middle	20 to 30, a third full	18 to 30, a third full
Center cup	Filled to the top, drunk last	Same
Balls in play	2	2
Pass direction	Left, or anywhere on a first-bounce make	Same
You catch the player ahead of you	Stack your cup inside theirs	Slap their cup off the table
Caught player does	Passes the stack, drinks a fresh cup	Retrieves their cup, drinks a fresh cup
Noise level	Medium	High

If you have played one you can play the other in thirty seconds. The slap version runs faster because nobody is passing a stack of six cups, and slower because somebody is always under the table looking for a ball.

Variations and house rules

• Stack instead of slap. Swap the slap for a stack and you are playing Rage Cage. Tables switch between the two halfway through a night depending on how much beer is on the floor.
• First-bounce slaps only. A stricter version: you may only slap if you made your shot on the first bounce. Catching someone on your third bounce just means you pass as normal. This makes slaps rarer and meaner.
• Catch it and you are safe (house rule). If the slapped player catches their cup before it hits the floor, the slap does not count and the slapper drinks a middle cup instead. Expect arguments.
• Three balls. For a big table, start three balls at even spacing. Cups arrive before anyone is ready, which is the point.
• Pass anywhere, always. Some tables let every make go to any player, not just first-bounce makes. It turns the game into a pile-on against one person, so agree on it before you start or do not use it.
• Split center cup. Whoever ends the game splits the center cup with the player who slapped them. Fairer, and more common than the full-cup ending suggests.
• Water middle. Play with water or soft drinks in the middle cups and keep the center cup as the only drink. Good for the second game of the night.

Tips

• Clear the table edges first. Phones, glasses, and the one nice candle all go before the first slap, because the cup is not the only thing that leaves the table.
• Slap down, not across. A downward slap drops the cup at the table edge; a sideways one sends it into the next room.
• Watch the player on your right, not your own cup. If they have the ball in hand and you are still bouncing, you are about to be slapped.
• Fill light and stop after two games. A slapped player drinks a cup every time, and a bad bouncer can drink five cups in a ten-minute game. Pull them out of the circle for a round if it is happening.