NLG OFFICIAL - Beer Die Rules

  Beer Die is played with two teams of two players. Each team begins the game sitting in chairs at either end of the table behind their cups.
Playing Field Ancient play occured on a horizontal wooden surface 8-foot in length. The 6-foot folding table was adated as it was easier to lug up to the Blueberry Patch or deep into the Ice Mines.
Equipment
  • 12 or 16 ounces keg cups are filled and placed one hand's width in from the side edges and one arm's length (knuckles to elbow) from the back edge of the tables.
  • Typically, a hand towl or "Zamboni" will be utilized to clean the playing surface when overly wet with spilled or splashed beer.
  • The die used is a standard 16mm six-sided die with non-rounded corners.
  • Beer. Usually a Premium Keystone Light
Game play The oldest player at the table always stars the game with the first throw. The die is tossed in the air with an underhand throw. The throw must be higher than it is long in order to count for a point.
Drinking

Teams drink as a team, therefore, teammates should always have an equal amount of liquid in their cups. A 12-ounce cup contains bizz drinks. When a team's cups becomes empty, the cups should be refilled immediately.

One drink is assessed for the following infractions:

  • Throwing a die that does not hit the table
  • Throwing out of turn
  • Dropping the die on the ground when it should be in your possession. The opposing team calls "sloopy die" to enforce this rule.
  • Spilling liquid from a cup when attempting to catch
  • Saying the word which is equal to the number 4 + 1, this is refered to as Bizz; and saying the number which is equal to 6 + 1, this is refered to as Buzz. A hint to remeber this is the order of the vowels in the alphabet match the order of the numbers.
  • If the die lands on the table with the Bizz side up, the throwing team must drink.
Plink

When a die hits an opposing team's cup, but does not land inside, then the team whose cup was hit must drink. As soon as the die hits the cup it is considered dead and may not score a point, however, if the die ricochets and hits the team's other cup drinking is doubled. A third bounce into the original cup would triple and so forth.

Plunk

When a player's toss lands in the cup of the opposing team,. the player who has been "plunked" and his teammate must finish the remainder of their beer in their cups. The they have a period of Bizz minutes to do this. If they extend their drinking time beyond Bizz minutes, they need to chug a second beer.

Once a player achieves a plunk, they are entitled to add their name to the game table. Additional plunks allow the player to add a reseasonable sized symbol or hash mark for each additional plunk. Plunks do not score points. If the die lands in the opponents cup, and the die is Bizz up; this is called armagedon, and all players must finish their beer in Bizz minutes.

Self-plunk The most egregious blunder in the game is the self-plunk. This occurs when the throw lands in the cup of the throwing team. On a self-plunk all team members must finish their cups, and play the rest of the game without any clothing. Yes, completely nakes so try to avoid this. The thrower of the self plunk must also sign their name to the bottom of the table.
Trap A trap is any stoppage of the die using more than just one hand including, but not limited to, trapping the die against the body, against the table, against a teammate, between one's legs or a two-handed catch. Such a catch generally is ruled to be a point for the team that tossed the die.
Scoring

A game is played to either Bizz or Buzz and a team must win by two.

The only way to score a point is to make a proper toss that lands on the table and bounces off the back edge.. There is no drinking associated with scoring.

Low If the die does not reach the proper height (generally defined as the height being more than the length of the toss or within six inches of the ceiling) the defending team can call "Low" while the die is in the air; this negates any scoring attempt for that throw. The opposing team only has this option before the die hits the table. The Beer God has the ability to make the call at any point.
"PDT" A "PDT" or "Perfect Die Toss" is a commonly used term for a toss that strikes the very back edge of a table so precisely that it does not bounce up, but rather deflects downwards, making such a toss difficult to defend. In some games, it is common practice for players to drink after a PDT, even though the rules to not dictate such action, as a toast to the player who has just made the great toss. Additionally, should a PDT be caught by the defending team, players will often drink as a toast to the remarkable catch.

Northern Lake George