Cornhole League Rules
DOUBLES PLAY:
The NHUS Cornhole League is doubles play, in which two contestants are partnered against another team of two contestants. During doubles play, one member of each team pitches from one cornhole platform (board area) and the other members pitch from the opposing side or opposite cornhole platforms.
INNINGS:
Every Cornhole match is broken down into innings of play. During each inning, there is a top and a bottom round of play. These innings are consistent and are important to the flow of the game.
In doubles play, the top of an inning is completed when both contestants pitching from the first cornhole platform pitch all 4 of their corn bags. The bottom of the inning is completed when the remaining contestants from each team (pitching from the other cornhole platform), pitch all 4 of their own corn bags. Similar to the top and bottom of baseball innings, the inning is designed to let the teams and bystanders follow the game strategically without losing sight of who will be pitching the bags next.
An inning is never completed until all contestants pitch all four of their corn bags.
VALUE OF THE CORN BAG:
1. Corn Bag In-The-Hole – A corn bag “in-the-hole” (or Hole-In), is a corn bag which is thrown through the hole in the opposing cornhole platform or otherwise comes to rest inside the cornhole platform. The latter can occur when a resting corn bag is knocked into the hole by another player’s pitch or by an act of God. A corn bag in-the-hole has a value of three points and is considered to be the best shot a player can make with a single pitch.
2. Corn Bag In-The-Count – A corn bag that is not in-the-hole but lands with any portion of the corn bag resting on the cornhole platform is in-the-count and is sometimes called on-the-board. A corn bag “in-the-count,” has a value of one point. For a corn bag to be in-the-count, it must not touch the ground or any other portion of the court prior to coming to rest on the cornhole platform. If a corn bag touches the ground before coming to rest on the cornhole platform, it is a foul and must be removed from the cornhole platform prior to the continuation of play. Discounted or foul corn bags are set aside until the top and bottom of the inning are complete.
3. Corn Bag Out-Of-The-Count – A corn bag that comes to rest anywhere except in-the-count or in-the-hole, is out-of-the-count and has no scoring value. Some cornhole players call this a “miss” and immediately disregard the pitch and the next contestant is free to pitch. A corn bag that is declared to be a foul is considered to be out-of-the-count, (no matter where it comes to rest). It must be removed from the cornhole surface prior to the continuation of play. Any foul or discounted bags that are left in the area of play are considered to be an interference and will often lead to discrepancies in the game as well as the overall outcome of the score.
DELIVERY OF CORN BAGS DURING PLAY:
1. In doubles play, the first side of contestants alternate pitching corn bags until they have thrown all four corn bags. The remaining contestants (pitching from the other cornhole platform), continue to alternate in the same manner until all four corn bags are delivered and the inning is completed.
2. A contestant may deliver the corn bag from either the left or the right pitchers box (see above) but, in any one inning, all corn bags must be delivered from the same pitcher’s box. If a player or contestant chooses to switch from the right to the left, they are allowed, only at the start of a new inning. Contestants will often do this to improve technique or pitch ability.
3. Each individual contestant shall deliver the corn bag within 20 seconds. The time shall start when the contestant steps into the pitcher’s box with the intention of pitching. Delays of game are not welcome.
PITCHING ROTATION DURING THE GAME:
The contestant who scored in the preceding inning shall pitch first in the next inning. If neither pitcher scores, the contestant who pitched second (last) in the preceding inning shall pitch first in the upcoming inning.
LENGTH OF THE GAME:
The Cornhole/Corn Toss match shall be played until the first team of contestants reaches (or exceeds) 21 points at the completion of an inning. The winning team does not need to win by two or more points.
The Cornhole/Corn Toss match can never end in the middle of an inning. Thus, if a team that pitches first reaches or exceeds 21 points, the game cannot end until the other side has had the opportunity to pitch all of their corn bags. Once they have finished pitching their corn bags, the inning is completed and the game is then over.
If the Cornhole/Corn Toss match is tied at 21 or more at the end of an inning, play continues until one team or the other achieves a higher score at the end of an inning and wins the match. Cornhole games do not end in ties, and therefore continue until one team surpasses at the end of a full inning.
The game shall be played to 21 unless a team scores 7 or more points at the end of an inning before their opponents score any points. In this case, the game is a skunk and the team that scores 7 or more points wins the match. In other sports, this is often referred to as a “mercy rule,” but cornhole prefers to use the word “skunk”.
CANCELLATION SCORING:
In cancellation scoring, corn bags in-the-hole and corn bags in-the-count that are pitched by opponents during an inning (singles play) or half of an inning (doubles play) cancel each other out. The remaing corn bags that are point-worthy are calculated. Only non-cancelled corn bags are counted in the score for that particular inning.
1. Corn Bags In-The-Hole – Hole-ins (HI’s) cancel each other out. A corn bag in-the-hole of one contestant shall cancel a corn bag in-the-hole of his competitor and those corn bags shall not score any points for either team. Any non-cancelled corn bag in-the-hole scores three points.
2. Corn Bags In-The-Count – Corn bags in-the-count cancel each other. A corn bag in-the-count of one contestant shall cancel a corn bags in-the-count of the opponent and those corn bags shall not score any points. Any non-cancelled corn bags in-the-count score one point each.
CANCELLATION SCORING MAY BE EASILY CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:
1. The points of both contestants are calculated for hole-ins and in-the-count corn bags.
2. The points of the lowest scoring contestant for hole-in corn bags are subtracted from the points of the highest scoring contestant for hole-in corn bags. The result is the hole-in score for the highest scoring contestant. The hole-in score for the lowest scoring contestant is then zero.
3. The points of the lowest scoring contestant for in-the-count corn bags are subtracted from the points of the highest scoring contestant for in-the-count corn bags. The result is the in-the-count score for the highest scoring contestant. The in-the-count score for the lowest scoring contestant is then zero.
4. The hole-in score for each contestant is added to the in-the-count score for each contestant to derive the recorded score for the inning.
5. In this manner hole-in and in-the–count corn bags from each contestant or team of contestants are cancelled out and only non-cancelled corn bags are counted in the overall scor
