What are the rules of play in Cornhole?

Verdict

Determining first toss: A coin flip, "bag-off" (each side tosses one bag, closest to the hole earns the honor), or mutual agreement decides which player or team pitches first in the opening round, called an "inning" or "frame."; The pitch: Players alternate tosses, one bag at a time, throwing und...

Source: Section 6 — American Cornhole League (ACL) — Official Rules

Why people argue about this

People often assume that if both sides can't agree on who goes first, they have to flip a coin, forgetting that they also have the option of using a "bag-off" method where each side tosses one bag at once and whoever's closest gets to pitch first. This oversight leads to arguments about which method should be used when consensus can’t be reached.

Send this to your friend — argument over.

Section 5: Rules of Play

Determining first toss: A coin flip, "bag-off" (each side tosses one bag, closest to the hole earns the honor), or mutual agreement decides which player or team pitches first in the opening round, called an "inning" or "frame."
The pitch: Players alternate tosses, one bag at a time, throwing underhand toward the opposite board. In singles, the two players alternate bag-for-bag. In doubles, all four of one team's bags are thrown by the player standing at that board before the other team's four bags are thrown from the same board.
Foot fault: A player's foot may not cross the front edge line of their own board (or an imaginary extension of it) at the moment of release. Staying behind this line is a matter of fairness and consistent throwing distance; casual play often relaxes strict enforcement, but competitive or tournament settings call foot faults as an illegal pitch (the bag is removed from play and does not score).
Order of play: After both sides have thrown all four bags in a frame (eight bags total on the board), points are tallied per the scoring rules in Section 6, the board is cleared, and the next frame begins with the team that scored last frame throwing first (or, in some house variants, the losing side throws first to keep momentum balanced — agree on this before starting).
Continuing frames: Play continues, frame by frame, until one side reaches or exceeds the target score under the game's win condition (see Section 6).
Common variations:
- "Cancellation" scoring (most common): points are cancelled between opposing bags before the net score is added, described fully in Section 6.
- "Count-all" scoring: every scoring bag from both sides counts, with no cancellation — a faster-scoring, higher-tally casual variant.
- Blind draw / rotating partners: for larger gatherings, partners are reshuffled between games for variety.
- Trick shots / "airmail": a bag thrown directly through the hole without touching the board first is nicknamed an "airmail" and is celebrated as a skillful shot, though it scores the same as any other bag through the hole.

Section 5: Rules of Play

Determining first toss: A coin flip, "bag-off" (each side tosses one bag, closest to the hole earns the honor), or mutual agreement decides which player or team pitches first in the opening round, called an "inning" or "frame."

The pitch: Players alternate tosses, one bag at a time, throwing underhand toward the opposite board. In singles, the two players alternate bag-for-bag. In doubles, all four of one team's bags are thrown by the player standing at that board before the other team's four bags are thrown from the same board.

Foot fault: A player's foot may not cross the front edge line of their own board (or an imaginary extension of it) at the moment of release. Staying behind this line is a matter of fairness and consistent throwing distance; casual play often relaxes strict enforcement, but competitive or tournament settings call foot faults as an illegal pitch (the bag is removed from play and does not score).

Order of play: After both sides have thrown all four bags in a frame (eight bags total on the board), points are tallied per the scoring rules in Section 6, the board is cleared, and the next frame begins with the team that scored last frame throwing first (or, in some house variants, the losing side throws first to keep momentum balanced — agree on this before starting).

Continuing frames: Play continues, frame by frame, until one side reaches or exceeds the target score under the game's win condition (see Section 6).

Common variations:

"Cancellation" scoring (most common): points are cancelled between opposing bags before the net score is added, described fully in Section 6.
"Count-all" scoring: every scoring bag from both sides counts, with no cancellation — a faster-scoring, higher-tally casual variant.
Blind draw / rotating partners: for larger gatherings, partners are reshuffled between games for variety.
Trick shots / "airmail": a bag thrown directly through the hole without touching the board first is nicknamed an "airmail" and is celebrated as a skillful shot, though it scores the same as any other bag through the hole.

Section 5: Rules of Play