Section 6: Scoring
- Bag through the hole ("in the hole" or "cornhole"): 3 points.
- Bag resting on the board (any part of the bag touching the board surface, not touching the ground): 1 point.
- Bag that falls off the board, lands on the ground, or fails to reach or hit the board: 0 points ("airball" or "foul bag").
- Bag knocked off the board by a later bag during the same frame: Only the bag(s) remaining on the board at the end of the frame count; a bag knocked off no longer scores, even if it initially landed cleanly.
Cancellation scoring (standard method): At the end of each frame, compare each side's total points from that frame and cancel out the equal amount from both. Only the net difference is awarded to the side with the higher frame total. For example, if Team A scores 5 points (one bag in the hole for 3, two bags on the board for 2) and Team B scores 2 points (two bags on the board), the 2 points cancel from both sides and Team A is awarded the difference: 3 points for that frame. If both sides tie in a frame, no points are awarded to either side that frame.
Winning the game: The first side to reach exactly 21 points wins. If a frame's scoring would push a side past 21, the most common house rule is that the overage is not scored (some groups instead simply allow it — agree beforehand on "must reach exactly 21" versus "21 and over wins"). Casual games are frequently shortened to a target of 15 points to keep pace with a group rotation or time limit.
Count-all variant scoring: Instead of cancelling, both sides simply add up all scoring bags each frame with no offset. This produces a faster-climbing score and is popular for quick pickup games or with younger players, typically played to 21 as well.