Pennies is a drinking game that requires a great deal of skill at tossing a coin. Although another drinking game called quarters also requires coinage, pennies is much different. The following will outline the equipment and rules for this drinking game.
Equipment
Objective of the Game
In pennies, the objective is for your team to reach 21 points before the opponents. It is not necessary to hit 21 exactly. The game must be played on a floor with teammates sitting next to eachother and then setting feet to feet with the opponents. The schooner, also referred to as the glass, is placed between your legs, near your groin. Each individual fills his or her schooner a slight amount with beer and the game begins. Points are scored in the following manner:
- One point for tossing the penny into the glass straight across from you
- Two points for tossing the penny into the glass diagonal from you
Teammates take turn in an alternating order. Each time a shot is made, the opponent must drink. If the shot was made straight across, only the opponent whose glass was scored in must drink. If the shot was made diagonally, both opponents must drink. This is the basic concept behind the game, but there are other ground rules that must be followed and that account for more alcohol consumption
Defense
Players are allowed to block the glass and provide distractions to decrease the opponents odds of making the shot. However, should the penny touch any part of the opponenets body that may be blocking the glass, the opponent must drink, and the penny is returned to the thrower. It should be noted that when the opponent only needs one point to win, it is sometimes favorable to block shots that are close to going in. This will get you incredibly drunk since you must drink each time the penny hits you, but it can help you come back to win the game. However, if the penny hits the person and still goes in, the situation is treated as a made shot.
The Other Rules
- If a shot goes into the glass and then rims out, the amount of beverage in that glass must be doubled.
- Any player is allowed to ask any other player the score, and if the person is unable to answer correctly, he or she must drink the contents of their glass. However, should the asker be found incorrect by the majority of the game players, he or she will be forced to drink.
- If a member of the team throws out of turn, both team members must drink and the turn is forfeited.
- If a team member throws the penny without both of the team's glasses being filled, the thrower must drink and the turn is forfeited.
- Should a penny ricochet from the glass, it is fair game to whichever team reaches it first. However, the team that reclaims the penny must keep the alternating order previously established.
- Bank shots are permissible.
This game provides hours of alcohol induced happiness and gets my personal thumbs up for top ten things to do in North Dakota. Sad, isn't it?