How to Rack Ruit
For those familiar with my previous article Keg Etiquette (
brush up here), you’ll remember that one of the ways to claim king o’ the party is to run train on the ‘ruit (beer pong) table. Rules differ from place to place so a definitive list of rules would be pointless to make and anyone who doesn’t know the basics shouldn’t be on this site anyway, I’m not running a fuckin’ charity here. There is one thing that remains constant though and that is the Racking System.
For those of you who don’t know, you get a certain number of “racks” per game depending on the number of cups left, and the number of times you’re allowed to re-rack (usually agreed upon beforehand by the previous winners). Most people agree on two racks per game, others like to go with as many racks as you need which is usually used if there’s a long list and you’re trying to hurry the game up. To help you keep your self-respect next time you’re trying to figure out what to call the next arrangement of red solo’s you need, I’ve compiled this short guide to the racks.
The Basics
(For consistencies sack we’ll agree that ‘ruit is played starting with ten cups, and I’m not going to go over how to rack 1 cup, are you serious dude?)
The Pyramid
Congratulations hotshot, you’ve made 4 cups, the minimum needed to create the most basic rack you can get. The name is self-explanatory, the rack is the same pyramidal shape you started the game off with, except now the back row only has three, middle row two, front row one. I know right, rocket science.
The Diamond (The Pussy)
Woah, slow down chief, another two sunk? Looks like you got yourself another rack. The Diamond (or the pussy if you’re trying to get a laugh, especially against female components, “Can I get a Pussy?” classic.) is made up of 4 cups, one in the back, two in the middle, and one in the front. Make sure it’s all even and it’s straight down the middle, you don’t want a crooked pussy.
Tiny Pyramid
One of two options when there’s three cups left, again self-explanatory, two cups in the back row, one cup in the front. This should be used for people who like to lob it up and aren’t too great at sinking cups, as it gives you a wider area to shoot for increasing your chances to make it in to any of the three.
Power-I (Stoplight)
Second option when there’s three cups left, my personal favorite, the Power-I. As the name suggests, the Power-I is just that, three cups lined up in a row in the shape of an I (hence “stoplight”). Great rack to use if you’re only using two racks, as this sets you up to have the cups in a straight line until the end of the game, giving you a nice frame of reference.
Two-Cup straight line
Two cups left, you put it in a vertically straight line, if you feel anxiety over making this rack, what’re you doing out of the house? Don’t you have World of Warcraft to play?
Fucked Racks
(The aforementioned racks are the basic ones you’ll find no matter where you play, but some people have their own fucked up racks that you’ve probably never heard of before. These aren’t usually allowed in the big leagues but if you’re playing with some triple a bush leaguer’s you might come across some of these)
The House
Five cups left, usually you’d be shit out of luck, should’ve taken that Pyramid when you had six cups on the table, now you’re left with cups all over the place leaving cups solo (huge pun) and other unrecognizable shapes. This is when some people will bring out The House. The Houses basic shape is a 2-2-1 pattern, the first two rows making a square and the top cup making up the roof. Personally I don’t like it but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure I guess.
The Arrow
Another 5-cup rack, the most fucked of the racks. The Arrow consists of the classic Diamond, but with one more cup at the top of the key, making it look like an arrow pointing to your side of the table, as if to say, “Hey, check out the asshole who called an Arrow rack.”
The Dick
I’ll let this one slide occasionally if someone calls it just because I’m easy to get a laugh out of, especially after pounding brews and running the table all night. The Dick’s a 4 cup rack and is just the arrow, but without the closest single cup. This one’s usually the most called/accepted of the fucked racks, so you usually won’t get too much heat for it, especially if you’re facing some bits.
The Southern Cross
This one’s fucked three ways from Sunday, I’ve only seen it called once on a trip to the south and I’m only including it because it’s the most fucked rack I’ve ever seen. 6 cups left, your opponent tells you to rack it, you start setting them up in the pyramid of course because this is the only sane rack that they could mean, well you’re dead wrong friend, in a southern drawl they calmly tell you to make it The Southern Cross. Like me when you first heard it you had no fucking clue what they’re talking about.
The Southern Cross follows a 1-1-2-1-1 formation, the cups all set in a vertical line except for the two middle cups which make up the cross horizontally. The only possible advantage I could see in using this formation is setting up an early “solo cup (island cup, skill cup, etc.)” opportunity, but that’s only for hot shots who know their partner can sink the right cup opening up the solo and not one of the two middle cups. If your party will allow it, and you know you and your partner can 1-2 the solo cup opportunity, this is the best and fastest way to go from 6 to 3 cups in one turn, and get the balls back for another shot. You’re peers will re-question what kind of fucked up rack this is when you shut them up with that one two punch.
Dez That Kid
