OBJECTIVE OF BEER DIE: Throw a die into your opponents’ cups or onto their side of the table without them catching it, and be the first team to reach the target score.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 players (two teams of two)
MATERIALS OF BEER DIE: 8ft x 4ft plywood table on sawhorses (or a beer pong table), one standard six-sided die, four cups or pint glasses, beer
TYPE OF GAME: Dice drinking game
AUDIENCE: Adults
OVERVIEW OF BEER DIE
Four people, one die, a wall of plywood, and a lot of shouting over whether that last catch was legal. That’s a normal Tuesday for anyone who plays beer die regularly. It turns into a genuine sport once people start diving across the table for a save, and it’s louder than Flip Cup and more physical than Beer Pong.
At its core, beer die is a table sport where two teams try to land a die in each other’s cups. The goal is to score points, not just make people drink, though drinking is very much part of it. Whoever hits the target score first wins the match, and matches tend to run quick once everyone gets a feel for their throw.
It’s also worth knowing this game goes by two names for one game. Beer die and snappa refer to the same basic setup, and we’ll get into what actually separates them further down. This guide covers everything, so if you’ve been asked to play and had no idea what was going on, or you just want a clean answer to what the beer die rules actually involve, you’re in the right place.
SETUP FOR BEER DIE
Beer die rewards a good setup more than most drinking games, since a warped table or a die that doesn’t bounce right will ruin half your throws. Grab these before anyone starts arguing about house rules.
- A flat, solid table, ideally an 8ft by 4ft sheet of plywood set on sawhorses
- One standard six-sided die
- Four cups, pint glasses or sturdy plastic cups both work
- Beer or whatever you’re drinking
- Four players split into two teams of two
A beer pong table can work in a pinch, but a proper plywood board gives you a truer bounce and fewer disputes about weird hops.
Once you’ve got a table that isn’t going to wobble every time someone leans on it, the setup itself takes about two minutes.
- Place one full cup at each corner, roughly a hand’s width in from the edges.
- Draw or mark a line down the middle of the table. This splits the playing field into two halves and marks the boundary defenders can’t cross.
- Each team takes one end of the table and stands beside their own pair of cups.
- Agree on a minimum throw height before the first toss. Most groups use head height as the benchmark, which keeps people from just skimming the die flat across the surface.
HOW TO PLAY BEER DIE: BEER DIE RULES
The actual gameplay is where beer die earns its reputation, since a single round can swing in about two seconds, from a clean miss to a full dive for a catch.
- One player rolls the die and calls high or low. Winning the roll gets first throw.
- Each player on the throwing team gets one toss per round, aiming to either sink a cup or land the die somewhere the defense can’t handle.
- The defending team has to catch the die cleanly with one hand before it touches anything besides the table or a cup. Using both hands, trapping it against your body, or missing it entirely hands points to the other side.
- Once both throwers have gone, the teams switch roles for the next round.
- Any team that gets scored on drinks according to the point value, then refills and keeps playing.
SCORING IN BEER DIE: DINKS, SINKS, AND POINTS
Scoring is where most of the arguing happens, so it’s worth knowing the terms before you’re mid-game trying to settle a dispute.
- One point is awarded when the die hits the table on the defending side and isn’t caught.
- Two points, known as a dink, happen when the die clips a cup before hitting the table and the defense fails to catch it.
- Three points, a sink, means the die lands directly inside an opponent’s cup, and that team finishes their drink on the spot.
HOUSE RULES WORTH KNOWING
Almost every group that plays beer die regularly ends up with its own small list of house rules, and knowing a few of the common ones will save you from looking lost at someone else’s table.
- FIFA. A defender can kick up a die that’s missed the table entirely, and if a teammate catches it, the offense still scores a point.
- Roll a five. Some groups add a rule where rolling a five while refilling means a shotgun instead of a normal drink.
- The lap. A team that gets shut out entirely, losing 11 to 0, sometimes has to run a lap as a tradition.
Settle on your house rules before the first throw goes up, not halfway through a heated match.
BEER DIE VS. SNAPPA
People use these two names interchangeably, but there’s a real distinction. Beer die is played standing, while snappa is the seated version of the same game. The core rules stay identical between the two, though the seated version plays a little slower and involves noticeably fewer people throwing themselves across a table for a catch.
HISTORY OF BEER DIE
Like most drinking games, the exact origin of beer die is hard to pin down, but it’s widely believed to have started on college campuses in the northeastern United States sometime around the 1980s or 90s. From there it spread out of dorm hallways and into backyard cookouts, tailgates, and pretty much anywhere someone has a flat table and a spare die lying around.
END OF GAME
Most groups play to 11 points, winning by a margin of two. Once a team is up by two at 11 or more, the match is over, cups get refilled, and the next four players step up to the plywood.
Looking to round out your next get-together? Check out our rules for Beer Pong, Flip Cup, King’s Cup, and Quarters, or browse our full list of dice drinking games and drinking games with cups.
Play fair, catch clean, and drink responsibly.
- 23 SUPER FUN 4TH OF JULY GAMES - July 2, 2026
- 15 Hilarious 4th of July Drinking Games - July 2, 2026
- 30 Summer Camp Games - July 2, 2026