Daily Loaf

The World Series of Beer Pong — “the largest, longest-running organized beer pong (aka Beirut) tournament in the world, created by beer pong players, for beer pong players” according to the WSOBP website — will start in less than two months, on Jan. 1 at the Flamingo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

But you knew that, right? You’ve been single-mindedly training since 2008, when team Chauffering the Fat Kid managed to snatch the suds from an all-but-victorious  Iron Wizard Coalition by completing an amazing four straight sinks. Cinderella story? Yes. Biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of sports? Probably.

Don’t get the wrong impression about beer pong, though: it’s not all about beer consumption. According to official WSOBP rules, each round of competition only involves 24-ounces of beer distributed amongst some of the cups, with water in the rest. This is geared to limit beer consumption among players to about one beer per hour. While training, however, I suspect you may want to push yourself a little harder.

(Some players have found a way to get around these pesky safety rules. Ron Hamilton, a 280-pound Hawaiian dude and member of last year’s champs Smashing Time, was rumored to drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniels before the final game. ESPN’s Rick Reilly quoted him laying out his strategy: ” The key today was me getting really drunk.”)

Teams can register for WSOBP without qualifying in a satellite, with four day packages (including a stay at the Flamingo) coming in at a mere $599. But if your training regimen has tapped your beer budget, you can also compete in one of three satellite tournaments scheduled in Florida over the next two weeks. For just a $20 entry fee, you can win your entry package and compete for gold in Las Vegas. Or amber, I guess, depending on the beer.

Here’s the schedule of Florida WSOBP satellites: Nov. 12, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, Coconut Creek, FL; Nov. 19, Silver Q Billiards, Gainesville, FL; Dec 3., Tom’s NFL Sports Bar, Miami, FL. Check out bpong.com for all the details, or to register.

Posted in Drink | Leave a comment