Cornhole scoreboard

How to use the cornhole scoreboard

1. Open Teams and game settings to type the team names and choose who throws first (a coin toss is the usual way).
2. When all eight bags have been thrown, count each team’s bags. Tap the number in the hole and the number still on the board for both teams. Bags that fell off or hit the ground first are not counted.
3. Check the line under the buttons, which shows each team’s points and who scores, then press Add round.
4. Made a mistake? Undo last round takes it back. The scoreboard ends the game automatically at 21 and keeps a full round history.

Cornhole rules: the basics

Two boards face each other 27 feet apart, front edge to front edge (see the cornhole dimensions for the full layout). Each side has four bags of one color.

• Singles: both players stand at the same board, one in each pitcher’s box, and throw at the opposite board. After the round they walk to the other end and throw back.
• Doubles: one player from each team stands at each end. Partners face each other from opposite boards, so nobody walks.
• Alternating throws: players at the same end take turns, one bag each, until all eight bags are thrown. That is one round, also called an inning or a frame.
• Foul line: throw from the pitcher’s box beside the board, and do not step past the front edge of the board while throwing. A foul bag is removed from play.
• Ground first is a foul: a bag that touches the ground before it lands on the board does not count and is removed, even if it bounces onto the board.
• Who throws first next: the team that scored in the last round throws first in the next one. If nobody scored, the team that threw first last round goes first again. The scoreboard shows this for you.

These cornhole rules follow the standard set used by organized play. League and tournament rule books add more detail, such as time limits and how to handle a bag that is touched before scoring, so check the rules of your event.

How cornhole scoring works

Every bag counts at the end of the round, where it finally lies:

• 3 points for a bag in the hole, including one knocked in by another bag.
• 1 point for a bag resting on the board without touching the ground.
• 0 points for anything else.

Standard cornhole scoring is cancellation scoring. Add up each team’s points for the round, subtract the smaller from the larger, and only the team with more points scores the difference. A tie means nobody scores. The first team to reach or pass 21 at the end of a round wins.

Worked examples

Notice round 4: both teams threw well, but it counts for nothing because the points cancel. And in round 7 Red goes past 21 to 22, which still wins under the standard rules.

House rule: exactly 21 and busting

Some backyard groups play that you must hit exactly 21. If a round would take you over, you “bust” and drop back, often to 15. This is a house rule, not part of the standard game, and groups do it differently, so the scoreboard lets you choose: back to 15, back to 11, or keep the score you had before the round. Example: at 19, scoring 4 would make 23, so under “back to 15” you go to 15; scoring exactly 2 wins.

Tips

• Count before anyone picks up a bag. Agree on the round, then enter it.
• Blocking bags count too. A bag sitting in front of the hole scores 1 and can stop your opponent’s slide.
• Use the history to settle arguments. Each round shows both teams’ points and the running total.

How we tested

We ran automated Node tests on the scoring code; all 27 cornhole checks passed (the layout planner tests are included). Scoring cases: 1 in and 2 on (5) against 3 on (3) gives the first team 2; 7 against 7 gives nothing; four in the hole against nothing gives 12; one bag in the hole cancels three on the board; and five bags for one team is rejected. The team that scored throws first next, and after a wash the same team goes first again. A team on 20 has not won; reaching exactly 21 wins, and so does passing it (24) under standard rules. The seven-round game in the table above ends 22–17. With the exact-21 house rule, 19 plus 4 busts back to 15 (or 11, or stays at 19, depending on the setting), and 19 plus 2 wins.