The joys of college – Flip Cup

We all know the drill – another day, another frat party, another hangover. But who cares about the nasty headache and the hangover when there is so much beer involved? And since Americans love mixing things, they found the way of blending the things they love most – contests and booze. Thus, today’s college parties are not only about making new acquaintances, dancing on the coolest jams and trying to pass a move at “that cutie over there”. They have a more noble scope, to fight against racism and promote equal rights between sexes so that anyone could get drunk or enjoy a good time, no matter the age, the sex or the nationality.

In the prolonged history of modern college rages there are two particular habits or traditions that seem to have broken the local gates and scattered throughout the world; one of them is the tremendous “walk of shame”, often preceded by a successful victory at one of the most challenging drinking games in the world: beer pong or flip cup.

What I love the most about flip cup is that it is not brutally delimited, falling into the cliché of beer, like “beer pong”, but it rather only alludes, being easily to adapt no matter the country. Thus, while “beer pong” might only be appealing for Americans (who, let’s face it, don’t hold their liquors long enough) and Germans (who would have to play it using 1liter cans so that after 10 hours of straight drinking they will start getting dizzy), flip cup is appealing to all nations. For instance, French might want to play it using Bordeaux wine, Russians will start up with vodka and Mexicans might want to flip the cup using tequila shots. Be that as it may, flipping the cup requires specific skills, training and precision. Here are my favorite tips that will guarantee you the victory (and hopefully not a blotto):

1. Know your limits. Before deciding to enter any drinking competition, make sure you know where the nearest restroom and a sober friend are. Never engage into a drinking competition if you want to go on a road trip after and always know when to stop.

2. Don’t be a fun-spoiler and admit you can walk away straight enough if you are a good player. However, after an entire game you still manage to remain sober, something went wrong. I suggest changing the liquor or finding harder opponents.

3. Never try flipping the cup in your dining-room, on your mom’s polished wood floors. Best flipping the cups games require a sordid, semi-opaque room with a funny smell and full of people you won’t remember by the morning. The same rule applies to the table – find one which is cheap enough to not pay your one year allowance on it.

4. Remember to only use one hand or you’ll get disqualified. Unluckily, even if the jury gets drunk, they will still remember to disqualify you for using both of your hands, or your feet, trying to flip the cup.

5. Place the cup so that the bottom partly hangs off the table, this will make it flip easier and remain upside down.