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Lifestyle

Every Drinking Game You Can Play While Tailgating in Boulder

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at CU Boulder chapter.

Party animal or not, we are all bound to end up with quite a few wild tailgate stories by the time we graduate. Typically, they involve a drink or two and are filled with slurred school-spirited chants.

Among the many tents, pick-up trucks blasting music, and drunk alumni, it can be hard to keep up with all the drinking games. 

So, for this tailgate season in Boulder, here are some mainstream drinking games you can learn to play. Leave behind those times of uncomfortable observing behind you and show your friends up.

1. Beer Pong

Grab a friend and take on two opponents in shooting ping pong balls into the opposing team’s cup! 

How to Play: 

Set up 10 cups in a pyramid (on each side of the table). Have two ping pong balls ready (for each team). Take turns trying to land the ping pong balls into the other teams cups and watch them chug!

2. Flip Cup

A photo posted by John (@carolinagrillz5.0) on

This two on two drinking game has each team racing to chug and flip the cups on their side of the table before their opponents.

How to play:

Line up five cups (or however many you want) down two sides of a table. Fill the cups with your chosen drink. Beat your opponent in chugging each cup and flipping it right side up in order to move to the next cup. The first player (or team) to finish their line of drinks wins.

3. Edward 40 Hands

A photo posted by Liam Psaila (@liampsaila) on

Tape a cup, bottle, or can to your hands and drink it all to get your hands free.  

How to play:

Gather the players. Tape drinks to both of your hands. Drink both drinks completely and get your hands untaped. Last person to finish and get freed loses!

4. SKO BUFFS

A photo posted by Ryan Moeller (@momo_twofive) on

This is the perfect tailgate drinking game. Everyone is getting pumped for the game and will repeatedly scream the school’s slogan (especially if you go to CU!)

How to play: Every time you hear someone say your school slogan, chug! In our case in Boulder, every time you hear “Sko Buffs,” that is your cue to drink up. 

5. Drunk Jenga

Get creative and write different drinking penalties on multiple Jenga blocks! Play to win!

How to play: 

Gather your players and write dares on each (or most) of the jenga blocks. Stack them and start playing. Do each dare or forfeit the game. Last person left wins.

6. Chug Ralphie Chug

A photo posted by Whiskey Riff (@whiskeyriff) on

Last person to finish chugging their drink has to drink another!

So go gather your friends and show off your rockin’ school spirit through these classic games.

(And these can all be played with water too—no pressure!)

I am currently the Editorial Director at Spoon CUBoulder and obsessed with all things brunch and ice cream related. So if you're into either of those things, I can guarantee I will write excessive articles about them. Follow me and my Colorado food adventures on Instagram @erinnewsome. Sko Buffs.