If you’re new to the exciting and fun game of cornhole, you probably are still trying to figure out the best way to score points and win. There are numerous strategies that you can use to improve your chances of winning, and each has its own risks and rewards. Some people play cornhole religiously, taking every rule seriously and planning strategy carefully. If you are one of these people, then a simple summary of ways to win is not going to be enough for you -you will need more professional help -and maybe not just of the cornhole type.
If you are like most other people, however, then you are simply in search of basic techniques and strategies that work for general games of fun that will help you to have some advantage over your opponents. If this is the case, then you have found the right place.
Strategy 1: Analyze your opponent
Whenever we play a game, we want to know our opponent’s level of skill before we can build a successful strategy to beat them. If your opponent is a good player and tends to knock a few bean bags through the cornhole every round, and then do it by sliding their bean bags up the cornhole boards, then you will want to block the hole.
Use a high arcing throw to land your bean bags in front of the hole. The closer you can aim your bag to the hole, the higher the chance you will have to drop one or two in yourself.
Strategy 2: Build on strategy 1
By using a high arcing throw, you are able to stop the bean bags more efficiently on the board than if you throw a lower arc and slide the bags up the ramp. Using the high arc allows you to build a barrier against an opponent who slides their bean bags. Of course, if you drop your bags in the center of the board, you are achieving to things: first, you are blocking the hole and second, you are eliminating, or drastically reducing the chances of your opponent knocking yours off the board.
Strategy 3: Knock your opponent of the ant hill
If your opponent lives precariously on the edge, meaning he or she tosses their bean bags and keeps them close to the edge on the side or the back of the board, then you can use them as barriers to stop your bags, increasing the chances that you will score points and knock their bag off in the meantime.
There will be opponents who will simply be more consistent throwers than you and you will have to adjust to meet their advanced skill. Just because someone is more consistent does not mean that you cannot beat them. You simply have to find out their cornhole game weakness, whether it’s that they slide the bags more often or leave them on the edge, or have trouble getting the corn bag in the hole.
Everyone has a weakness and finding your opponent’s will be your key to winning at cornhole.