Quarters Drinking Game Rules: Setup, Bounces & House Rules

Quarters is a drinking game where players bounce a quarter off a table and try to land it inside a cup. Make the shot, assign a drink, and keep shooting until you miss.

It is one quarter, one cup, and one person at the table insisting they are “usually automatic” right before launching the coin into another zip code.

QUARTERS RULES — QUICK VERSION

Place one cup in the middle of a hard table.
Players sit or stand around the table.
On your turn, bounce the quarter off the table toward the cup.
If you miss, pass the quarter clockwise.
If you make it, choose another player to drink.
A made shot earns another turn.
Keep shooting until you miss.

To play Quarters: bounce a quarter off the tabletop and into a cup. If you make it, assign a drink and shoot again; if you miss, pass the quarter to the next player.

What You Need to Play Quarters

1 quarter, plus backups if you value your floor time
1 small cup or rocks glass
A hard, flat table
2 or more players
Separate drinks for players

Keep the target cup empty or filled with water. A quarter has touched too many surfaces to deserve direct access to anyone’s drink.

Quarters Setup Diagram

BASIC QUARTERS TABLE SETUP

PLAYER 2

       [ TARGET CUP ]

PLAYER 1             PLAYER 3

       PLAYER 4

Put the cup near the center so everyone has roughly the same shot. If one player is shooting from a comfy chair two feet closer than everyone else, congratulations, you have invented table privilege.

Best Cup and Table for Quarters

Item	Best Choice	Why
Cup	Short rocks glass or low plastic cup	Wide enough to make the game playable.
Table	Hard wood, laminate, or counter	Gives a predictable bounce.
Bad table	Soft, sticky, cloth-covered, or uneven	The quarter dies on impact or goes feral.

How to Play Quarters

BOUNCE → MAKE IT → ASSIGN A DRINK → SHOOT AGAIN

1. Bounce the Quarter

The quarter must hit the table before entering the cup. Dropping it straight in does not count, even if your technique is deeply graceful.

2. Miss and Pass

If the quarter does not land in the cup, your turn ends. Pass the quarter clockwise.

3. Make It and Assign a Drink

If the quarter lands in the cup, choose another player to take the agreed drink. A sip is plenty.

4. Keep Shooting Until You Miss

A made shot earns another attempt. That means a hot shooter can assign multiple drinks before finally missing.

Quarters Rules Table

Result	What Happens
Miss	Pass the quarter to the next player.
Make	Assign a drink and shoot again.
3 makes in a row	Common house rule: make a table rule.
Direct toss	Does not count. The quarter has to bounce.
Rim only	Usually a miss unless your group uses rim-shot retries.

Quarters House Rules & Variations

3 in a Row

If a player makes three consecutive shots, they create a rule. Keep it simple: no pointing, no first names, drink with your non-dominant hand, stuff like that. Do not create a rule with footnotes.

Chance

After missing, a player can call “Chance” and take one extra attempt. Make it and play continues. Miss again and they drink.

Challenge Quarters

Instead of assigning a drink automatically, the shooter challenges another player to make the same shot. If the challenged player misses, they drink. If they make it, they avoid the penalty.

Speed Quarters

Speed Quarters uses multiple cups or multiple quarters moving around the table at once. It is faster, louder, and less beginner-friendly than basic Quarters.

Our Recommended Quarters Rules

COLLEGEWARES QUARTERS RULES

Use one shared target cup.
The quarter must bounce off the table.
Make it: assign 1 sip and shoot again.
Miss: pass clockwise.
3 makes in a row: make a simple table rule.
Use Chance only once per turn.
Keep the target cup separate from actual drinks.

Can You Play Quarters With 2 or 3 People?

Yes. With 2 players, alternate turns. With 3 players, rotate normally and let the shooter assign the drink to either opponent. Quarters is one of the better drinking games for 2 because it does not need teams or a big table setup.