Flipcup is a common drinking game which involves two teams racing against each other to consume beer and flip cups.
Gameplay:
The teams line up across a table, each player with a plastic solo cup containing 3-4oz of beer. Before play begins, players match cups with an opponent across the table to ensure that the teams are evenly matched. An order is decided upon, generally beginning at one end of the table and moving towards the other end. The first players for each team begin the race in a traditional "down-up-down-pound" procedure. More specifically, each player touches the table with their cup, then touches the other players cup in the air, then touches the table with their cup again, and then rapidly consumes their beer. Each player's objective is to chug their beer, place the cup right-side-up on the edge of the table (with part of the base of the cup hanging off the edge), and then use one hand to propel the cup upwards into the air, aiming to make it flip and land upside down on the table. A player must continue to attempt this flip until he or she is successful, at which point the next player on his or her team may begin their turn. The first team who completes the chug-and-flip all the way down the line is the winner.
Variations:
Survivor flipcup - Multiple rounds are played by the same two teams. Each round, the losing team must choose one of their players to eliminate. If a team has fewer players than their opponents, one or more players on that team must drink and flip additional cups so that the total number of cups is the same on both sides. Play continues until one team has no more players remaining, and the other team is crowned champion.
Stripcup - Each round, the losing team must lose an item of clothing. They may either choose it themselves or the winning team may choose it, but that should be decided upon before play begins. Play continues as long as desired.
Flipcup Anonymous (aka Flipcupapotamus) - Any number of players may play, but there are no teams and every player is on his own. Each player begins with 2 cups, and all begin at the same time. Once a player flips one of their cups, they may then drink and flip the other. Once all of a players cups have been successfully flipped, they should indicate it to the remaining players. The last person to finish flipping their cups has lost the round, and must add another cup for the next round. If the last place player already has more cups than any other player, however, they do not need to add more cups, and so the penultimate finisher must add a cup (or whoever it was who finished last among the folks with fewer cups). In this way, everyone who plays will have either N or N+1 cups at the beginning of a round. Additionally, the winner of a round may make a new rule. Play continues as long as desired.