Written by: Ian Markowitz

The Book of Beer Pong: The Official Guide to the Sport of Champions is a humorous and informative book about Beer Pong that will easily amuse both the novice and the World Series of Beer Pong Champion. Written by Ben Applebaum and Dan Disorbo, The Book of Beer Pong has virtually every useless fact, tidbit, tip, trick, and strategy you could possibly think of in a book solely about Beer Pong, although it does completely avoid the discussion of whether the game’s real name is Beer Pong or Beiruit (that’s up to you to decide).

The book starts off by providing a basic introduction into the sport, explaining, for example, table set up, cup titles (head cup, dunce cup, etc.), scoring, game play, etc. It then proceeds to explain how to pick the ideal teammate. For example, the authors suggest choosing a teammate who is dependable (“there is no room for a slacker”), focused (“this is not a sport for the scatterbrained”), and committed (“lesser sports may accept quitters. But not this one”). The book even tells you whom to avoid picking as a teammate (cops, professors, nuns, in-laws, “uncool” siblings, cellmates, or roommates).

After providing you with the basics, the book breaks down the competition into several different typecasts: the rule nazi, the beginner, the hottie, the dad, the drinker, the ringer, THAT GUY, and the mouth, and then tells you the best way to handle the competition. FYI, if you encounter The Mouth, aka Mr. Fratastic, the self-appointed world champion, the authors suggest that you read the book completely and “for the love of everyone, beat his [behind].”
While the book provides one of the longest sets of rules of beer pong I’ve ever seen at ten pages (second only to the World Series of Beer Pong Rules), the comprehensive list of rules gives you a de facto resource should a dispute ever arise during a heated beer pong game. In turn, should you own this book, there will no longer be such a thing as “house rules,” but instead only the “official rules.”

According to the book, throughout the game you are allowed two reracks, one with six cups remaining and the other with three cups remaining. If you forget to request a rerack, however, you forfeit the opportunity.

While the authors provide significant evidence for why beer pong should become an Olympic sport, I highly doubt they will be successful in their endeavors. The authors even go so far as to suggest getting rid of the biathalon, curling, or table tennis to put BeerPong in the Olympic games. In reality, I think the authors just wanted their legacy attached to something and they figured beer pong was the way to go, but hey, who am I to judge?

Whether you call the game Beiruit or Beer Pong, The Book of Beer Pong is a thoroughly entertaining book either as a gag gift for one of your friends, a how-to manual for your pong partner, or just a fun piece of reading material to share with your roommates. The authors clearly went above and beyond to produce a book that is just as comical as it is informative, and they certainly succeeded. Although the book retails for around $16, you can find it on Amazon for around $10.

Rating: 4.5/5 Falcons