In 2003, Chris Moneymaker shocked the world and won the coveted World Series of Poker when he bought his way into the tournament via a $40 satellite tournament on an online poker website. Although the game was popular among certain circles, that is what put it on the map for the general public. Quickly the sport took off and soon enough you noticed poker tables in every superstore and just about every poker event was televised on ESPN or GSN. It looks as if another game, previously know only in certain circles, is about to make its breakout. The game of cornhole has long been a favorite of people living in the Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky area, but until just a few years ago it was unknown to all but a tiny group of diehard players.
The orgin if the game is a little hazy, but we have a pretty good idea Where did this wildly popular sport come from? There are a few theories out there ranging from a farmer in Germany that invented the game in the 14th century to a group of farmers in Illinois that came up with the game when they had some leftover corn. For the last few hundred years the game has only been popular in small groups in certain areas of the country. We have it easy now though, up until the last few years if you wanted cornhole sets then you needed to construct them on your own . Today, even stores like Wal-Mart or Target will carry a plastic version of the game, which doesn't play the same as wooden boards, but still the game is out there more than it was before. Most people do want to play on the wooden boards, so if they choose to buy a set, they likely will look to a local crafsmen or they will look online.
The rules of the game are pretty simple and most people vaguely remember the game, or a spinoff of the game, from their childhood. The nice thing about the game is that you don't need much to play, just a set of bags and cornhole boards. The nice thing about the game is that it doesn't take anything special to play. It doesn't matter if they're a grandparent or grandchild, you can adjust the distance between the playing boxes to accommodate for the players. That is why the game is so popular for summer BBQ's and parties, you can setup a big tournament and not worry that some players will be at a disadvantage. A first timer can unseat a veteran in any game, at any time.
Typically, a lot of people will construct the bean bag boards themselves. They do this because it can be expensive to have them shipped across the country. Since the boards measure 4 feet by 2 feet, they tend to cost a bit to have them shipped. So, a lot of people will have one of their buddies construct a set of boards for their own play. The dimensions for the boxes can be found on the internet so its generally pretty easy for people with some carpentry skills to put the boards together. This will save you the expense of having them sent to you, but you'll make up for it with your time. For people that live in an urban environment, don't feel like making the boards, or if they live in an apartment or something, they find that just purchasing the boards and paying the shipping is a whole lot more convienient.
The cornhole bags themselves are something that many people will purchase. While most people can muster up the skills to construct a set of boards, they don't have the patience or desire to learn how to make cornhole bags. You need a sewing machine and some know how to put them together. Plus, unlike a set of cornhole boards, the bags do go through quite a bit of wear and tear and if you don't know what you are doing, they can break after just a little bit of play . That is the main reason people opt to puchase their cornhole bags from a retailer online, they are reasonably priced and they hold up well. This eventually saves them money in the long run
A lot of the appeal of the game comes from its simple nature. You can pair up any two players at a BBQ, and chances are the games will still be pretty competitive. Whether cornhole will explode like Texas Hold Em' remains to be seen, but the game sure is picking up steam in certain areas of the country. The only reason cornhole might not explode like the popular poker game is that online poker is so popular. But, never fear, there are some crafty software developers that have put together a neat little virtual cornhole game. Who knows, we might see cornhole emerge as the next Olympic game!