“Why do you keep bringing these big games home???” As the owner of tailgating site I get that question quite often from my wife. I don’t have an answer outside of “ummm I like toys” That usually ends in a head shake and her walking away mumbling something I shouldn’t repeat here. Well this time I’ve got her! I have found a product that is really fun and takes up almost zero space in the house. Vert Pong…you are my savior.

I’ve said it before but this is really one of those ideas you see and ask why you didn’t think of it. It’s a simple design that serves a huge purpose. Vert Pong is made of Coroplast, the same stuff most of those annoying political signs are made out of on the side of the road (hmmm up-cycling opportunity here?). The joy of Coroplast is that it’s flat (suck it wife!). When fully compact it is less than an inch thick so the only space it takes up is the surface area of the game itself which is 24″ x 36″. For tailgaters this means the game can be packed pretty much anywhere in a vehicle and not take up any space. Did I mention that it’s also waterproof? Pool pong just got a lot more fun.

I’ve always been a fan of vertical beer pong because it brings a different dimension to the game. I’ve reviewed other vertical sets but the actual playing surfaces were rather small compared to Vert Pong which has space to play twenty two cups at a time. That is perfect for head to head matches.

To set up the game you simply make a few bends and attach a handful of pieces together. Since it doesn’t really weigh much you are able to place it on almost any flat surface to play. If you’ve got some wind just place a heavy object inside the base to keep it from taking flight. Another great feature is the ability to mount it directly to a wall using four pre-drilled holes at the top. Here is a video detailing the exact process

There are many variations on gameplay. Here are the standard rules:

POSITIONING & HOW TO PLAY

• Establish the shooting line 8 feet from the board. Use some tape as a reference point.

• The Shooter stands behind the line and attempts to shoot the ball into his team’s set of cups.

• The Rebounder stands on his team’s side of the board and rebounds any missed shots, rinses the ball and tosses the ball back to the shooter.

• When The Shooter gets the ball in the cup, The Rebounder drinks the contents of the cup and teammates switch positions.

• Play resumes with each teammate in their new position.

• The ﬁrst team to empty all their cups wins!

There are also a few alternative games:

TRADITIONAL “PONG” STYLE

OBJECTIVE: Beat the opposing team by throwing YOUR ping pong ball into THEIR set of 10 cups before they do. Get it in their cup, THEIR TEAM DRINKS! The ﬁrst team to empty the other team’s cups wins.

Same SET UP and POSITIONING as Vert Pong.

MIXED CUPS “VERT PONG” STYLE

OBJECTIVE: Beat the opposing team by throwing YOUR ping pong ball into YOUR COLOR set of 10 cups before they do. Get it in your cup and YOUR TEAM DRINKS! The ﬁrst team to empty their cups wins.

SET UP – Install cups ALTERNATING COLORS.

POSITIONING – Same as Vert Pong above.

MIXED CUPS TRADITIONAL “PONG” STYLE

OBJECTIVE: Beat the opposing team by throwing YOUR ping pong ball into THEIR COLOR set of 10 cups before they do. Get it in their cup, THEIR TEAM DRINKS! The ﬁrst team to empty the other team’s cups wins.

SET UP – Install cups ALTERNATING COLORS.

POSITIONING – Same as Vert Pong above.

Personally I’m all in for speed pong. Get a shooter and a rebounder for each team and go at it as fast as you can.

Vert Pong definitely gets my seal of approval. Even if you already have a table this is perfect to go with it to double the amount of people you can have playing at one time. Its mobility is a huge plus so your parking lot part can go mobile. Get your butt over to their website and pick one up now, you’ll be happy you did.