Polish horseshoes

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Polish horseshoes (PHC, Polish Horseshoes Club) is a drinking game involving two teams of two people each attempting to knock an empty beer bottle off of the opposing team's ski pole using a frisbee.

[edit] Gameplay

Each team requires one ski pole and one beer bottle. The ski poles should be inserted into the ground vertically approximately 40 ft. apart and 5 ft. heigh, with a bottle on top of each. The teams take turns throwing the disc at the bottle, attempting to strike either the bottle or pole in hopes of knocking the bottle to the ground. The defending team attempts to catch both the frisbee and the bottle (assuming it is falling). All four players must have some sort of beverage, typically alcoholic, in one hand at all times. It can be played with teams of two or one.

[edit] Scoring

Every throw is worth a possible four points. The throwing team scores one point if the frisbee is deemed catchable and is not caught. Catchable refers to any throw that crosses the ski pole, is not unreasonably high, and is no more than two steps outside of a player's reach. The throwing team also scores three points if the bottle hits the ground for any reason. This includes players knocking their own bottle over.

If the frisbee knocks off the bottle and you catch both the frisbee and the bottle before they hit the ground the throwing team loses seven points, if the team does not have seven points to lose, i.e, they only have four points, that team resets to zero and the catching team gets the three remaining points added to their score. This only counts if the thrown frisbee knockes off the bottle; if a player from the catching team catches the frisbee and knocked off the bottle themselves, a bottle catch will just save the three points for the bottle and will not warrant a seven-point play.

It is a gentleman's game; while throwing the frisbee too hard is not officially regulated against, it is frowned upon.

The first team to twenty-one points wins, but must win by two or more points.

[edit] Rules

Players must have a drink in one hand at all times. If you set your drink down for any reason during the game, your team score resets to zero.

The defending team cannot touch the bottle before it falls beyond a 45-degree angle from the pole. This is constitutes a re-throw. The defending team cannot touch the frisbee before it crosses (or contacts) the ski pole. This is considered 'goal tending' and the throwing team gets an automatic four points.

For every point you have scored against you, that is a second that you have to drink. If a team catches both the bottle and the frisbee, the throwing team must finish their drinks and get new ones before the game can continue. At the end of the game the losing team must drink the difference in the final score, i.e if you lose eighteen to twenty-one, you drink for three seconds. If a player ever finds his beverage to be empty, play must immediately stop and a new beverage must be acquired before play may resume. Remember you still must have a full drink in one hand before placing the empty down. The losers of the game are obligated to refill the drinks of the winning team. The winning team may begin play against the next competitors with empty drinks or no drinks until their drinks are replaced.

Game can also be played with plastic water bottles, allowing people under legal drinking age to play as well.

It is unknown where the name "Polish horseshoes" comes from, but is it not believed to have originated in Poland.