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 the internet. Although the game was popular among certain circles, that is what put it on the map for the general public. Before you knew it, high stakes poker games were being televised across cable and hold em boards were carried in every large store across the nation. Well, another obscure sport is starting to make its emergence from out of nowhere. The cornhole game has grown from its modest roots in Illinois and Ohio and the momentum keeps growing year after year.
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, the option is to bring out your hammer, nails, and lumber and make one for yourself to save a few bucks. There are a lot of places to get the directions, you can either find them on the internet or you can borrow a friend's boards and take their measurements. The directions are easy enough to where anyone with some basic skills can construct a set. This will save you the expense of having them sent to you, but you'll make up for it with your time. Others find that they don't have the tools, skill, space or desire to put a set together, so they resort to purchasing a set on the internet and paying the extra expense.
The orgin if the sport is a little fuzzy, 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. Ever since the invention, the game has popped up here and there around the country within certain groups of people, nothing concentrated though. Up until recently, if you wanted your own cornhole sets, you had to make it yourself . Now even the big box stores are starting to carry their own watered down version of the game. Most people that purchase the game, though, purchase them through local retailers or from an ecommerce store that sells cornhole products.
The bags for cornhole are something that is more often than not purchased rather than made. 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. While most people have a hammer and some nails, a sewing machine is a little harder to come by. 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
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 only equipment you need is a couple of cornhole boards and a set of 8 cornhole bags. Really, what makes the game popular is that anyone can participate. It doesn't matter if they're a grandparent or grandchild, you can adjust the distance between the playing boards to accommodate for the players. This makes it a real winner when you are having a picnic, just put all the names in a hat, draw out random teams, and then have a great time. A first timer can unseat a veteran in any game, at any time.
A lot of the appeal of the game comes from its simple nature. People can play against whoever, no matter what the skill set, and you can have a competitive game. 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. Online poker has really helped everyone practice their poker game anytime of the day, in any season of the year, and against a wide variety of players. But, cornhole has its own online version of the game. Some sites are now featuring virtual cornhole games so you can brush up during the winter. I can already see cornhole as the newest Olympic sport!