I’ve never written about beer pong here before because, frankly, it’s really not about beer as much as it is a (college) drinking game. But, I received an email lately promoting this—an inflatable "Poolside Pong Table" (with tote bag)—I figured it’s worth a look for G&G Week. (And, I could educate myself beyond my layman’s conception of the game.)

Let me just say that, after doing a little digging, I had no idea how involved and detailed beer pong really is. Start with its Wikipedia page—beyond the initial summary of the game, it goes into detail on the rules, setup (with diagrams, even!), equipment, shot techniques (more diagrams), and more.

And, apparently, there are even national tournaments that take place in the U.S.—going so far as having a World Series of Beer Pong. (Their $50,000 tournament was held in Las Vegas this year.)

(Keeping in mind, of course, that in the end this is still just a drinking game. Beer that you’re drinking that had a dirty ping pong ball fall into.)

All you really need for a game of beer pong is plastic cups, a couple of ping pong balls, and, er, beer. But since this is a gear/gadget post, how about some pictures and some extravagances?

The afore-mentioned Poolside Pong Table:

The official WSOBP Portable Table:

This link here takes you to a beer pong set with a twist: the racks fill with water and freeze, so as to keep your beer cold: