Las Vegas: Register for a shot at beer pong finals

Sometimes, beer pong seems destined to replace reading and romance on college campuses. The drinking game is huge at tailgate and frat parties across America.

Believed to have begun at Dartmouth (what decadent college tradition wasn’t?), beer pong now has its own world series, held annually in Las Vegas. I know. To think that Vegas would host a sport associated with drinking shocked me too.

In any case, this year’s World Series of Beer Pong will take place Jan. 1 to 5 at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Teams have a shot at a $50,000 grand prize.

Registration is currently underway online, with lodging and entry packages starting at $450. Early-bird discounts run through Oct. 31, after which package fees rise by $50.

Teams are guaranteed at least 12 games over two days. Last year’s tournament drew 900 players from 45 states and six countries.

In case you live in a cave, or a nice house somewhere away from the devilish influences of college-age children, beer pong is played on a small rectangular table.

Rules vary by region, but most games involve 16-ounce plastic cups of beer placed in bowling-pin formation on both ends of the table. Teams take turns bouncing or throwing table-tennis balls into the cups. Sounds simple, and it is, though there are all sorts of little contingencies. Rules governing swatting and blowing vary by game.

Moms, if it makes you feel any better, at the world series of beer pong, four of the 10 cups are filled with water instead of beer.

It’s really all about hydration.