Free · Play online · No sign-up
Quarters: the coin-bouncing drinking game
Bounce a coin off the table and into a glass. Make it and you pick someone to drink; make three in a row and you invent a rule. Quarters is one of the oldest bar games there is and still one of the best. Here’s how to play, how to actually get the coin in, and the faster versions.
- 👥 2–10 players
- ⏱ 15–30 minutes
- 🎒 A coin, a glass or cup, a hard table
Quarters: play online
Quarters scorekeeper
Whose turn it is, sinks, streaks and when someone has earned a new rule. Pass the phone with the quarter.
Add the players and pass the phone with the coin: tap Sink or Miss after each bounce. It tracks whose turn it is, streaks and who has earned a new rule.
Quarters: quick rules
Sit around a hard table with a glass in the middle. On your turn, bounce a quarter (or any coin) off the table so it lands in the glass. Make it: choose someone to take a sip, and shoot again. Make three in a row: invent a rule that lasts the whole game. Miss: pass the coin to the next player.
How to play quarters
Set up
Put a glass or cup in the middle of a hard, flat table (wood or plastic, never a tablecloth). Everyone sits around it with their own drink.
Bounce
Hold the coin between thumb and finger and bounce it off the table so it hops into the glass. Elbows off the table if you want to be strict.
Sink it
If it goes in, point at anyone: they take a sip. Then shoot again.
Three in a row
Make three in a row and you create a new rule (no pointing, drink with your left hand, no first names). Break a rule: take a sip.
Miss
Missed? Pass the coin to the next player on your left.
How to bounce a quarter into a cup
- Use a heavier coin (a US quarter, a UK 10p or a €1 coin); light coins skitter.
- Aim for a spot about a hand’s width in front of the glass.
- Hold the coin flat-ish, tilted slightly back, and snap your wrist downwards: the coin should hop, not slide.
- A short glass (a tumbler or a shot glass) is easier than a pint glass. Use a pint glass for experts.
- Wipe the table: a wet spot kills the bounce.
Speed quarters and chandelier
Speed quarters uses two coins and two glasses, starting on opposite sides of the circle. Bounce until you make it, then pass the glass and coin to your left. If you sink yours while the player before you is still shooting, stack your glass on theirs: they take a sip. It’s the ancestor of rage cage.
Chandelier puts one cup per player in a ring around a centre cup. Bounce the coin (or a ping-pong ball) into someone’s cup and they take a sip; land it in the centre cup and the last person to put their hand over their own cup drinks.
Don’t have a quarter?
Any coin works; so does a bottle cap on a smooth table. Playing outside the US, a coin roughly the size of a quarter (24 mm) bounces the most like one: the UK 10p, the euro €1 or the Canadian quarter are all good. More coin-and-cup games are on our beer games page.
Quarters variations
- Classic rules only
- Sink: pick a drinker. Three in a row: new rule. Nothing else. The best way to start.
- Distance quarters
- After each sink, the glass moves one hand’s width further away.
- Quarters for two
- Take turns; each sink is a point and a sip for the other player. First to 10 points wins.
- No-alcohol quarters
- Keep score with the tracker in No alcohol mode: each sink gives the other players a penalty point.
Tips for a good game
- Keep the coin clean: it goes near people’s mouths and drinks.
- Never put a coin in anyone’s drink; the target glass stays empty.
- A board or tray under the glass makes the bounce more reliable.
Play it safe: every game here works with sips of any drink, or none at all. Only adults of legal drinking age should drink alcohol, alternate with water, and never drink and drive. [How to drink responsibly](/drink-responsibly/)
Quarters: FAQ
How do you play quarters?
Bounce a coin off a table into a glass. If it goes in, you choose someone to take a sip and go again. Three in a row lets you make a new rule. If you miss, the coin passes to the next player.
What are the rules of quarters?
The core rules: bounce, don’t throw; sink it and pick a drinker; three in a row makes a rule; miss and pass left. Many groups add “elbows off the table” for every shot.
What is speed quarters?
A faster version with two coins and two glasses racing round the circle. If you sink yours while the player before you is still shooting, you stack your glass on theirs and they take a sip.
What kind of glass do you use for quarters?
A short, wide glass such as a tumbler or rocks glass for beginners; a shot glass for experts. The glass stays empty.
Can you play quarters with two people?
Yes. Take turns and keep score; the tracker above does it for you. First to 10 sinks wins.
More drinking games to try
- Rage Cage Bounce, pass, stack, rage: the fastest cup game there is.
- Beer games Beer pong, flip cup, rage cage, quarters and more.
- Dice drinking games Three Man, Mexican, Ship Captain Crew and more, with online dice.
- Drinking games for 2 Duels, card games for two, questions and dice: made for two players.