Beer Pong: How the Pros Do it

For many, beer pong is the quintessential drinking game. In an attempt to turn the "game" into a "sport," the World Pong Tour has switched from beer in the cups to water. But last weekend's U.S. Pong Open championship at the Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City sure felt like a party.

Many of the women there were sorority girls in hot pink tank tops who were reffing the individual games. Most of the men were twentysomethings in basketball shorts. The pounding music forced everyone to yell over the songs and the dozens of games that were going on.

Like any good party host, when someone tried to mess with the iPod that was blaring the music, the emcee was not having it. "Don't touch the iPod. Dude, put the iPod down. I am not f------ with you," he said on microphone.

Last weekend's competition began on Saturday with 193 teams. By Sunday, that number had been cut to 120. Hours of play left one team from Boston, On To the Next Cup, the winners. It took home $5,000.

So who plays beer pong with water for money? And is this a sport that someone like yourself, who may have participated as a casual gamer once or 100 times might want to pursue as a pro?

Let's start with the who:

* George DiDaniels, 25, a derivatives analyst from Delaware County, and his pong partner were dressed in green scrubs for the competition, because nobody else had done that. "The key to the entire tournament is having the perfect buzz on," DiDaniels said. "You try to get there and sustain it, because it's just magical when it happens."

Although there was water in the tournament cups, there was a bar in the Pong Open room and the bartender said most contestants were ordering beer.

* Andy Zeager of Wilmington, Del., and his teammate, Earl Fullerton, both 49, were among the oldest players. Their team name was the Hot Old Guys (H.O.G.s) and their slogan was "Young guys are pigs. Old guys are H.O.G.s."

* Kyle Williams is a health and gym teacher from Hazlet, N.J. His partner, Vince Catizone, 27, is a sporting goods store owner from Moorestown, N.J. The men, who go by the team name East Coast Elite, won last year's competition. Catizone spent his winnings on Lasik eye surgery, Williams bought a TV.

IS PRO PONG FOR YOU?

You'll need thick skin, because trash talking is a "huge" part of the game, Williams said. "They'll rip into you about anything. If there's a rumor about you, it's getting brought up on the pong table, guaranteed."

Indeed, during a game Sunday between Who's Hungry, a team of two big boys, and Get Me a Juicebox, a team of two regular-sized guys, the Juicebox boys had no qualms about calling their opponents "fat f----" during the game. Who's Hungry liked to yell so loud, their faces turned bright red.

At one point, one Juicebox got so angry over a missed shot, he launched a full cup of beer at Who's Hungry. I had to duck to narrowly escape becoming a casualty of a pong war. Having written a story a few years back about a Montgomery County man who was killed over a game of beer pong, I was happy when play resumed.

After the game, the big, burly men of Who's Hungry gave bear hugs to their opponents. One Who's Hungry even kissed one Get Me a Juicebox on the cheek. Twice.

PONG TOUR ESSENTIALS

Choosing a team name is crucial to developing a successful pong team. It should include some use of the word "cup" or "balls" and if possible some euphemism for a sexual act. Among my favorites on the scoreboard Sunday were Don't Forget to Cup the Balls, I Got 99 Problems but a Cup Ain't One, and Blue Balls.

PONG TOUR ADD-ONS

According to several contestants, the real games are underground. After the tournament wrapped up Saturday night, many competitors said they took to playing beer pong in their hotel rooms. One player said he stayed up till 5 a.m. "practicing" for the next day.

GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

The World Pong Tour's next competition is slated for June. Details for participants are at www.worldpongtour.com. Contestants must be 18 and over.