You would think that sitting at a bar drinking tasty beverages would be good enough entertainment for mankind, but we’re a species that’s easily unsatisfied. “Good enough” is never good enough for us. And so, in an evolutionary leap not unlike the first fish to walk on a sandy beach, at some point in history, a group of drunkards said, “hey, let’s whittle these sticks then throw them at the wall.” And darts was born. And it was good.
Bar games have evolved since the Egyptians invented beer and then invented throwing sharp things at the wall while drinking beer. You’ve got video games, arm wrestling, checkers…I hear there are bars in the Northeast where people drink and play cribbage. One thing remains constant throughout history, though. In order to be a proper bar game, you must be able to play the activity with only one hand. Because you have a beer in the other. This eliminates billiards. Sorry, but it takes too much concentration and physical commitment to play pool. Ditto foosball and bubble hockey. They’re all fun, but their inherent two-handedness eliminates them from proper bar game status.
While these classic drinking hole pastimes don’t pass the true Bar Game Litmus Test, we’ve found a bunch of others that prove to be ideal activities to engage in while drinking. Behold, nine of the best bar games in America.
1. Shuffleboard
The object here is to slide those colorful pucks down the 12-foot long table and get them to rest as close to your opponent’s wall as possible without falling over the edge into the well. Simple, but be careful—bar goers have been lost to shuffleboard for hours on end, ignoring their dates or friends in an attempt to get that puck to kiss the edge. I personally know of three divorces that arose because of shuffleboard addiction.
2. The Ring Game 
Via Scrumpdilyicious
It’s got a bunch of different names, but basically, there’s a metal ring on the end of a string hanging from the ceiling. You try to swing that ring onto a hook on the wall. It’s a game of fine motor skills, which is ironic considering the amount you’ll drink while playing it.
3. Bocce
Via Ormsby’s
It’s kind of like shuffleboard, only more social because you stand next to your opponent. So you can really talk some trash here, as you try to get your balls as close to “the jack” as possible. It’s traditionally a lawn game, but a number of bars have installed smaller indoor courts. We call that progress.
