From the moment that early man first challenged his chums to see who could pick up the most knucklebones to the modern age of MMORPGs and online adventure, games have always been a significant part of just about every culture on Earth.
Yet while today’s technology-driven culture may focus on the Xbox Ones and PS4s of the world, there’s something about getting together with friends for a classic bar game and a couple of drinks that not even the best console game in the world can replicate.
At Bar Games 101, it’s no surprise we love bar games. From classic pub games to drinking games and more, if it involves a few beers and a good time, we’re all in!
That’s why I’m so excited to announce the launch of our first book: Bar Games 101: The Drinker’s Guide to All of Your Favorite Card Games, Board Games, and More!
Why We Love Bar Games
A bar game is much more than just a game. It’s an event; an opportunity to spend time with the people you most love to spend time with, a social occasion where the laughs flow even more freely than the drinks and memories are made.
Whether it’s the hilarious hijinks of booze-fueled drinking games like Beer Pong and King’s Cup, the high-stakes excitement of your favorite card and dice games, or the all-time classics like pool, darts, and foosball, there’s a game out there to suit all tastes and abilities.
A Brief History of Bar Games
Since the earliest days of the Roman Empire, games and booze have always proved to be a popular combination.
In the days of Julius Caesar et al., patrons of Roman taverns could be found chugging a few drinks while enjoying pastimes such as Ludus Latrunculi (Roman Chess), Terni Lapilli (Tic-Tac-Toe) and Merels, a game which would evolve into the Nine Men’s Morris game (which you can read more about in our book).
As the Empire worked its way across Europe, they brought their favorite games with them and even influenced both tavern owners and patrons alike to invent their own games.
Many of these early games were inspired by popular pursuits already played outdoors. Archery, for example, eventually gave us darts and other target-hitting games.
Later, the sport of Quoits caused countless throwing games, and many of the card games we know and love today can also trace their roots back to the inns and taverns of Ye Olde England.
As years turned into decades and decades into centuries, countless new games were devised, not all of them as pleasant as a relaxing game of cards.
For a brief period in history, violent blood sports such as cock-fighting, bare-knuckle boxing, and duck-shooting were all standard forms of entertainment in your average pub.
Though that may seem barbaric to us today, such games were surprisingly well-received until, thankfully, they were eventually outlawed.
Still, as the saying goes, you can’t stop progress, and just because one kind of bar game went the way of the dodo, many others continued to appear, making their way from the pubs of England to the bars, game rooms, and private parties of the United States.
In recent years, those games have, like so many other aspects of our lives, been heavily centered on technology, with electronic quiz games, slot machines, and similar digital amusements making their presence felt.
Still, even the digital revolution has done little to diminish the appeal of classic bar games.
Even today, games like darts, pool, and dominoes remain just as widely played as they ever were. Some 17 million Americans are said to engage in a game of darts every year, making it one of the country’s most played sports.
Meanwhile, long-forgotten gems like Shove Ha’Penny and the aforementioned Nine Men’s Morris are being discovered by a whole new audience, gradually making their way back onto barroom tables up and down the country.
Now, for the first time, everything you ever wanted to know about all of these games (and many more), has been gathered together and presented in this complete, easy-to-follow guide.
What You’ll Get From The Bar Games 101 Book
In this book, you’ll learn how to play more than 30 of the world’s most popular games, all arranged into helpful categories so that no matter what the occasion, you can easily find the perfect game to play.
Hosting a board game night but don’t want to subject your guests to another long, tedious night of Monopoly? Head to the board game chapter and discover everything you need to know about traditional past-times such as Backgammon as well as more contemporary favorites like Smart Ass, or maybe check out our guide to the recent hit card game, Cards Against Humanity.
Always wanted to join your buddies on Poker night but haven’t got a clue where to start? You’ll find all the rules in our Cards and Dice Games chapter.
For each game, we’ve provided step-by-step instructions detailing every aspect from setting up your game and deciding who goes first to keeping score and determining a winner.
We’ve also outlined any key rules you need to know about, offered a few top tips and winning strategies and, wherever we can, made our own recommendations on several alternative games you might enjoy.
Ready to Play?
What are you waiting for? Get our latest book today and start playing! And if you like it, please let us and other players know what you think by kindly leaving us a review on Amazon.
