Slip 'N Flip Drinking Game

Sprint, slide, then stick the flip - summer's greatest relay.

Also known as: Slip and Slide Flip Cup

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Players 6-20 (2 teams)

You needSlip 'n slide, table, cups

DrinkBeer

Intensity

Time20-40 min

Slip 'N Flip is what happens when flip cup gets a summer body. Two teams line up at the top of a lawn slope, and each runner must sprint, dive onto a soaked slip and slide, ride it to the bottom, then pop up - Dripping, grass-stained, adrenaline maxed - And flip a cup clean off the table before the next teammate can go. It's a relay race where the baton is momentum and the finish line is a perfectly landed cup.

No drinking game photographs better. The sprint-dive-slide sequence produces genuine athletic highlights, and the flip station immediately undoes them, because flipping a cup with wet hands while breathing hard is dramatically harder than it sounds. Teams live and die on the transition. It demands a hot day, a hose, a slope, and a group willing to get soaked - And in exchange it delivers the single most memorable event of any summer party or Beer Olympics.

What you need & setup

Lay a slip and slide (or heavy plastic sheeting) down a gentle grass slope, free of rocks, roots, and sprinkler heads; hose it down generously with water and a little dish soap or baby shampoo.
Place a sturdy table at the bottom of the slide, offset a few feet to the side of the runout so nobody slides into the table legs.
Split into two even teams of 3-10 and line each team up at the top, setting one cup on the table per runner with a modest pour.
Keep the hose or buckets handy to re-wet the slide between heats, and put towels and water bottles at the finish area.
Walk the course once as a group, agree on the rules, and clear all glass, coolers, and bystanders away from the runout zone.

How to play Slip 'N Flip

Line up the relay

Both teams stack up at the top of the slope in running order - Put your steadiest cup-flipper last, because anchors win this game. Each runner has one cup waiting on the table at the bottom, pre-poured before the race starts. A referee at the table calls the start and watches for early launches. When the countdown hits zero, the first runners take off simultaneously.

Sprint and send it

Charge the slide and commit to the dive - Hesitation is how bellyflops happen. Land flat and low, chest and hips together, arms forward like a superhero, and let the soap and slope do the work. Ride the slide all the way; runners must slide, not run, past the marked line, or they go back and dive again while their team screams helpfully.

Get up and get to the table

The transition is the whole game. Pop up at the end of the runout, find your legs - The ground will feel like it's still moving - And get to your cup at the table. Wet grass plus adrenaline makes this stretch comically treacherous, so take the extra half-second to arrive balanced. You cannot touch your cup until you're standing at the table.

Drink, then flip

Drink your cup's contents, set the cup mouth-up on the table's edge hanging slightly over, and flip it with a flick of the fingertips so it lands face-down. Wet fingers, heaving lungs, screaming teammates - This is where leads evaporate. You must flip until it lands; no swatting, no two-handed corrections, no sliding the cup inland for a better angle.

Launch the next runner

The instant your cup sticks the landing face-down, your next teammate is released from the top of the hill. Not before - Jumping the flip is the game's cardinal sin and sends the early runner back to the start. Finished runners stay at the table to scream advice, refill duties, and towel-management. The relay flows top to bottom until every runner has slid and stuck their flip.

Win the anchor leg

The race climaxes with anchors on the table. First team whose final runner lands their flip wins the heat; best of three heats wins the match, with teams reversing running order between heats to keep it fair. Losing team squeegees and re-wets the slide for the next round. In Beer Olympics, this is a five-star finale event - Run it last, when a soaked champion is the perfect closing image.

The rules

Teams race relay-style: each runner must sprint, slide the full length of the slip and slide, then drink and flip their cup before the next teammate starts.
The next runner may not leave the start line until the previous teammate's cup has landed face-down - Early starts send the runner back to the top.
Runners must genuinely slide past the marked line; running alongside or bailing early means returning to the top for a re-dive.
Cups are pre-poured with a modest amount (a third of a cup is plenty) and cannot be touched until the runner is standing at the table.
Flips must be one-handed fingertip flips off the table edge - No swats, no double-hand saves, and a cup blown over by wind is reset and re-flipped.
First team to land its final flip wins the heat; matches are best of three with running order reversed between heats.
One referee at the table settles all early-start and short-slide calls, and their ruling is final.
The slide must be re-wetted between every heat; racing on a dry slide is both slow and a skin-donation program.
Anyone may take the slide leg with water in their cup, or skip the slide and just flip, with no penalty to their team.
Barefoot or grippy water shoes only - No cleats, no socks, no slides in denim (for dignity reasons).

Variations & house rules

Double Dip

Each runner must slide, flip a cup at the bottom table, then run back up and flip a second cup at a top table before tagging the next runner. The uphill sprint on jelly legs is brutal and hilarious, effectively adding a cardio tax to every leg. Halve the pours since everyone's flipping twice, and expect the anchor leg to become genuinely dramatic.

Slip 'N Sip Survivor

Run elimination heats instead of relays: everyone slides and flips individually, and the last person to land their flip each heat is out. Field shrinks each round until a final head-to-head showdown. Great for odd-numbered groups that can't split into even teams, and it crowns an undisputed individual champion of the summer, which the group chat will honor for months.

Sponge Relay

Swap drinking for carrying: each runner slides down clutching a soaked sponge, squeezes it into their team's bucket, then flips an empty cup before the next runner goes. First team to fill its bucket to the line wins. Fully family-friendly and NA-inclusive while preserving every ounce of the sliding chaos - And the flip still ruins composed adults on schedule.

Night Slide

The after-dark edition: glow sticks lining the slide, glow-in-the-dark cups on the table, and porch lights only. Everything is 20% harder and 100% more cinematic. Mandatory extras: a spotter with a flashlight at the runout, shallower pours, and walking-pace starts. Save it for the last heat of a summer party - It's an unbeatable closing ceremony.

Beer Olympics Finale Format

Structure Slip 'N Flip as a scored Beer Olympics event: every team runs the same relay against the clock, fastest three times take 5/3/1 points, and a dropped or unflipped cup adds a five-second penalty. Time-trial format means any number of teams can compete on one slide, and the leaderboard pressure makes anchors legendary or infamous.

Pro tips

A squirt of dish soap or baby shampoo on the slide adds shocking speed - Re-apply with water between every heat.

Dive flat and low with arms extended; leading with knees or elbows is how slip and slides collect their tax.

Dry your flipping hand on a towel staged at the table - A two-second wipe saves ten seconds of failed flips.

Keep pours small. The race is cardio; the drink is a formality, not the challenge.

Offset the table from the slide's runout and check the lawn for rocks and sprinkler heads before the first dive.

Order your lineup fast-first, clutch-last: early legs bank time, but games are won by the calmest flipper, not the fastest slider.

Where Slip 'N Flip fits on the shelf

Slip 'N Flip lands mid-table for intensity (9th of 17 challenge games), rated 3 out of 5.
It is one of the few games here that genuinely works with just 2 players, and it stays fun up to 20.
A typical session runs 20-40 min - a solid middle act for the evening.
Browse the full outdoor & challenge games shelf to compare all 17 games side by side.

A little history

Slip 'N Flip is a young game with a fuzzy pedigree: it appears to have emerged in the 2000s-2010s as American college students and summer hosts bolted flip cup - Itself a campus staple since the 1980s - Onto the backyard slip and slide, a toy sold since the early 1960s. Viral videos and Beer Olympics culture spread the mashup through the 2010s. No inventor is credited; it was probably invented independently wherever hoses met tables.

Drink responsibly: The slide deserves more respect than the cups: inspect the lawn, dive flat, keep the table clear of the runout, and retire anyone who's wobbling - Wet grass and buzzed sprinting are a rough pairing. Small pours, big water breaks, sunscreen on repeat, and rides arranged before the first heat. Wet champions don't drive. See our safety guide for pacing tips and alcohol-free versions.

Slip 'N Flip FAQ

What is Slip 'N Flip?

It's a team relay drinking game combining a slip and slide with flip cup: each runner sprints, dives down a soaped-up slide, then must drink and flip a cup face-down at a table before the next teammate can start. First team to land its final flip wins. It's a summer party and Beer Olympics staple built on one truth - Flipping a cup soaking wet is hard.

What do you need to play Slip 'N Flip?

A slip and slide or heavy plastic sheeting on a gentle grass slope, a hose and dish soap for speed, a sturdy table set safely beside the runout, plastic cups, drinks, towels, and 6-20 players in two teams. Total setup takes fifteen minutes. Swimsuits and a hot day are technically optional but realistically mandatory for full attendance.

How much do you drink in Slip 'N Flip?

Very little per leg - A third of a cup of beer is the standard pour, because the challenge is flipping with wet hands and racing lungs, not chugging. Across a best-of-three match a player might drink one full beer. Anyone can run their leg with water at no penalty, which keeps designated drivers and pacers fully in the race.

Is Slip 'N Flip dangerous?

The slide is the risk, not the drink: bad lawns and bad dives cause the injuries. Walk the course for rocks and sprinkler heads, keep the table offset from the runout, dive flat and low, re-wet the slide constantly, and stop sliding when people stop landing well. Played on a good slope with small pours, it's rowdy but reasonable - The highlight reel usually features grass stains, not injuries.

Can you play Slip 'N Flip without alcohol?

Absolutely. Water in the cups changes nothing about the race - The flip is just as merciless - And the Sponge Relay variation removes drinking entirely while keeping every drop of sliding chaos. It's one of the most NA-friendly games on the site because the alcohol was never the hard part; the wet-handed flip and the uphill jog back humble everyone equally.

Slip 'N Flip Drinking Game

What you need & setup