Strat is a scored, quarters-like drinking game. Quarters is a popular drinking game which involves players bouncing a quarter off of a table in an attempt to have the quarter land, without another bounce, in a drinking glass (or cup) on that table. ...

History and name

Strat is believed to have been invented at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity of the College of William and Mary, where it remains popular. ΣΦΕ (Sigma Phi Epsilon), commonly nicknamed SigEp, is a social fraternity for [[college students in the United States. ... The College of William and Mary The College of William and Mary in Virginia is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States (after Harvard). ...

The name "Strat" is derived from the word "strategy," as this game requires rather more of it than most quarters-style games. However, the name can also take on various other meanings, depending both on a player's whim and on his wit. A well known example is that the name of the game is identical to the common term for the Fender Stratocaster guitar - doubtless because "they are both easy to play, and they both rock." Analogy has also been made to geologic strata and to the stratosphere, as well-matched teams occasionally cause the game to take on epic, atmospheric proportions. A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, as differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand. ... This article is about the geologic use of the term, for other uses see Stratum (disambiguation) Interstate road cut through limestone and shale strata in eastern Tennessee In geology and related fields, a stratum (plural: strata) is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it...

Playing the game

Four players divide themselves into two teams of two members each, with teammates standing across from each other around the hard-surfaced gaming table. Nine cups (typically 16 oz plastic cups) are arranged in a three by three square in the center of the table. Three beers are divided evenly among the outer eight cups ("5 cups") while a single, full beer is poured in the center cup ("10 cup"). Players choose who will keep score and who will shoot first, though the order of play is always in a clockwise direction. Players shoot by bouncing a US quarter on the gaming table in an attempt to cause the quarter to land in one of the cups. Scoring is as follows: The quarter is 1/4th of a United States dollar or 25 cents. ...

• Missing entirely is worth -1
• Hitting an empty 5 cup is worth 0
• Hitting a filled 5 cup is worth 5 points
• Hitting the filled 10 cup is worth 10 points

When a cup is hit, the members of the opposing team must drink whatever beer is in that cup. Typically 10 cups are split evenly between the two team members while 5 cups are drunk entirely by one team member, with the members alternating turns.

Though the 10 cup must always remain in the center, the 5 cups may be rearranged at will. The 10 cup is refilled every time it is hit; the 5 cups are never refilled. The game is over when all of the 5 cups are empty and a player hits the 10 cup one final time. The team with the highest score wins.

Special rules

Unusual shots occasionally arise. The rule is that wherever the quarter finally comes to rest is used to determine the official shot. As an example, if a quarter initially lands in an empty 5 cup and bounces from there into another full cup, the shot counts for the value of the full cup -- that is, where the quarter finally rests.

Even rarer is the occasion when a quarter lands not in a cup but balances on the upper edges of the cups. The rule in this case is simply for the shot to be taken again. If, however, this occurs three times consecutively, the rule is that the team who has accomplished this rare feat is awarded 5 points and their turn is over. Note that there are no recorded instances of this happening.

Though usually played with four players, the game can be played with three or two. In the case of three-person Strat, each player's score is kept individually, outer cups are drunk by the player preceding (to the right of) the scorer, and the center cup is usually split evenly between the two non-scoring players. In two-person Strat, each player's score is kept individually, outer cups are drunk by the non-scoring player, and the center cup is typically divided evenly between the scoring and non-scoring player, though this is optional.