League Format & Rules

This web page describes the PrimeTime Cornhole (PTC) league format and rules for participation. The league format and all rules are subject to change at the discretion of PrimeTime Cornhole and PrimeTime Cornhole has the final decision on all situations covered and not covered by the rules.

General Format

PrimeTime Cornhole (PTC) leagues are team-based cornhole leagues lasting a total of 10 weeks. Teams play weekly 3-game matches. Team rosters are made up of 2 players or more. PTC charges a fixed fee per team, so additional players can be added to rosters at no cost.

Although, PTC seasons are scheduled to last 10 weeks, it is possible that unexpected circumstances may require the season to be reduced (e.g., event conflicts with the event center, COVID, etc.). In a 10-week season, the first 9 weeks are considered the “regular season” and the final week is the League Championship tournament.

Regular Season

Teams are scheduled to play a 3-game match against another team each week of the regular season, and all 3 games should be played. The winner of the match is the team that wins at least 2 games. If a team wins the first 2 games, teams should play the third game since total wins are used as a tie-breaker when determining league standings. League standings will be based on match winning percentage. Tie breakers will be determined by

Since we want everyone to play at least one match every week, divisions with an odd number of teams require some teams to play doubleheaders, resulting in some teams playing more games than others.

League Championship Tournament

The league championship tournament is a single-elimination “bracket-style” tournament. The tournament will be played the week after the final week of the regular season and on the same weekday (and at the same general times) as the regular season matches. In other words, if the regular season matches take place on Mondays, the tournament will be held on the Monday after the final week of the regular season. Teams will be seeded according to their standings after the regular season. Teams will play a best-of-3-game match in the tournament. But unlike the regular season, if a team wins the first 2 games, the third game will not be played. Since the tournament is a single-elimination tournament, whenever a team loses a match (not a single game), they are eliminated from the tournament.

For the league championship tournament, teams may only use players who have played in at least one regular season match for that team. The spirit of this rule is to encourage teams to play members regularly and discourage teams from simply adding a “ringer” to their team solely for the league championship tournament.

There are logistical challenges with allowing members to play on multiple teams during a tournament as their games cause a “ripple effect” delaying the entire tournament. Our experience shows this to be highly problematic. As such, any member playing on multiple teams may only play for one team during the league championship. See the “Subs for League Championship” section for additional details on how this can affect teams.

The winner of the league championship tournament will be awarded a first-place prize. The loser of the final game of the tournament will be awarded a second-place prize. The tournament may also determine 3^rd and 4^th place.

Divisions

PTC leagues are separated into 3 or 4 divisions such as Beginner, Intermediate, IntermediatePlus, and Advanced.

Points per Round (PPR), while not perfect, is a useful measure of skill level. The PPR ranges below should be considered a very generalized guide as to what division you should join.

We use the following general guide to describe each division:

Beginner: New to cornhole with bags occasionally on the board or in the hole (PPR unknown or less than 5)
Intermediate: Bags mostly on board and occasionally in hole (PPR 5-6)
Intermediate+: Bags mostly on board and often in hole (PPR 6-7)
Advanced: Bags almost always on board or in hole (PPR 7+)

Teams that win the League Championship tournament in their division may be asked to move up to the next division for future seasons.

Games

Teams should try to arrive at least 5 minutes prior to their scheduled match time and be ready to start their match at the scheduled match time. Teams should make every effort to start their match on time and keep the games moving as there is no scheduled time between matches. Please try to avoid taking breaks between games to chat, buy drinks, etc. If your match is starting after the scheduled time, we also ask that you limit warm-ups to a single "down and back" before the first game.

PTC games generally follow the rules and regulations of the American Cornhole League (ACL) unless there are PTC-specific rules listed below that override an ACL rule.

PTC does not require the use of ACL-approved bags. However, bags must contain resin and closely align to the standards set forth by the ACL. Corn-filled bags are specifically prohibited, as they create a mess on the boards and floor, and can create a slipping hazard for players walking near the boards.

Some specific rules we are asked about include:

There is no “bust” rule. The first team to score 21 or more wins.
Partners line up on the same side of the boards, not crisscross. If both teams wish to line up on the same side of the board, they should use a coin flip or bag spin to determine which team gets that side. They should then alternate sides between games.

PTC is a social cornhole experience and community and therefore is not as “strict” as sanctioned ACL events. If there are specific concerns or questions about how to handle any given situation, please contact us.

Subs for Regular Season

Teams will often consistently play with the same 2 players on their roster throughout the season, while adding players to their rosters to sub when one of the regular players is unavailable. Teams with more than two players can rotate players between games if they wish. The two players who start a game should complete it (no mid-game swapping) unless an injury or emergency requires it.

If a team only has 1 member available for a game, any other PTC member may be chosen as a substitute player (referred to as a “sub”) provided that player is in the same division or lower. For example, an Advanced division team may use an Intermediate division player as a sub. But an Intermediate division team cannot use an Advanced or Intermediate Plus division player as a sub (unless the player also plays in the Intermediate division or lower).

Subs must have the appropriate skill level for the division and should be comparable in skill to the person they are replacing.

If a team cannot find a sub, the available team member may choose to be a “walker” (a player who walks to each board to throw throughout the game), though we strongly discourage using a “walker” if subs are available.

Teams may not use 2 subs for any league games. Teams must have at least one member from their roster as a participant.

Subs for League Championship

The rules for subs in the league championship tournament are similar to those during the regular season, with the following additions.

For the league championship tournament, teams may only use players who have played in at least one regular season match for that team. The spirit of this rule is to encourage teams to play members regularly and discourage teams from simply adding a “ringer” to their team solely for the league championship tournament.

A player may sub for multiple teams in the league championship tournament. However, they may only play for one team while that team is alive in the tournament.

If multiple teams in the same division will be missing players, the remaining players may join to play under either team name.

Rescheduling Matches

If a team cannot make their scheduled match, that team must contact PTC and the other team as soon as possible. PTC will work with the teams to do everything possible to reschedule the match for a different date or time. Most teams will be very accommodating and a lane should be available to play these “make up” games. We can also schedule games prior to the first start time (6:30 pm) if that works for both teams.

If a team cannot make the scheduled match and cannot agree to a “make up” match with the opponent, they will forfeit the match (see “Forfeits”).

If a team fails to show for a scheduled match and does not contact PTC or the opponent prior to match time, they will forfeit the match. Failing to show for a match without alerting anyone is unfair to the opposing team and the league. Repeated occurrences may cause the offending team to be removed from the league with no refund.

Forfeits

If a team cannot make their scheduled match and are unable to work out an acceptable “makeup” match with the scheduled opponent, they will forfeit all 3 games for the week. The forfeiting team will be given 3 losses and the opponent will be given 3 wins.

Teams that are late for their scheduled match will forfeit a game for each 10 minutes that they are late. In other words, if a team is 10-19 minutes late for their scheduled match, they will forfeit the first game of the match, but may play games 2 and 3. If a team is 20-29 minutes late, they will forfeit the first 2 games of the match, but may play game 3. If a team is 30+ minutes late, they will forfeit all 3 games of the match.

Submitting Match Results

Unlike prior seasons, teams will report match results themselves which should update the league standings immediately. Teams should use either the TeamLinkt website or the TeamLinkt mobile app to report their match results after the match is complete. Only 1 person needs to report the results, but all participants may want to verify the reported results.

IMPORTANT! You will only be able to submit match results after your match. The “Set Score” option will not even appear until after the end time of the scheduled match.

If you are unable to report your scores for any reason, please use one of the Contact Us options to send us the match results. Be sure to include the date and time of the match, league division, team names, and wins for each team.

Using the TeamLinkt Website

On the “Dashboard”, find the game in the “Previous Results” panel. Click “View” to see the game details:

Click the “Set Score” text:

Enter the number of games you won in the “Our Score” field and the number of games your opponent won in the “Their Score” field:

Click “Submit to League” to submit the scores and update the standings:

Using the TeamLinkt Mobile App

If using the TeamLinkt mobile app, scroll to the “Previous Game” section to find your game. Tap on the game itself:

Tap on the “SET SCORE” text below the date and time of the match:

Enter the number of games you won below your team name and the number of games your opponent won below their team name:

Click the “Save” button in the upper right corner:

Click the “Yes” button in the confirmation popup to submit the scores and update the standings:

If there are any mistakes that can't be corrected or any discrepancies, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can work to resolve the issue.

Contact Us

If there are specific concerns or questions about any of these rules or how to handle a specific situation, please see or contact Jeff (jeff@ptcornhole.com) or Tony (tony@ptcornhole.com) or use the Contact Us form on the website.