MUScoop Wiki

Boat races, also known as a flip cup or canoe, is one of the most popular drinking games played by Marquette students. The game is played by an even amount of people split into two teams. Each team stands on one side of the table. The premise is quite simple: the first person on each team cheers the opposing player, slams their drink, and then flips the cup over upright onto its top. Once the first person is finished, the next player on the team starts. The first team to have all its players drink and flip their cups over wins. Games are generally played up to seven and must be won by two. The amount of beer or liquor is up to the participants, but generally opposing players drink the same amount (ie - the third player on team one drinks the same amount as the third player on team two).

Games can tend to become very competitive as accusations of cheating (early starting or half-flipping) or disagreements over which team won escalate. Cash tournaments involving 8, 16, 32, or even 64 teams are also popular at Marquette. Flip cup has also been known to get participants quite inebriated in a short amount of time, without participants feeling like they have consumed vast amounts of alcohol due to the excitement of the games.