Washer toss: choose box-and-cup or three-hole targets and matching rules

Washer toss sets come in two common target styles. One is a box with a center cup. The other is a board with three holes. The rules for each are not interchangeable. Spacing, where you stand, turn order, scoring and how a game ends all change from one maker to the next. This guide shows you how to pick a target style that suits your beach or backyard outing, and how to bring along one complete rule set so nobody argues about scores halfway through a game.

What your plan should accomplish

Your plan has three parts. First, choose a target format. Second, adopt the rules written for that specific set. Third, put those rules on a short card that every player can read before the first throw. The guide covers casual leisure play at a beach house, campsite or park. It does not cover formal tournament operations, which follow their own governing rules.

The most common mistake is mixing rules from different sources. For example, a group might use one maker's spacing with another maker's bounce rule and a third source's finishing condition. Each published rule set is built to work as a whole, so pick one and use all of it.

The constraints that change your choice

• Space: the Franklin 53110 cup-box set calls for targets up to eight feet apart. WashersGame's three-hole boards are linked by a 10-foot rope that sets the spacing. The Washer Toss Federation specification uses 20 feet between front edges. Only that last distance needs a long, open strip of ground.
• Ground: Franklin's instructions call for a level area. On sloped or soft, uneven sand, look for a flatter spot before you set up.
• Players: both the Franklin and WashersGame sets include six washers, three per side, so either works for singles or doubles. Where players stand differs, as described below.
• Time: Franklin's game ends at 21 points or after nine innings, whichever comes first, so the length of a game is capped. WashersGame requires an exact 21, and going over drops your score back down. That can make a game run longer.
• Mixed ages or skill levels: WashersGame's rules include a mercy rule that applies when one side leads 13 or more to zero. Franklin's shorter spacing may suit younger throwers.
• Packing: a rope-linked three-hole set measures its own spacing. A cup-box set needs you to measure the distance or pace it out.

Box-and-cup versus three-hole: how they compare

The table below sets the two documented rule sets side by side. It covers Franklin's rules for its 53110 cup-box set and WashersGame's rules for its three-hole boards. Each row reflects that maker's own instructions.

Detail	Franklin 53110 box-and-cup	WashersGame three-hole
Targets and washers	Two targets, six washers	Two boards, six washers (three per side)
Spacing	Up to eight feet apart, on level ground	Set by the 10-foot connecting rope
Throwing position	From behind the target	Front edge of the board is the foul line
Singles	Players change ends	Both players throw from the same end
Doubles	Partners stay at opposite ends	Partners occupy opposite ends
Throw sequence	Throw all three washers before the opponent throws	Throw all three washers before the opponent throws
Who starts	Coin flip; after that, the last scorer starts; same starter if nobody scored	A test throw decides who picks the order; after that, the last scorer starts
Scoring zones	Center cup 3, box 1	Near hole 1, middle hole 3, far hole 5 (washer must go fully in)
Cancellation	Only the difference between the two totals is awarded	Opposing washers in the same hole cancel
Misses and bounces	Washers that hit the ground first and bounce in, and washers landing outside, score zero	A washer knocked into a hole counts for the player who threw it
Finish	21 points or nine innings, whichever comes first; win by two, with play extended to break ties	Complete the round; exactly 21 wins; going over 21 subtracts the throw that caused it from your previous total

Pick box-and-cup when space is tight, you want a game with a predictable length, and your group prefers simple 3-and-1 scoring. Pick three-hole when you want the rope to handle setup, three scoring values, and a precise finish where players must aim for exactly 21.

You may find other rule sets online, and they are not compatible with either set above. The Camping Family describes a casual box-and-pipe game in which players alternate single throws rather than throwing all three at once, with 3 and 1 scoring to 21. An OnFocus tutorial uses 20 feet of spacing, counts washers that bounce in, and treats a washer resting on the edge as an automatic win. Franklin's rules do neither of those things. If your group prefers one of these versions, adopt it as a complete rule set rather than borrowing a single rule from it.

Two scoring examples

Box-and-cup cancellation, using Franklin's rules: in one inning, one side's washers add up to 8 and the other side's add up to 5. Only the difference counts, so the higher side scores 8 − 5 = 3 and the other side scores nothing that inning.

Three-hole bust, using WashersGame's rules: a side has 18 points and lands a 5, which would take them past 21. The rules subtract that 5 from the previous total instead, so the side drops to 18 − 5 = 13.

Planning sequence

• 1. Identify the set you are bringing. Note the maker and model, the target style and the number of washers. Some sets come with a different number of washers, so follow your own set's manual.
• 2. Get that maker's rules. Franklin publishes a PDF rule sheet for the 53110 set, and WashersGame publishes its three-hole rules. If you are borrowing a set and have no rules for it, choose one documented rule set before the trip and agree on it with your group.
• 3. Fill in a rule card with these rows: target/model, rules source, spacing, foul line or throwing position, throw sequence, who starts, scoring zones, cancellation, bounce rule, and finish. Copy every row from one source.
• 4. Match the card to your site. Check that the spacing fits the ground you expect to use and that the surface can be leveled.
• 5. Pack the set and its spacing aid. For a three-hole set, bring the rope. For a cup-box set, bring a tape measure or plan to pace out the distance. Count the washers before you leave.
• 6. Before the first game, read the card aloud. Pay special attention to how each side starts, whether bounces count, and how the game ends.

If you are building your own boxes, the Washer Toss Federation lists boxes 17.5 inches square and 5.5 inches high with a 1.25-inch lip, washers 2.25 inches in diameter, and 20 feet between front edges. Those dimensions are a reference for building only. They are not the specifications of the Franklin or WashersGame products, so if you play a homemade set with one maker's rules, write your actual spacing on the card.

Details to confirm before you rely on the plan

• Location rules: whether a particular beach, park or campground allows lawn games, or limits where they can be played, has not been confirmed here. Check the posted rules or ask the site manager.
• Available space: confirm that the strip is long enough for your chosen spacing, with room behind the throwers and away from other people.
• Your set's own manual: if your set is not one of the two models covered here, its spacing, scoring and finish may differ. Use its instructions rather than the table above.
• Rules for unclear cases: for the three-hole set, the rules summarized here do not say how a washer that bounces in is treated, or exactly what happens when the mercy rule applies. Read those parts of the WashersGame rules before you play.

Adjusting when conditions change

• Shorter strip than expected: a cup-box set with spacing of up to eight feet fits more places than a 10-foot rope. If you have the three-hole set and can't fit the full rope length, look for a different spot rather than shortening the distance on the card.
• Uneven ground or sand: on bumpy ground, more washers will hit the ground first, and Franklin counts those bounces as zero. Move to flatter ground rather than deciding mid-game that bounces now count. If your group truly wants bounces to count, switch to a rule set that allows them, such as the OnFocus version, and adopt all of it.
• Less time: Franklin's nine-inning cap keeps games short. Under three-hole rules, the exact-21 finish can stretch a close game, so agree on a time limit before you start rather than changing the scoring partway through.
• More players arrive: move to doubles and set partners at opposite ends, as both rule sets require.
• Missing rope: measure out 10 feet to keep the WashersGame spacing.
• Missing washers: both documented sets assume three washers per side. Replace the lost washers before play, or choose a game that suits the pieces you have.