The World Series of Beer Pong is sloppy and it's aggressive. It's what you'd get if a house party and underground rave joined forces: 500-something players and their posse tossing balls, drinking beer, and yelling at each other in a Las Vegas casino. But it's not just a party for overgrown frat bros. There's a surprising amount of heart involved — despite all the shit-talking. At the end of nearly every game, you'll see grown men kissing each other on the cheek and women hugging their opposition as if they've been friends for a lot longer than the 10 minutes they've been facing off.
Founder Billy Gaines, a former lawyer who gave up his day job to focus more on beer pong, ran the first event in 2006 out of Mesquite, NV, as a way to bring the community he'd amassed on his website BPONG.com face to face. The prize pool was $10,000 and there were 85 teams. This year's event had $55,000 up for grabs, and 250 teams were competing for it. There were returning champs, best friends, and a 90-year-old grandmother with a sick overhand throw.
To truly understand the competition, you have to meet those people. They're the most passionate bunch ever — because to them, ball is life.
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