Illustration by McClatchy Tribune

College students might think of the game of beer pong as a way to get drunk, but for the teams that compete in the All-American Beer Pong league there is more at stake.

Every Tuesday night, students from Fresno State and Fresno City College, as well as avid players of the game, gather at Jimbo̢۪s bar in Clovis for a round-robin tournament.

“On an average night there are anywhere between 10 and 15 two-player teams,â€Â Mitch Norton, co-partner of All-American Beer Pong, said. Norton, 22, is a Fresno State graduate with a degree in business marketing.

All-American Beer Pong founder and CEO Marc Jamieson, 24, started the group two years ago. Jamieson, a psychology major with a minor in entrepreneurship, is also a member of the Pi Sigma Epsilon business fraternity, where he is vice president of marketing.

“I saw it as a challenge,â€Â Jamieson said.

Now, All-American Beer Pong hosts regular tournaments in bars and homes throughout the Central Valley.

Twenty plastic cups, two pingpong balls and a regulation size 8-foot long, 2-foot wide and 27.5 inch tall table are required to play. The 20 cups are put into two pyramids, the two 10 cup pyramids sit on opposite sides of the table; the cups are filled one-quarter to one-third of the way full with water.

Unlike most home games, the games played at Jimbo̢۪s do not require the teams to actually consume alcohol.

“It’s not about getting drunk,â€Â Jamieson said. “It’s about good competition and meeting people with similar interests.â€Â

While most of the participants do engage in some drinking, not all do. Tiffany Sellars, a 22-year-old newbie to the league, enjoys playing because she does not have to drink.

“I don’t really like drinking all the beer. I just like the game,â€Â said Sellars, a Willow International Center and Fresno City College student.

As the first round of play begins at Jimbo̢۪s, teams are assigned to their tables and opponents. From then on it̢۪s free reign. After the teams complete their first round they return to the scoreboard to post their win or loss and their cup ratio, as they do after every round, they then look for teams who they have not yet played.

Some teams chose teams they know they will beat, others chose teams they know will be stiff competition. The main goal: make it to the finals.

After completing five games the teams wait to find out their standings. The top four teams make it to the semi-finals. A best out of three series decides who advances; the winner from each game is then placed into the finals.

All of those who have participated watch as the final teams duke it out. The winner takes home the prize and a week̢۪s worth of bragging rights.

“We play all around the state and we have the best competition in Fresno,â€Â Danny Kirby, 25, said.

While Kirby and partner Matt Walker have the means to travel and play, not all of Fresno̢۪s players have the same ability.

The game of beer pong, which is also known as “Beirut,â€Â “lob pongâ€Â or simply “BPâ€Â has gained popularity over the years. Along with being popular at house parties and bars, beer pong has even gained enough recognition to hold a World Series.

The World Series of Beer Pong is the largest, longest-running organized beer pong tournament in the world. Last year̢۪s event drew nearly 600 participants from 39 states and three Canadian provinces, offering the biggest payout in beer pong history of $50,000, its Web site proclaims.

Although the prize for the round-robin tournament at Jimbo̢۪s is only $50, it gives participants an opportunity to perfect their skills, offering them a chance to attend the World Series.

To compete in the World Series players may buy-in to the event, or they may choose to win their way to the event by competing in an official satellite tournament.

Earlier this year the Green Man team, made up of players Kirby and Walker, won their bid in a San Diego satellite tournament for next year̢۪s World Series.

All-American Beer Pong is excited to be hosting its own satellite tournament on March 14. The winning team from this Jimbo̢۪s tournament will be given a bid to the World Series and four nights stay in a Las Vegas hotel, a prize worth over $1000.