Just a few years ago, Texas Hold'Em was a relatively unknown game, until Chris Moneymaker went from a common man to the World Series of Poker champ and turned $40 into $2.5 million. Before you knew it, high stakes poker games were being televised across cable and hold em boards were carried in every large store across the nation. Well, another obscure game is starting to make its breakout. The cornhole game has exploded from its modest roots in Illinois and Ohio and continues to gain speed year after year.

The bags for cornhole are something that is more often than not purchased rather than made. A lot of times, where they might have the skills to put together a set of boxes, sewing a set of cornhole bags might not be something they want to learn how to do. You need a sewing machine and some know how to put them together. Plus, unlike a set of cornhole boards, the bags do go through quite a bit of wear and tear and if you don't know what you are doing, they can break after just a little bit of play . That's why a lot of people will tend to just buy their bags from a local retailer or look to purchase them online

Most players that have some carpentry skills, will build their own set of bean bag boards. They do this because it can be expensive to have them shipped across the country. Since the boards measure 4 feet by 2 feet, they tend to cost a bit to have them shipped. So, a lot of people will have one of their handy friends construct a set of boards for their own play. There are a lot of places to get the plans, you can either find them on the internet or you can borrow a friend's boxes and take their measurements. The plans are easy enough to where anyone with some basic skills can construct a set. This will save you the expense of having them sent to you, but you'll make up for it with your time. Others find that they don't have the tools, skill, space or desire to put a set together, so they resort to buying a set online and paying the extra expense.

The rules of the sport are pretty easy and most people vaguely remember the game, or a spinoff of the game, from their childhood. The only equipment you need is a couple of cornhole boards and a set of 8 cornhole bags. And better yet, it's a game that nearly anyone can play. It doesn't matter if they're a grandparent or grandchild, you can adjust the distance between the playing boards to accommodate for the players. That is why the game is so popular for summer BBQ's and parties, you can setup a big tournament and not worry that some players will be at a disadvantage. Most of the time, you'd be surprised at who will end up winning.

The orgin if the game is a little hazy, but we have a pretty good idea Where did this wildly popular sport come from? There are a few theories out there ranging from a farmer in Germany that invented the game in the 14th century to a group of farmers in Illinois that came up with the game when they had some leftover corn. Over the past few decades, though, the game has remained something that is played here and there with no real concentration in any areas outside of the midwest states. We have it easy now though, up until the last few years if you wanted cornhole sets then you needed to construct them on your own . Today, even stores like Wal-Mart or Target will carry a plastic version of the game, which doesn't play the same as wooden boards, but still the game is out there more than it was before. A popular choice for people that purchase the product is to go direct and purchase either from someone locally or from an internet site that will make the boards according to the proper specifications.

The draw of the game probably comes from the simplicity of the game. You can pair up any two players at a BBQ, and chances are the games will still be pretty competitive. Will the game grow as fast as Texas Hold Em'? Well that remains to be seen. Online poker has really helped everyone practice their poker game anytime of the day, in any season of the year, and against a wide variety of players. But, cornhole has its own online version of the game. Some sites are now featuring virtual cornhole games so you can brush up during the winter. Who knows, we might see cornhole emerge as the next Olympic game!