The history of the game is mostly unknown, though stories abound. One story claims that the game was first played during the 14th century in Germany, then rediscovered in Virginia, and in the tundras of Alaska within the last century.

Cornhole can be played with 1 or 2 cornhole boards. In the single board version , the board is placed on a flat surface on the lawn. The 2 players stand 8 meters away from the front edge of the board, and then take turns throwing their bags at the cornhole board aiming for the hole. Bags must be thrown under hand. Each player throws 4 bags. Player A throws a bag, then player B throws a bad and so on, until all 8 bags are thrown and the round is finished. The points for the round is then tallied: A bag remaining on the board is worth 1 point and a bag that went in the hole is worth 3 points. Each player adds up their points and then compares them. Equal points cancel each other out so that only one player can score per round. For example, if player A scored 5 points and player B scored 3, player A will add 2 points to his overall score. Player A will also throw first in the next round. If both players score the same points, no points are awarded and whoever threw first in the last round will throw first again. A game is won when a player reaches 21 points with a lead of 2 or more ponts. The first player to win 2 games wins the match.

In the double board version the two boards are placed facing each other, 8 meters apart. Here two teams with 2 players each play. One player from each team stands next to a board as shown in the figure below. Team A starts by throwing their bags, followed by Team B. Scores are tallied per round as described above.