Strat (short for strategy) is a scored, quarters-like drinking game. It is believed to have been invented at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity of the College of William and Mary, where it remains popular. The game is traditionally played as follows:

Four players divide themselves into two teams of two members each, with teammates standing across from each other around the hard-surfaced gaming table. Nine cups (typically 16 oz plastic cups) are arranged in a three by three square in the center of the table. Three beers are divided evenly among the outer eight cups while a single, full beer is poured in the center cup. Players choose who will keep score and who will shoot first, though the order of play is always in a clockwise direction. Players shoot by bouncing a US quarter on the gaming table in an attempt to cause the quarter to land in one of the cups (only the one, inital bounce is allowed). Scoring is as follows:

• Missing entirely is worth -1
• Hitting an empty outer cup is worth 0
• Hitting a filled outer cup is worth 5 points
• Hitting the filled center cup is worth 10 points

Though the center cup must always remain in the center, outer cups may be rearranged at will. The center cup (”10 cup”) is refilled every time it is hit; the outer cups (”5 cups”) are never refilled. The game is over when all of the outer cups are empty and a player hits the center cup one final time. The team with the highest score wins.

Though usually played with four players, the game can be played with three or two. In the case of three-person Strat, each player’s score is kept individually, outer cups are drunk by the player preceding (to the right of) the scorer, and the center cup is usually split evenly between the two non-scoring players. In two-person Strat, each player’s score is kept individually, outer cups are drunk by the non-scoring player, and the center cup is typically divided evenly between the scoring and non-scoring player, though this is optional.