How To Play Australia's Goon Of Fortune Drinking Game

Watch out beer pong, there's a different drinking game making its way to the U.S. and it'll leave you spinning. A favorite backyard pastime in Australia, Goon of Fortune is a raucous delight. The first, and most important, item needed to play is a box of wine. Other necessities include a Hills Hoist spinning clothesline and a group of friends. For those without a spinning clothesline, because really who still has those nowadays, try using a lazy Susan. Take the bag of wine — or goon as Aussies call it — from the box and securely clip it to the clothesline (no one wants a flying goon to the face).

Goon of Fortune gets its name from the International game show Wheel of Fortune combined with the nickname for the wine bag. As the Hills Hoist spins, participants can chant "Wheel of Fortune," or "come on down," while clapping. No need to buy a vowel if the goon lands on you, the player next to you will turn the tap as you crouch below the stream of wine and take a long sip — or skull if you want to commit to using Aussie slang. 

Similar to beer pong, there can be additional house rules to really sell the silliness of it all. Some rules might have the last few participants stand on one leg or, in more cutthroat environments, whoever the goon lands on after so many spins have their pants pulled down. The "winner" of the game is whoever is left standing!

The object of Goon of Fortune is to have a good time, so technically everyone's a winner so long as you stay safe while playing. Being eliminated from the game depends on a player's drinking tolerance. A responsible way to the ensure players don't consume too much is for each player to have an allotted amount of times the goon can land on them. That way the party doesn't end with anyone "driving the porcelain bus" as Aussies poetically call it. When searching for the best boxed wine for the job you'll want something cost effective that isn't complete swill. If you happen to have leftover goons, store them carefully so it doesn't leave a sticky mess in the fridge.

Gooned out? Try Hong Kong's Bing Bang Wa drinking game. The rules sound like something from a drama club's theatre warm-ups but with alcohol. You'll have to pay attention to the sequence of bings and bangs or else — wa — you'll have to take a shot. Or you can try Korea's trendy APT drinking game, which is guaranteed to keep the good vibes going at any party.