Ruskie is the commonly used nickname for the game known as RUSSIAN, or RUSSIAN BERUIT. This game, lovingly referred to as the Game of the Gods, involves ten 16 ounce cups set up Beruit style on each side of a standard Beruit table. The cups are then completely filled with beer; this results in upwards of about 15.5 beers per side.
The game is the similar to standard Beruit only in the shooting aspect. Once a cup has been hit, a player on that side has one minute to consume the cup of beer. If he fails to do so or vomits while doing so, he will lose his next turn. He will have a minute before his next takeable turn to finish the remainder of his beer; if he fails to do so or vomits the
vicious cycle continues.
Once a cup has been made, the second shooter can take his shot. If he is successful, his team has the ball returned for an additional round of shooting. This, often referred to as a BRINGBACK, is believed to be
the greatest momentum changer in all of sport.
A team wins in a manner similar to normal Beruit, with one key difference; if a player vomits or fails to finish his beer before a rebuttal shot, he only has the
opportunity to shoot one rebuttal shot, regardless of whether or not he makes it or how many cups are
on the table.
Vomiting is considered a sign of weakness in this game. If a player vomits too much and removes himself from the game, commonly known as "walking off the Ruskie table", he receives an indefinite suspension from
competition.
Losing is something that teams need to accept in this game; if a team plays a great number of games it most likely will lose a decent amount of them. The game is a war of attrition and rarely does one side dominate over the long run. This is why teams with less than 15 games' experience are not considered legitimate in terms of their overall record. A team that has played 20 games is legitmate, and a team that has played 30 games should expect to lose at least somewhere around 15, with a few draws.
As it has picked up steam, Ruskie has been described as
the Greatest Spectator Sport Known to Man, filled with
entertainment, suspense, and intense
competition. A Ruskie Tournament of Champions is tentatively scheduled for Fall of 2007.
A great example of true Ruskie, on
the highest stage, took place at an outdoor
fraternity party in September of 2006. The 4 greatest ambassadors of the game played twice, splitting the two games in front of record crowds. Experts feel that a torch was passed that night, from one
generation to the next.