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How to Make a Ping Pong Ball & Peg Game

Games of chance are one of the standard fares at carnivals and casino nights. Many times, these games are built around some sort of prize wheel. If you would like a different variation on this type of game, consider building a ping pong ball peg game. In this type of game, a ping pong ball is dropped and falls through several levels of pegs into a slot at the bottom of the board. The slow fall of the ping pong ball makes this game exciting to watch with the same random result you will get from a prize wheel.

Things You'll Need

One 3/16-inch peg board, 4 feet by 8 feet
1/4-inch grooved dowel pins, 1 1/4 inches long
1/4-inch wide rubber bands
Ruler

Instructions

- 1
  Orient the peg board so the 4-foot sides are horizontal. Insert one of the pegs into the top left hand corner hole.
- 2
  Measure 2 inches along the top horizontal lines of holes in the peg board. Insert a peg in the next hole after the 2 inch mark. Since ping pong balls are 2 inches wide, this spacing will allow the ping pong ball fall cleanly in between the pegs. Note the number of empty holes in between the pegs.
- 3
  Place pegs into the holes in the top row of the peg board keeping the same spacing as you did between the first two pegs. For example, if there were three holes in between the first two pegs, there should be three holes between the second and third. Fill in the entire row.
- 4
  Measure down from the first peg two inches to determine where your second row of pegs should be. Insert a peg in that row in between the first two pegs of the top row. Fill in the second row with pegs, keeping the same spacing as the top row but making sure the pegs are offset from the top row pegs.
- 5
  Repeat the placement of the first row pegs for the third row, keeping the same space between the first and second row. For example, if there is one open row of holes between row one and two, there should be one open row between row two and three. Mirror the second row in the fourth row.
- 6
  Continue adding pegs down the board having alternate rows mirror each other.
- 7
  Loop the rubber band around the first and last peg of the first three rows. Continue in this manner, looping around the first last pegs in groups of three rows at a time until you have created "sides" for the peg board.
- 8
  Insert a peg into every hole in the bottom row of the peg board in order to create a stop on the bottom of the game.

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