Even though Cornhole players can be found virtually everywhere, the game is more popular in the west and the north than it is in the south. The game (also referred to as bean bags is gaining in popularity, and more people are taking an interest in how it is played. Tournaments are even organized in many areas so that players can get together and enjoy the game and spend time with one another. They can win cash and prizes, and they can also simply have a great time with their friends and with fellow Cornhole players. How the Cornhole game came about, though, is something that not everyone knows about. Some think it started in Europe, and others think that it started in the United States. For people who think it started in America, the disagreement is about which city and state it actually started in. Some believe that it was Chicago, Illinois, and others believe that it was Cleveland, Ohio. Both sides have good-natured arguments and quite a rivalry going about where the game actually originated.

The people in Cleveland, Ohio often call it the Cornhole game, and the people in Chicago, Illinois generally call it the bean bag game. Either way, it is argued that it is the same game. Overall, it is, but there is a difference that not everyone is aware of. The official board for the bean bag toss or the bean bag game is two feet by three feet, and the official board for the Cornhole game is two feet by four feet. Some people, however, play what they still call the Cornhole game with the smaller board, and they do this because the board is easier to maneuver. It can be carried around in the bed of a pickup truck and also in the trunk of a medium-sized or larger car. This means that it is easy to take to parties, tailgating get-togethers, and other events, making it more enjoyable more often for a larger group of people. From such a small beginning in a northern town, it has become a sensation in many parts of the country where it was previously unheard of.

The game got its name because people used duck canvas filled with corn, and they tried to throw them through a hole in a wooden board. When the bag went through the hole, the person who threw it earned points, and this was also true of bags that landed on the board and did not fall off – although they were not worth as much. In time, the game changed somewhat. The bags were made of different types of cloth and sewn on machines, the boards were made of plastic sometimes, although they can still be made of wood as well. People also started filling the bags with plastic pellets or small, round plastic beads, because these could get wet and not become damaged. Corn or dried beans do not do well when they have gotten wet, and this can make the Cornhole bags unusable. The game, however, continues to remain basically the same and continues to have many followers.