Toads: The Sussex Pub Game You Need to Know About

Step into a Sussex pub and you might spot a curious little lead-topped table with locals tossing brass coins at it. This is Toads - a game unique to the region, equal parts simple and addictive.

The Origins of Toads

Toads is Sussex through and through, especially in Lewes. It grew out of Toad in the Hole over 100 years ago, using brass “toads” tossed at a lead-topped box. Foundry towns made the pieces easy to craft, and before long it became a pub staple with leagues and competitions that still run today.

How to Play

Rules vary, but here’s the Sussex standard:

• Start – Coin toss, then 2 toads for the first player, 3 for the second, and 4 each turn after.

• Score – 2 points in the hole, 1 for flat on the lead, 0 if it bounces off.

• Win – Start on 31, work down to exactly zero. Go over and you’re bust.

Easy to pick up, hard to master — and best played with a pint.

Toads Today

Once the preserve of Lewes pubs like The Lewes Arms and The Snowdrop Inn, Toads has spread its wings. These days you’ll find it cropping up in Brighton taprooms like UnBarred Brewery or Horsham’s Brolly Brewing, where old Sussex tradition meets modern drinking culture.

👉 For the full list of Toad Houses (where to play the game) and more, visit the official Sussex Toads website.