Dice Games

Q: Is there a dice games PDF?

You can make one. Pick the games you want, press Print, and choose Save as PDF in the print box. Each game prints with its steps, dice, players and time.

Games played with dice and little else: press Pick 3 new games, or choose how many dice you have.

Dice Games

Pig With Two Dice1. Roll both dice and add their sum to a turn total, as often as you like. 2. A single 1 ends the turn and the turn total is lost. 3. Two 1s end the turn and wipe out your whole score. 4. Hold before any roll to bank the turn total. First to 100 wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Mia1. Everyone starts with six lives. Roll two dice under a cup, look, and announce a value, true or not. 2. Read the higher die first, so a 5 and a 3 is 53. Doubles beat every mixed roll, and 2 and 1, called Mia, beats everything. 3. The next player either believes you and must roll and announce something higher, or calls the bluff and lifts the cup. 4. Whoever is wrong loses a life. The last player with a life wins. Dice: two. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Ship, Captain, Mate and Crew, Three Throws1. You have three rolls of five dice to find a 6 (the ship), a 5 (the captain) and a 4 (the mate), in that order. 2. Set each one aside as it comes. A 4 rolled before the 5 does not count yet. 3. With all three set aside, the other two dice are the crew and their total is your score. Rolls you have left may be used to roll the crew again. 4. The highest crew wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.

Next step Print the Pig rule sheets Plan the rest of game night

How it works

Every game here is a traditional one, written as numbered steps that end with its dice, players and time. The list is sorted by the dice on the table, from one die to six, and nothing is played for money.

Read the full guide

Dice games rules, by the dice you have

The All games menu sorts the list: One die, Games with two dice, Three dice, Five dice and Six dice, or as many as you like. Dice party games suit a big table, 2 player dice games play well head to head, and More filters narrows by players and time.

Games with a rule sheet of their own

Pig, Ten Thousand, Liar's Dice, Aces and Threes have only their basic steps here. Each has a page of rule sheets of its own, with variations and table rulings. Links to those pages show under the list, two at a time, when their games are picked.

Tips

Counters can be buttons, dried beans or paper clips. They only keep score.
For a bluffing game, roll under a cup on a plate and tilt the cup toward yourself to look.

Questions and answers

What are the most popular dice games?

Nobody keeps a count, so this list ranks nothing. Among the best known are Pig, Yacht, Bunco, Liar's Dice, Ten Thousand and Shut the Box, and each has its steps here.

What are some games to play with dice only?

Fifty, Going to Boston, Drop Dead, Threes and Midnight need nothing but dice and a way to remember scores. Games under Paper and a pencil need a sheet or a board drawn first.

What are fun dice games for adults?

Bluffing and scoring games hold a grown-up table: Liar's Dice, Mia, Yacht, Crag and Ten Thousand. Every game here is played for points, lives or counters, never for money.

Is there a dice games PDF?

You can make one. Pick the games you want, press Print, and choose Save as PDF in the print box. Each game prints with its steps, dice, players and time.

Which dice games need only one die?

Pig, Beetle, Twenty-One and Game of Six. Pig and Twenty-One need only a running total, and the other two need paper and a pencil as well.

All 53 games

One die 4

Beetle, a Part for Every Roll 1. Each player has paper and a pencil, and the die goes around one roll at a time. 2. A 6 draws the body, which must come first. 3. Then a 5 adds the head, a 4 a wing and a 3 a leg. 4. Once the head is on, a 2 adds an antenna and a 1 an eye. 5. The first beetle with a body, a head, two wings, six legs, two antennae and two eyes wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Game of Six 1. Draw a sheet with six rows, numbered 1 to 6, and a column for each player. 2. On your turn roll the die once and choose a row you have not used. 3. Write in the roll multiplied by the row number, so a 4 in row 5 scores 20. 4. After six rounds every row is full, and the highest total wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 5. Time: 10 min.
Pig With One Die 1. On your turn, roll the die as often as you like and add each roll to a turn total. 2. Roll a 1 and the turn ends with nothing for that turn. 3. Say hold before any roll to bank the turn total. 4. The first player to bank 100 or more wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.

Show all 53 games (50 more)

One die, continued

Twenty-One With a Single Die 1. Roll the die as many times as you like, adding as you go. 2. Stop when you choose: a total over 21 is bust and out of the round. 3. When everyone has had a turn, the total nearest 21 wins, and equal totals roll off. Some tables aim for 36. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.

Games with two dice 15

Aces in the Pot 1. Each player starts with two counters and rolls both dice once a turn. 2. For each 1 rolled, put a counter in the middle. For each 6, pass a counter to the player on your left. 3. With no counters you miss turns until one is passed to you. 4. The holder of the last counter gets three rolls: with no 6 they win, and a 6 passes the counter and the dice to the left. Dice: two. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Big Pig 1. Play as Pig with two dice: roll, add and hold when you like, and a single 1 ends the turn with nothing. 2. Two 1s add 25 to the turn total. 3. Any other double adds twice its value, so two 6s add 24. 4. The first player to bank 100 wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Catch Up 1. Sit in a circle around a pile of tokens. Two players on opposite sides hold one die each. 2. Everyone claps a steady beat, and on the call of Roll now both holders roll. 3. A 6 sends that die on: one die travels left and the other right. 4. A player who ends up holding both dice takes a token. Three tokens win. Dice: two. Players: 4 to 10. Time: 10 min.
Chicago, Eleven Rounds 1. The game has eleven rounds, one for each total of two dice from 2 to 12. 2. In round one everyone rolls once and anyone who throws a total of 2 scores 2 points. 3. Round two is for a total of 3, worth 3, and so on up to 12. 4. The highest score after the round for 12 wins. It is also called Rotation. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Fifty 1. Take turns to roll both dice once. Only doubles score. 2. Two 6s score 25 points. 3. Two 1s, 2s, 4s or 5s score 5 points. 4. Two 3s wipe out your score and you start again from zero. 5. The first player to reach 50 wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min.
Knock Out 1. Each player picks a knock-out number: 6, 7, 8 or 9. 2. Take turns to roll both dice once and add the total to your score. 3. When your own number comes up you are out, and you keep the score you have. 4. The highest score wins once everyone is out. This is one common way to play. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Mexico, Lowest Roll Loses a Token 1. Give each player the same number of tokens. 2. The leader rolls up to three times, and nobody else that round may roll more often than the leader did. Only your last roll counts. 3. Read the higher die first, so a 6 and a 4 is 64. Doubles beat mixed rolls, and 2 and 1, called Mexico, is highest of all. 4. The lowest roller gives up a token and leads the next round. The last player with tokens wins. Dice: two. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 20 min.
Mia 1. Everyone starts with six lives. Roll two dice under a cup, look, and announce a value, true or not. 2. Read the higher die first, so a 5 and a 3 is 53. Doubles beat every mixed roll, and 2 and 1, called Mia, beats everything. 3. The next player either believes you and must roll and announce something higher, or calls the bluff and lifts the cup. 4. Whoever is wrong loses a life. The last player with a life wins. Dice: two. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Passage, Roll the Point 1. Everyone rolls one die. The lowest roller rolls a die again, and that number is the point for the whole game. 2. Take turns to roll both dice once. 3. Score 1 for each die that shows the point. 4. The first player to reach 11 wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Pig With Two Dice 1. Roll both dice and add their sum to a turn total, as often as you like. 2. A single 1 ends the turn and the turn total is lost. 3. Two 1s end the turn and wipe out your whole score. 4. Hold before any roll to bank the turn total. First to 100 wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Round the Clock 1. Each player must roll the numbers 1 to 12 in order, one roll a turn. 2. For 1 to 6, either die may show the number, or the two may add up to it. 3. For 7 to 12, only the total of both dice counts. 4. A roll that hits your number moves you on by one. First to roll a 12 in its turn wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Sevens Out 1. Roll both dice again and again, adding every total to your turn score. 2. A double counts twice, so two 4s score 16. 3. The turn ends when you roll a total of 7, and the score made before it is written down. 4. Play to a total agreed at the start, such as 500. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Shut the Box, Nine Numbers 1. Write the numbers 1 to 9 in a row. 2. Roll both dice and cross off any open numbers that add up to the total: an 8 could be 8, 7 and 1, 6 and 2, 5 and 3, 5, 2 and 1, or 4, 3 and 1. 3. Keep rolling until no set of open numbers fits the roll. Once 7, 8 and 9 are gone you may roll one die. 4. Your score is the sum of the numbers left. Lowest wins, and crossing off all nine wins at once. Dice: two. Players: 1 to 4. Time: 10 min.
Spider, Cross Off the Totals 1. Each player writes the totals 2 to 12 with the 7 left out. 2. Roll both dice. If your total is still open, cross it off and roll again. 3. If you have already crossed it off, the first player on your left who still needs it crosses it off, and your turn ends. 4. A 7 lets you cross off any total, then the dice move on. First to cross off all ten wins. Dice: two. Players: 3 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Ten Pins With Dice 1. Play ten frames. In each you may roll up to three times, leaving one or both dice as they lie after any roll. 2. A 6 is off the alley and counts nothing. 3. Two 5s on the first roll are a strike: 10 plus the total of your last roll. Two 5s made later are a spare: 10 plus your first roll of the next frame. 4. Otherwise score the spots showing after your last roll. The highest total after ten frames wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.

Three dice 12

Around the Spot 1. Only faces with a center spot score: a 1 is worth 1 point, a 3 is worth 2 and a 5 is worth 4. 2. On your turn roll all three dice three times and add what they score. 3. Three 2s, three 4s or three 6s double the turn's score and that roll is not counted as one of the three. 4. The highest total after four rounds wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Buck Dice 1. Roll one die to set the point number for the game. 2. On your turn roll three dice and score 1 for each die that shows the point. Keep rolling while a roll scores. 3. Three of a kind that is not the point scores 5. Three point numbers together put you out as a winner at once. 4. Reach exactly 15 and you are out too: a roll that would pass 15 is rolled again. The last player still in loses. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Bunco 1. Play six rounds, numbered 1 to 6, at tables of four. 2. Roll three dice. Each die that matches the round number scores 1, three of a kind in another number scores 5, and three of the round number is a bunco, worth 21. 3. Keep rolling while you score. A roll with no points passes the dice. 4. A round ends when someone has 21. Most rounds won wins the game. Dice: three. Players: 4, 8 or 12. Time: 30 min.
Centennial 1. Draw a row of squares numbered 1 to 12 and give each player a marker. 2. Roll three dice. Move onto square 1 if the roll holds a 1, then on to 2, 3 and upward as far as the roll allows. 3. Any single die, the sum of any two or the sum of all three may make the number you need. 4. Go up to 12 and back down to 1 in order. The first player home wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.
Crag 1. Each player fills thirteen boxes, one a turn. Roll three dice, then roll any of them once more. 2. Six boxes take the total of the 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s or 6s. 3. The four straights (1, 2, 3; 4, 5, 6; 1, 3, 5; 2, 4, 6) score 20 each, and three of a kind scores 25. 4. Any total of 13 scores 26, and a pair in a total of 13 is a crag, worth 50. The highest total wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.
Dice Golf, Eighteen Holes 1. Roll three dice. A roll with no double counts as one stroke, and you roll again. 2. The roll that shows a double sinks the ball, and it counts as a stroke too. 3. Write down the strokes for the hole and pass the dice. 4. After 18 holes the lowest total of strokes wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.
Everest 1. Each player writes two rows of numbers, 1 to 12 and 12 to 1. 2. Roll three dice and cross off numbers in either row, in any order. 3. Use the dice singly or added together, but each die only once a roll: 2, 3 and 5 could cross off 2, 3 and 5, or 5 and 5, or one 10. 4. The first player to cross off all 24 numbers wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.
Four Twenty-One 1. The leader may roll three dice once or twice, and everyone else gets the same number of rolls. 2. The best hand is 4, 2, 1. Next come three of a kind, 6s highest, then a pair, then three unmatched dice. 3. The best hand of the round scores a point, or two for a 4, 2, 1 made on a first roll. 4. The highest score after ten rounds wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Going to Boston 1. Roll three dice and set aside the highest. 2. Roll the other two and again set aside the higher. 3. Roll the last die. The three dice added together are your score. 4. The highest score takes the round, and the player who takes most of an agreed number of rounds wins. Dice: three. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Help Your Neighbor 1. Each player takes ten counters and a number from 1 to 6: one number each with six players, two each with three, three each with two. With five players nobody has the 6, and with four nobody has the 5 or the 6. 2. Take turns to roll three dice. 3. Every die showing a player's number makes that player put one counter in the middle, whoever rolled. 4. The first player with no counters left wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Multiplication 1. Play as Going to Boston: roll three dice and keep the highest, roll two and keep the higher, then roll the last. 2. Add the first two dice you kept and multiply by the third. 3. A 6 and a 5 kept, then a last roll of 4, scores 44. 4. The highest score takes the round. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Zanzibar 1. Each player starts with 20 counters, or 15 when two play. The leader rolls up to three times, and the others may not roll more often. 2. Best is 4, 5, 6, then three of a kind, then 1, 2, 3. 3. Any other roll is added up with a 1 counting 100, a 6 counting 60 and the rest their face. 4. The lowest roller takes counters from every other player: one for a points win, two for 1, 2, 3, three for three of a kind and four for 4, 5, 6. The first player with no counters wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 20 min.

Five dice 17

Aces 1. Each player starts with five dice and rolls all the dice they hold. 2. Every 1 goes to the middle and is out of the game. Every 2 is passed to the player on the left and every 5 to the player on the right. 3. Keep rolling until a roll has no 1, 2 or 5, or you have no dice left. 4. The player who rolls the last die in play as a 1 wins. Some tables make that player the loser. Dice: five each. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min.
Doubting Dice 1. Roll five dice under a cup and name a poker hand, true or not. 2. The next player either challenges or takes the dice unseen, looks, rerolls any of them after saying how many, and names a higher hand. 3. On a challenge the cup is lifted. If the hand named is not there the caller loses a counter, and otherwise the challenger does. 4. The last player with a counter wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Drop Dead 1. Roll five dice. If none shows a 2 or a 5, add the total to your score and roll all of them again. 2. If any die shows a 2 or a 5, the roll scores nothing and those dice are set aside. 3. Go on with the dice that are left until every die is out. 4. When everyone has had a turn, the highest score wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Dudo 1. Play as Liar's Dice with five dice each, and 1s are wild: they count as the face that was bid. 2. A bid on 1s needs only half the count, rounded up, and going back from 1s to another face needs double plus one. 3. Call dudo to challenge. Whoever is wrong loses a die and opens the next round. 4. The last player with dice wins. Dice: five each. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 25 min.
Generala 1. Roll five dice up to three times a turn, keeping what you like, then fill one box. 2. The boxes are 1s to 6s, straight (20), full house (30), four of a kind (40) and generala, five of a kind (50 or 60 by house rule). 3. A turn that fits nowhere crosses a box out. 4. A generala thrown on the first roll of a turn wins the game at once. Otherwise the highest total wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 30 min.
High Dice 1. Roll five dice and set aside at least one. 2. Roll the rest and set aside at least one again, until all five are set aside. 3. Dice set aside may not be rolled again. 4. Add up the five dice: the highest total after everyone has had a turn wins the round. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Hooligan 1. Play seven rounds with seven boxes: 1s to 6s and hooligan, a straight of five. 2. You have three rolls. After the first, name a box and set aside the dice that fit it, or roll all five again. 3. A number box scores its number for each matching die, and a hooligan scores 20. 4. The highest total after seven rounds wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 7. Time: 20 min.
Liar's Dice 1. Everyone rolls five dice under a cup and looks only at their own. 2. In turn, bid how many dice of one face lie under all the cups together, such as five 3s. Each bid must raise the count or the face. 3. Or call liar: all cups are lifted. If the bid is not there the bidder loses a die, and otherwise the challenger does. 4. The last player with a die wins. Dice: five each. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min.
One-O-Five 1. Each player has five dice and starts by aiming for 1s. 2. On your turn roll the dice you have not set aside, and set aside any that show your number. 3. When all five match, pick them all up and aim for the next number. 4. The first player to finish all six numbers, 1s to 6s, wins. Dice: five each. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 20 min.
Petals Around the Rose 1. One player knows the secret and rolls five dice, then says the answer for that roll. 2. The others try to work out the rule, and call the answer once they think they have it. Nobody explains. 3. The secret, for the roller only: count the spots around a center spot. A 3 has two petals and a 5 has four. Every other face counts zero. Dice: five. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 15 min.
Plus and Minus 1. Roll five dice, set two aside and write down their sum. 2. Roll the other three, set one aside and subtract it. 3. Roll the last two, set one aside and add it. 4. Roll the last die and subtract it: that is your score for the round. The highest total after five rounds wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Poker Dice 1. Use five poker dice, or five ordinary dice with 1 as the ace and 6 as the king. 2. Roll up to three times, setting aside the dice you keep. 3. Hands rank five of a kind, four of a kind, full house, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair. 4. The best hand after everyone has rolled wins the round. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 5. Time: 10 min.
Ship, Captain, Mate and Crew, Three Throws 1. You have three rolls of five dice to find a 6 (the ship), a 5 (the captain) and a 4 (the mate), in that order. 2. Set each one aside as it comes. A 4 rolled before the 5 does not count yet. 3. With all three set aside, the other two dice are the crew and their total is your score. Rolls you have left may be used to roll the crew again. 4. The highest crew wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Three or More 1. Roll five dice. Three of a kind scores 3 points, four of a kind 6 and five of a kind 12. 2. With only a pair, you may roll the other three dice once more to try to match it. 3. No matching dice scores nothing. 4. Play an agreed number of rounds, such as five. The highest total wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min.
Threes 1. Roll five dice and set at least one aside. Dice set aside stay as they are. 2. Roll the rest, and again keep at least one, until all five are set aside. 3. A 3 counts zero and every other die counts its face. 4. The lowest total wins: five 3s is a perfect zero. Some tables let five 6s win outright. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Tops and Bottoms 1. Build the best poker hand from five dice, with 1s wild. 2. After each roll set at least one die aside for good. 3. The catch: each time you set dice aside, one of the dice set aside must be turned upside down. 4. When all five are set aside the hand is final. The best hand wins the round. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min.
Yacht, Twelve Boxes 1. Each player fills twelve boxes, one a turn: 1s to 6s, full house, four of a kind, little straight, big straight, choice and yacht. 2. On your turn roll five dice up to three times, keeping any you like between rolls. 3. Number boxes score the sum of that number. A straight scores 30, and a yacht, five of a kind, scores 50. 4. The highest total after twelve rounds wins. Dice: five. Players: 1 to 6. Time: 30 min.

Six dice, or as many as you like 5

Hog 1. On your turn choose how many dice to roll, then roll them all once. 2. If any die shows a 1, the turn scores nothing. 3. If none does, score the sum of the dice. 4. Play to a target agreed at the start, such as 100. Dice: as many as you choose. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Midnight, Keep a 1 and a 4 1. Roll six dice and keep at least one. Dice you keep stay as they are. 2. Roll the rest, again keeping at least one, until all six are kept. 3. You must have kept a 1 and a 4, or you score nothing. 4. The other four dice are your score, 24 at best. The highest score wins. It is also called 1-4-24. Dice: six. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Sequences 1. Roll six dice once a turn. Only a run that starts at 1 scores. 2. A 1 scores 5, then 1, 2 scores 10, up to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for 25. 3. All six in a row score 35, though some tables say 30. 4. Three 1s in one roll wipe out your whole score. The first player to 100 wins. Dice: six. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min.
Sevens, Take Out the 7s 1. Roll six dice and take out any dice that add up to 7, such as a 5 and a 2. 2. Your score is the total of the dice left. 3. The first player may roll the dice that are left a second and a third time, taking out sevens each time, or stop early. 4. Everyone else gets as many rolls as the first player took. The highest score wins. Dice: six. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min.
Ten Thousand 1. Roll six dice and set aside at least one scoring die: a 1 is worth 100, a 5 is worth 50, and three of a kind is worth 100 times the face, or 1,000 for three 1s. 2. Bank the turn, or roll the dice that are left for more. 3. A roll with no scoring die loses the whole turn. 4. Set all six aside and you may roll all six again. When someone passes 10,000 the others get one last turn, and the highest score wins. Dice: six. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 30 min.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for a table with a handful of dice: traditional games only, each in our own words, with no boxed game. Nothing is played for money: counters and lives only keep score. Player counts and times are our estimates. Rules were checked on 2026-10-03 against English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, in these articles: Pig (dice game) for Pig, Big Pig and Hog; Beetle (game); Shut the box; Mia (game); Mexico (game); Bunco; Crag (dice game); Yacht (dice game); Generala; Poker dice; Liar's dice; Dudo; Drop dead (dice game); Ship, captain, and crew; Midnight (game); Petals around the rose; and, for Ten Thousand, the article on the dice game played to 10,000 (https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=1559036). The other games were checked the same day against the rule pages of https://www.dice-play.com/GamesAZ.htm, a reference site for traditional dice games; where it gives a game with stakes, the version here keeps the dice and leaves the stakes out. Knock Out has no outside source and is one common way to play. Licence: own work