Drop Dead Dice Game

Press Print this list for the standard game: eight steps for five dice, each with a ruling.

Drop Dead Dice Game

  1. 1: Gather five dice and a sheet of paper with a column for each player.Any number can play. With more than six the wait between turns grows long.
  2. 2: On your turn, throw all five dice together.One player throws at a time. Everyone else watches for 2s and 5s.
  3. 3: No 2 and no 5 showing: add up every die and write the total down.That throw is scored, and all the dice you threw are picked up again.
  4. 4: Any 2 or 5 showing: the throw scores nothing.Not even the other dice count. Push each 2 and each 5 to one side.
  5. 5: Throw again with only the dice that are left.There is no choice here. A player never stops early in the standard game.
  6. 6: Go on throwing until your last die has been pushed aside.That is dropping dead, and the turn is over with the total you reached.
  7. 7: Hand all five dice to the next player.Each player gets one turn in a game, so the last player knows the score to beat.
  8. 8: Highest total wins.Level on the top score? Those players each take one more turn.
All 28

Next step More for the same table: game night ideas

How it works

The drop dead dice game is played with five dice and a pencil. A throw with no 2 and no 5 scores its total. A throw with either scores nothing and costs you those dice, until none are left.

Read the full guide

Drop dead dice game rules, sheet by sheet

The page opens on Standard game, the eight steps as they are usually played. The menu under Print this list has three more sheets. Scoring, worked through follows one turn from 18 points to a final 37. Running the table settles a leaning die and a missed 2. The standard rules follow the Wikipedia article on the game.

Variations that are ours

Our named variations are house rules written for this page. Stop or Throw lets a player keep a total and sit down, which the standard game never allows. Three Dice shortens the sums for young players, and Race to 100 turns one round into a full game.

  • The page does not throw dice. Five real dice and a cup are all the game needs.
  • Keep the running total under each throw, not on scrap paper, so the column can be checked.

Questions and answers

How do you play the drop dead dice game?

Throw five dice. With no 2 or 5 showing, score the total and throw all of them again. With a 2 or a 5, score nothing and set those dice aside. Keep throwing until no dice are left. The highest total wins.

Why is it called drop dead?

A player whose last die shows a 2 or a 5 is said to have dropped dead: every die is out and the turn is over. The total reached before that throw is the score.

Is there a drop dead dice game PDF?

No file is hosted here. Press Print this list and choose Save as PDF in the print box, and the sheet on screen is saved with its rulings. Pick another sheet in the menu first to save the variations or the worked turn.

Can you stop rolling in drop dead?

Not in the standard game: you throw until every die is out, so there is nothing to decide. Our variation Stop or Throw adds the choice. Stop after a scoring throw and keep the total, or throw on and risk a zero.

More tools

Browse Word Games

All 28 rows

Standard game 8

  • 1: Gather five dice and a sheet of paper with a column for each player. Any number can play. With more than six the wait between turns grows long.
  • 2: On your turn, throw all five dice together. One player throws at a time. Everyone else watches for 2s and 5s.
  • 3: No 2 and no 5 showing: add up every die and write the total down. That throw is scored, and all the dice you threw are picked up again.
  • 4: Any 2 or 5 showing: the throw scores nothing. Not even the other dice count. Push each 2 and each 5 to one side.
  • 5: Throw again with only the dice that are left. There is no choice here. A player never stops early in the standard game.
  • 6: Go on throwing until your last die has been pushed aside. That is dropping dead, and the turn is over with the total you reached.
  • 7: Hand all five dice to the next player. Each player gets one turn in a game, so the last player knows the score to beat.
  • 8: Highest total wins. Level on the top score? Those players each take one more turn.
Show all 28 rows (20 more)

Our named variations 7

  • Last Die Doubles: a single die left on the table scores twice its face. A 6 with one die left is worth 12.
  • Ones and Sixes: the 1 and the 6 are the unlucky faces, not the 2 and the 5. The best throw falls to 25, five 5s, because the 6 never scores.
  • Partners: two players share a column and throw in turn within one go. One throws, the other adds. Swap jobs after every throw.
  • Race to 100: keep taking turns until a round ends with someone on 100 or more. Finish the round, so every player has had the same number of turns.
  • Stop or Throw: after any scoring throw you may stop and keep your total. If you throw on and drop dead, that turn counts as zero. This one adds a decision.
  • Three Dice: a short game for young players, with three dice and no other change. Sums stay under 19, which suits a player who is still learning to add.
  • Three Rounds: everyone takes three turns and adds them up. One turn can end on zero. Three turns even out the luck.

Scoring, worked through 8

  • A first throw of all 2s and 5s ends the turn on zero. It is rare, and it is a score like any other.
  • Fifth throw 6: six points, which makes 37. One die goes on scoring for as long as it misses 2 and 5.
  • First throw 1, 3, 4, 4, 6: no 2 or 5, so 18 points and five dice again. Write 18 at the top of your column and keep a running total under it.
  • Five 6s is the best throw: 30 points. There is no upper limit on a turn. A lucky run of throws can pass 100.
  • Fourth throw 2, 2, 4: nothing scored, and one die is left. Both 2s leave at once.
  • Second throw 2, 3, 5, 6, 6: nothing scored, and two dice come out. The 3 and the two 6s do not count. Three dice are left.
  • Sixth throw 5: dropped dead on 37. Circle the 37. That is the score for the turn.
  • Third throw 3, 4, 6: 13 points, so 31 in all, and still three dice. A scoring throw never costs a die.

Running the table 5

  • A 2 or 5 missed and thrown again by mistake: cancel that throw and take it over. Remove the missed die first. Points written down from earlier throws stand.
  • A die that falls off the table or leans on something is thrown again alone. The other dice stay as they landed.
  • One die in six faces misses on four of them. So a single die scores two throws in three. All five dice miss together on about 13 throws in 100.
  • Set dead dice in a row beside the paper, not back in the cup. Then anyone can see how many dice are still in play.
  • The thrower adds, and the player on the left checks the sum. Checking aloud keeps a long turn honest.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-02, in our own words. The standard game (five dice; a throw with no 2 and no 5 scores its total and is thrown again whole; a throw with a 2 or a 5 scores nothing and those dice are set aside; the turn ends when the last die is out; highest total wins) was checked on 2026-10-02 against Wikipedia, Drop dead (dice game) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_dead_%28dice_game%29), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The named variations, the worked turn and the table rulings are the editors' own suggestions and are not official. The chances were counted from the faces of fair dice. Licence: own work