It is surprising to know the number of fun and interesting dice games people play around the world. Read this article for a few of these, and have a great time with family and friends.
As children, everyone must have played and enjoyed dice games. But playing them as adults can seem a little kiddish or amateurish to certain people. That is not the case. They are fun, interesting, and can evoke similar joyous emotions which people experience in childhood. The best part is that there is minimal inventory required. A dice, or for few games, a score-sheet are the only things needed. Most of them can be played with as many players as possible to multiply the fun aspect, and the rules are extremely easy to understand and follow.
One-O-Five
This will require every player to have five dice each. You can decide a target number before the start of play. It can be any number from 1 to 6. When turns begin, the first player starts by rolling all his dice together. The dice which show the target number are kept aside. The second player continues by rolling his 5 dice. Again, all dice showing his target number on top are kept aside. The game continues until all 5 dice show the target number and are kept aside. Once a player has achieved his target number on all, he chooses another number and the game continues. The winner is the first player who has set and achieved targets of all numbers from 1 to 6.
Twenty One
This game is the equivalent of the famous card gambling game – blackjack. It is played with a single dice. The objective is to score exactly 21 by rolling as many times a player wishes and adding all corresponding scores. When one scores above 21, he is ‘busted’ and barred from the game. In case nobody reaches the figure, the score closest to 21 is declared the winner. People also come up with variations of this game by setting the target higher to 36 or using 2 dice.
Sevens Out
A player’s luck is tested in this game, and is played with 2 dice. Keep a score-sheet as well to note down scores. Each player gets a chance to roll the dice. A player continues to roll the dice till he gets a combined score of 7 on both dice. All numbers thrown before 7 are added up and this is the person’s score. If on a throw a person gets the same digit on both dice, the total is doubled while noting scores. E.g. If a person gets 3 and 3, his score is not 6, but 12. The player who scores maximum points is the winner. A variant of this version could be setting a target score in advance, and the first person to reach it would be the winner.
Pig
This game also requires a score-sheet and is played with a single dice. Every player in turn rolls the dice, and keeps on throwing till he decides to stop or gets a 1. When a player decides to stop on his own, he scores whatever points he got before stopping. In case he stops at 1, it is not added to his score. The first player to cross 100 is the winner.
Ten
This game is known by different names in different countries, like – dicey, spot, zarf and roll-ten. It is believed that this ancient gambling game from Rome was played by centurions responsible for Jesus’ garments during his crucifixion. 3 dice are required to play this game. Every player gets a chance to be the bank. The others place bets on the result of their throw. One of the players throws all 3 dice at once. If the outcome of the throw, after adding, is less than 10, then all players lose the bet. In case the total comes to be greater than 10, the banker is the loser and has to pay the others their betting amount. Since odds for the banker losing are higher, most players are reluctant to be bankers.
You can easily improvise and even come up with newer versions on your own. Apart from enjoying with friends, they can be enjoyed with the entire family. They can, at times, get addictive, especially the ones involving money and betting, which should be avoided. Try keeping the fun as clean as possible.