Although dice are often used as an element to interject "chance" into a game, not all dice games are purely random. Many have significant strategic elements, and mathematical acumen and computational skill can also be important talents when playing dice games.

There are both traditional dice games and commercial dice games (often based on traditional rules).

The following links will teach you how to play a wide variety of dice games, with easy-to-understand yet comprehensive guides to getting started playing the most popular dice games:

• Boggle
• Buck Dice
• Bunco
• Crag
• Double Cameroon
• Farkle
• Generala
• Kismet
• LCR (Left-Center-Right)
• Poker Dice
• Shut The Box
• Stack
• Yacht
• Yahtzee

If you're interested in still more dice games, check out the collection of Dice Game Rule Books, featuring authoritative rules for hundreds of dice games.

Other Dice Rule Sites

In addition to the dice game rules on this site, there are a number of other web sites that provide dice rules:

• all-about-dice.com
  Learn easy, entertaining games that you can play anywhere! Start playing and discover why they are the essence of cool.
• Dice-Play
  This personal web site covers "everything you could want to know" about dice games (especially "Craps").
• Wikipedia Dice Games List
  A list of games that use dice, usually with rules for the games, from the free online encyclopedia.

See also: Buy Dice Games, Buy Dice, Buy Dice Cups

Yahtzee is played by two or more people, and uses five six-sided dice. A dice cup is often used as well, though this is optional.

Players take turns rolling the dice and attempting to score the maximum number of points by rolling specific combinations of dice.

For each player's turn, they are allowed to roll the dice up to three times in an attempt to get the highest scoring combination. For the first roll, throw all five dice. From among the five, set aside any you wish to keep, and pick up the rest and roll again. Repeat once more if you like.

At the end of the three rolls (or sooner if you prefer), you must fill in one of the blank category spaces on the score sheet, either with a point value that you've earned, based on the combination rolled, or a zero if you're unable to make an available combination.

Scoring Categories

Here are some free printable Yahtzee score sheets from dice-play.com. Note that the columns on the score sheet can be used for either multiple players per sheet, or multiple games with one sheet per player. Additional Yahtzee score sheets styles available from here and here. You can also create your own by hand.

The game continues until all 13 available spaces are filled in, either with a score or with a zero. The scoring is divided into upper and lower sections.

Upper Section Scoring

The upper section is used to roll 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6's. Only the dice with the specified value are totaled in each category; the rest are ignored. For instance, in the first example shown above, you rolled a 1-1-1-4-5. Since you chose to use the 1's category, you count only the three 1's, for a total of 4 points. You also could have chosen to write down a "4" in the 4's category, or a "5" in the 5's category.

When all the categories in the upper section are complete, get a sub-total by adding the scores for 1 through 6. If it's 63 or greater, you earn a 35-point bonus! Note that the 63 points is based on three dice of each value, so base your decisions on that...

Lower Section Scoring

In the lower section, you score either the sum total of all the dice (for three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind, and chance), or a fixed amount (for the full house, small straight, large straight, and yahtzee).

Final Score

The final score is the sum of the upper section, bonus, and lower section. The winner is the player with the highest score!

Yahtzee Variations

• Some score sheets provide spaces for Yahtzee bonuses, in which 100 points is awarded for each Yahtzee (5-of-a-kind) you score beyond the first.
• Triple Yahtzee plays by the same rules as regular Yahtzee, except that each player uses three columns during a game. Totals are doubled in column two, and tripled in column three, and your grand total is the sum of all three columns. This opens up the strategy a bit, by allowing for more latitude on where to record your points for optimum scores.
• Power Yahtzee adds a sixth dice called a "power die", which affects scoring in one of six ways: "1" multiplies your score for that round by one (i.e. does not change it); "2" multiplies your score by two; "3" multiplies your score by three; "Freeze" eliminates any further rolls that round; "Double" multiplies your score by two, and allows you to score the roll in two categories at once; "Power" multiplies your score by three and gives you the option of a fourth roll.
• Crag, Yacht, and Kismet are distinct games that share many characteristics with Yahtzee.

Yahtzee Trivia

• The maximum Yahtzee score is 375 points. If playing with Yahtzee bonuses, the maximum score is 1575 points (though the probability is about 1 in 283 quadrillion (15 zeros)).
• Yahtzee was first marketed by the E.S. Lowe Company in 1956. Milton Bradley took over the game in 1973, and it is currently owned by Hasbro.
• The original Yahtzee logo includes a caricature of E. S. Lowe as a professor.
• Hasbro claims that as many as 100 million people worldwide regularly play the game of Yahtzee. More than 50 million Yahtzee games are sold annually.

Yahtzee Rule Links

To learn more about the game of Yahtzee, consult one of the following web sites, which provide additional rule and strategy guides.

• Hasbro Yahtzee Rules
  Official rules for the game of Yahtzee, as included with Hasbbro editions of the game. Hasbro also has rules for other editions of Yahtzee.
• The Yahtzee! Page
  A Yahtzee reference site from the UK, with "everything about the dice game Yahtzee - rules, high scores and probability and more".
• Wikipedia Yahtzee Rules
  Information about the game of Yahtzee, from the free online encyclopedia, with rules, variations, and probabilities.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Yahtzee Games

The rules for Yacht are largely the same as for Yahtzee (roll five dice up to three times, fill in one category on the score sheet), with the following exceptions:

• There are only 12 categories.
• There is no "Three of a Kind" category.
• The "small straight" is five-in-a-row starting with "1" (1-2-3-4-5) and the "large straight" is five-in-a-row ending with "6" (2-3-4-5-6); both are worth 30 points.
• "Full House" (three of one value and two of another) scores the total pip value of all dice.
• Five of a kind is called "Yacht", and is worth 50 points.
• The catch-all category is called "Choice".
• There is no bonus scoring.

The player with the highest score after filling all 12 categories is the winner!

Yacht Rule Variations

• Some players allow bonus scoring (35 points bonus if 1's through 6's total 63 or more).
• Some players set a fixed value of 40 points for Full House.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Yahtzee Rules, Buy Yahtzee Games

The commercial game Kismet is billed as "The Modern Game of Yacht".

Shut The Box apparently originated in Europe as early as the 12th century, and is also known under such names as "Tric-Trac, "Canoga", "Batten Down The Hatches", "Klackers", "High Rollers", and many more. Although some folks play Shut The Box as a gambling game, today it is a popular family pastime, and is often used at home or in schools to help children learn their numbers.

The game uses two six-sided dice and a box with hinged tiles numbered 1 to 9. The box is used as both game board and scoring device, and also serves as a container for easy and convenient storage (see our selection of commercial Buy Shut The Box sets).

Each player rolls the dice and lays down any combinations of tiles that match the roll. For example, If you roll a 7 flip up the 7 tile, or the 5 and the 2, or the 4, 2, and 1 tiles. If every tile higher than 6 is covered, the player has the choice of rolling one or both dice. The player keeps rolling until they can't match their roll on the remaining tiles. The total of the tiles left open are ten totaled, the score is recorded, and all the tiles are flipped up, and the turn passes to the next player. After each player has played, the game is over, and the low score wins. If you can lay down all the tiles, you've "Shut the Box".

A game may consist of one round, or many. Typically, the game proceeds thru several rounds, until a player's accumulated score surpasses an arbitrary number, such as 50 or 100. The winner is then the player with the lowest total score.

Shut The Box Variations

• The standard Shut The Box game is played with numbers 1 through 9, but some boxes use 1-10 or 1-12. Gameplay is the same with the larger sets.
• If you don't have a box, you can write the numbers on a piece of paper, then use a coins or poker chips to cover the numbers during the game.
• Shut The Box can be played as a solitaire (solo) game, but it's obviously more fun with friends!
• Wikipedia lists a few more variations in play, setup, and scoring.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Shut The Box Games

The game can be played either with standard six-sided dice, or with special Poker Dice with faces showing Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, and 9. If you're using standard dice, it's helpful to think of the pips as corresponding to card values: 6 = Ace, 5= King, 4 = Queen, 3 = Jack, 2 = 10, and 1 = 9.

Each player has their own set of dice, and may make up to three throws, with the object of making the best possible poker hand. After each toss, the player can set aside any dice they wish to keep.

The hands are ranked as in poker, from highest to lowest:

• Five of a Kind
• Four of a Kind
• Full House
• Straight
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pair
• One Pair
• Bust (high card, no pair)

After each player has had a turn, the hand with the highest rank wins the round!

As in regular poker, games can be played for fun or for the stakes of your choice.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Poker Dice Sets

Learn how to play the game of Poker Dice with our handy Poker Dice Rules.

See also: Buy Dice Games, Buy Dice, Dice Game Rules

Kismet is played with five six-sided dice. Kismet dice are unique in their use of colored pips -- "1" and "6" have black pips, "2" and "5" have red pips, and "3" and "4" have green pips. A dice cup is often used as well, though this is optional.

Players take turns rolling the dice and attempting to score the maximum number of points by rolling specific combinations of dice.

For each player's turn, they are allowed to roll the dice up to three times in an attempt to get the highest scoring combination. For the first roll, throw all five dice. From among the five, set aside any you wish to keep, and pick up the rest and roll again. Repeat once more if you like.

At the end of the three rolls (or sooner if you prefer), you must fill in one of the blank category spaces on the score sheet, either with a point value that you've earned, based on the combination rolled, or a zero if you're unable to make an available combination.

Kismet Scoring Categories

Here are some free printable Kismet score sheets from centralconnector.com.

If you manage to roll more than one Kismet, you are not awarded a bonus, but you may use the dice in any other category to which they might apply. However, the other players are penalized -- they each must record a zero in the nearest empty space to the top of the score sheet, and they each lose a turn. The player who has rolled the extra Kismet rolls again.

The game continues until all 15 available spaces are filled in, either with a score or with a zero. The scoring is divided into upper and lower sections (on the score sheets, these are labeled "Basic Section" and "Kismet Section").

Basic Section Scoring

The upper section is used to roll 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6's. Only the dice with the specified value are totaled in each category; the rest are ignored. For instance, in the first example shown above, you rolled a 1-1-1-4-5. Since you chose to use the 1's category, you count only the three 1's, for a total of 4 points. You also could have chosen to write down a "4" in the 4's category, or a "5" in the 5's category.

When all the categories in the upper section are complete, get a sub-total by adding the scores for 1 through 6. If it's 63-70, you earn a 35-point bonus; if it's 71-77, you earn a 55-point bonus; if it's 78 or more, you earn a 75-point bonus!

Kismet Section Scoring

In the lower section, you score either the sum total of all the dice (for two pair, three-of-a-kind, and chance), the sum total of all the dice plus a bonus (for full house, full house flush, four-of-a-kind, and kismet), or a fixed amount (for the straight and flush).

Final Score

The final score is the sum of the basic section, bonus, and kismet section. The winner is the player with the highest score!

Official Kismet Rules

Kismet is published by Endless Games (all rights reserved), and they have the official rules online (PDF).

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Kismet Games

Like Yahtzee, the object is to fill in each category on the score sheet and make the highest score. Differences in gameplay include:

• The game has only one "straight", and it can be either 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6. It counts for 25 points if it's a "natural" (on the first throw), or 20 points if made on the second or third throws.
• A full house is worth 35 points on the first throw, 30 points on subsequent throws.
• A four-of-a-kind is worth 45 points on the first throw, 40 points on subsequent throws.
• Five-of-a-kind is called a "generala". If you roll it on the first throw, it's called a "big generala" and wins the game outright. If you roll it on the second or third throws, it's known as a "small generala" and is worth 60 points.
• There is no "Three of a Kind" category.
• There is no "Chance" category.
• There is no bonus scoring.

A player may choose to take a "0" for a category score. This is known as a "scratch". However, if the "Generala" category has been scratched, and the player then rolls a five-of-a-kind on the first roll, it is not an automatic win.

The player with the highest score after filling all categories is the winner (unless, of course, a "Big Generala" has already decided the game)!

Generala Rule Variations

• Some play that a straight may "wrap around", so 3-4-5-6-1, 4-5-6-1-2, 5-6-1-2-3, and 6-1-2-3-4 are also valid straights.
• Some players allow a "1" to be a "wild card" in a straight, so that, for example, 2-3-1-5-6 would be a valid straight.
• A bonus may be earned by rolling a second "generala" in the same game. This is known as a "Double Generala", and is worth 120 points if accomplished on the first roll, and 100 points on subsequent rolls. A first-roll Double Generala is not an automatic game-winner.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules

Since Farkle (sometimes spelled "Farkel") is a traditional game, played by different groups under different names around the world, there are no "official" rules. Here are the basic rules used by most commercial Farkel games:

The game is played by two or more players, using six six-sided dice. A dice cup is often used to hold and then toss the dice, though of course your hand may work just as well.

The object of the game is to be the player with the highest score over 10,000 points.

Players take turns rolling the dice. To begin a turn, a player rolls all six dice at once. Points are earned for various scoring combinations. If no points are scored during that roll, that's called a "Farkle" and you lose your turn, and score no points.

If any points are scored during that roll, you have the option of either banking the points, and relinquishing your turn, or pressing your luck and rolling again, using the dice that were not scored during the preceding roll(s). You can keep rolling, and keep racking up points, until you either bank your points, or roll a Farkle and lose all the points from that round. If you manage to score all six dice (whether in one roll or multiple rolls), start the next roll with all six dice again.

Here are the points awarded to various rolls:

To get on the board for the first time, you must score at least 500 points on a single turn. (In other words, your first bank must be at least 500 points.) After that, you may bank as many or as few points as you like during a turn.

Then the first player reaches a score of 10,000 points, each player has one last turn to try and come out on top. The player with the final score at the end of that last round wins the game!

As you can see, each roll requires a decision -- do you settle for what you have, or go for more points and risk losing them all? This element of strategy can make for a tense, but fun, game, and is one of the reasons that Farkle has remained a popular dice game for generations.

Farkle Score Sheets

FarkleRules.com has some sample score sheets that you can print out and use (albeit with slightly different score tables compared to the one above).

Farkle Alternate Names and Related Games

Other names for Farkle include: 1000/5000/10000, Greed, Hot Dice, Wimpout, Squelch, Zilch, and Zonk (among others).

Farkle is also related to dice games such as Kismet and Yahtzee, which use some of the same gameplay elements and strategies.

Farkle Rule Links

To learn more about the game of Farkle, consult one of the many fine web sites below, which provide additional rule and strategy guides.

• FarkleRules.com
  Provides the "definitive guide" to the dice game Farkle / Farkel, including various options, history, and current information.
• OfficialFarkleRules.com
  Dacy and Amy's Official Rules of Farkle, including a history of the game.
• Patch Products Farkle Rules
  These are the rules included with the commercial version of Farkle from Patch Products. Patch also provides rules for Farkle Frenzy, a version of the game in which everyone plays simultaneously. [PDF]
• Wikipedia Farkle
  Information about the game of Farkle, from the free online encyclopedia, with rules, variations, and probabilities.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Farkle Games

Double Cameroon is played with ten dice, and the object for each turn is to make two 5-dice hands, in the following ten categories:

• 1's = Total of all 1's
• 2's = Total of all 2's
• 3's = Total of all 3's
• 4's = Total of all 4's
• 5's = Total of all 5's
• 6's = Total of all 6's
• Full House (three of one value, two of another) = Total of all five dice
• Little Cameroon (1-2-3-4-5) = 21 points
• Large Cameroon (2-3-4-5-6) = 30 points
• Five of a Kind = 50 points

Like Yahtzee, each turn consists of up to three rolls, holding back the dice you wish to keep on each throw. After your roll(s), divide your dice into two groups of five each, and mark your score in two open categories.

There are no "Three of a Kind" or "Four of a Kind" categories, no "Chance" category, and no bonus scoring.

The winner is the player with the highest point total after five rounds!

See also: Other Dice Game Rules

• Best of the World's Best Dice Games
  This paperback book includes instructions and score sheets for playing solitaire and group games with illustrations and rules for games for children. Playing dice games at home is growing in popularity and dice are a great way for teachers to teach scientific inquiry and math. Lil Jacobs, the Wizard of Odds applies his thirty years of playing experience to computerized odds and shares his strategies for playing the world's best games. Learn the origin of dice and dice games from ancient times to the most popular games played today.
  
• Dice Games Properly Explained
  World-renowned game designer Reiner Knizia has written the absolute classic on dice games and strategies. Straightforward and easy-to-read, this little gem gives detailed instructions, comprehensive odds, and insightful strategies on nearly 150 dice games and variations-several of which appear only within these pages! This is the definitive book on dice games!
  
• Scarne on Dice
  Renowned game authority John Scarne covers the history of modern dice and their earliest uses in games, and then analyzes the mathematics behind gambling to give players a solid foundation in odds and percentages. The most popular forms of dice games are then studied in detail. It's like having the master himself at your elbow whenever the cubes roll.
  
• Very Best Dice Games
  Written by Gil Jacobs, this book will help you learn how to play and win Casino Craps, Liars Dice, Zilch, Bunco, Boss, Ship Captain, Forty-One, Perudo, Scrod, Mafia, Royal Tric Trac, and many more including a very challenging advanced form of Yahtzee. There is also a special illustrated chapter of games for children.
  

See also: Dice Game Rules, dice games

Buck Dice can be played by two players, but works best with more. It is played with three dice. (Six-sided dice are most commonly used, but more-sided dice may be used as well, though this can significantly change the character of the game, and may necessitate using more than three die.)

The game begins with each player rolling a single die. The player with the highest number goes first, next-highest goes second, and so on. The player who rolls the lowest number rolls again to determine the "point" for the game.

The game then proceeds with each player, in turn, rolling three three dice, and continuing to roll as long as each roll produces at least one point.

Scoring is as follows:

• One point for each dice that matches the player's point.
• Fifteen points if the player rolls a three-of-a-kind of the point value. This is known as a "Big Buck".
• Five points if the player rolls a three-of-a-kind of any non-point value. This is known as a "Little Buck".

As soon as a player makes a roll that scores no points, the turn passes to the next player (making sure to keep a running total of the score for the each player).

As soon as a player reaches 15 points or more, they are eliminated (they win!).

The last player to not reach 15 points loses the game!

Buck Dice Variations

• To make the game last a bit longer, some people play with a rule that says if you have a score of "13" you only roll two dice, and with a score of "14" you only roll a single die.
• To make the game a bit harder, make "15" an exact goal. If a roll puts a player over 15, then the roll does not count, and the player gets to roll again. In this variation, a Big Buck is a winner no matter what (even if the player had previously scored points.
• Games can be "strung together" (making each a round), with the winner determined by the point total after a particular number of rounds (5, perhaps), and continuing in the case of a tie.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules

Like Yahtzee (and Yacht), the object is to fill in each category on the score sheet and make the highest score. Differences in gameplay include:

• Crag uses three dice (rather than five).
• You only get two rolls per turn (rather than three).
• There are 13 categories:
  • 1's = Total of all 1's
  • 2's = Total of all 2's
  • 3's = Total of all 3's
  • 4's = Total of all 4's
  • 5's = Total of all 5's
  • 6's = Total of all 6's
  • Low Straight (1-2-3) = 20 points
  • High Straight (4-5-6) = 20 points
  • Odd Straight (1-3-5) = 20 points
  • Even Straight (2-4-6) = 20 points
  • Three of a Kind = 25 points
  • Thirteen (2-5-6 or 3-4-6) = 26 points
  • Crag (1-6-6 or 3-5-5 or 5-4-4) = 50 points
• There is no "Chance" category.
• There is no bonus scoring.

The player with the highest score after filling all 13 categories is the winner!

The web site dice-play has a nice description of the rules, as well as an excellent score sheet you can print out.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules

As a game that has evolved from it's origins in England, through generations of players and enthusiasts, there is no one "official" set of Bunco rules. However, the following appears to be some of the most common rules used today:

Bunco can be played with standard six-sided dice dice, and tally and score sheets that you create yourself (or print templates off the web). But if you're just getting started, it's easiest to simply purchase a commercial Bunco kit, which will contain everything you need to get your Bunco party off and running quickly and efficiently.

Bunco is best when played with 12 people, arranged among three tables with four players each. The four players at each table play as two partnerships, with the partners sitting across the table from each other. Players use tally sheets to keep track of their progress during a round, and a score sheet to mark down their results after a round is complete. One table, designated the "head table" or "table #1", receives a bell.

When the bell at the head table is rung, it signals the start of a round. Players at each table then take turns rolling the dice and scoring points until the head table scores a Bunco or reaches 21 points.

Each round has a "target number", starting at "1" and incrementing to "6".

Points are scored for the following combinations:

• One point for each time a target number comes up.
• 5 points for each time a three-of-a-kind on an off-target number is rolled.
• 21 points for a three-of-a-kind on the target number.

Each player in a partnership records the same score, no matter which of them scores. Turn passes from player to player around the table, with each player continuing to roll as they score points. As soon as they roll a non-scoring throw, the turn passes to the next player.

At the end of the round (when the head table rings their bell), the partnership with the highest score at each table adds their round score to their total score; the losing partnership scores zero.

At the end of the round, one member of each winning team shifts over one seat, and the two losing players move to a different table. In this way, the partnerships change fluidly during a game.

Play continues for rounds 1 through six. The winner is the player with the overall highest score.

As you can see, Bunco is a fast-paced game that requires very little skill, but is loads of fun, and gets people mingling and playing together!

Bunco Variations

There are innumerable variations and house rules for the game of Bunco. The following are some of the most common:

• Some groups play four games to establish a winner. Each 6-round session is called a "set". Four sets make a game.
• Some groups play the rounds in opposite order: 6-5-4-3-2-1
• Some groups score a "Low Bunco" for a three-of-a-kind lower than the target number as 7 points, and a "High Bunco" for a three-of-a-kind higher than the target number as 5 points.
• Some groups play for small monetary stakes, using an ante system (refer to one of the links below for details).
• Some groups award prizes for achievements during a game -- most Bunco's most wins, most losses, etc.

There's a lot of room for creativity and individuality in the game of Bunco, so no matter the rules you all agree on, have fun with it!

Bunco Rule Links

To learn more about the game of Bunco, consult one of the many fine web sites below, which provide additional rules and party ideas.

• BuncoPartyStore.com
  Bunco rules and variations, plus party ideas and ante/prize suggestions.
• The Bunko Book
  The Bunko Book is the definitive reference on the game of Bunko, with rules and dozens of variations gathered from more than 30,000 respondents. We've helped thousands learn to play the game and create their own groups. What's stopping you?
• Tricia's Bunco Rules
  Illustrated rules of the game, plus other fun Bunco miscellanea.
• World Bunco Association Rules
  The "official" rules from the World Bunco Association, as used in sanctioned games and tournaments.

See also: Other Dice Game Rules, Buy Bunco Games

See also: buy dice, dice bags, dice sets