How-To Play Various Dice Games
Naturally, some dice games are a lot more popular than others. But if you’re here it’s most likely because you wouldn’t want to go around not knowing how to play!! So here you’ll be presented with a variety of dice game rules. Not just the most popular games!! In any case, the main aim is to have variety in your dice playing in hopes of gaining more enjoyment from your dice set(s).
These come in no particular order.
Boggle
Boggle is quite well known throughout most of the world as a word game where you score points by finding words that no one else in the match found. The game is played on a 4 x 4 tray with 16 slots to contain the 16 dice. Each die has a letter on each side including a “Qu” on 1 or more dice. Once the dice are shuffled and settle in the slots, only the top showing letters of all 16 dice are allowed to be played. An egg timer is used to set a time limit for each round which is usually 3 minutes. You have to form words from those letters that are at least 3 letters in length or more.
To form the words, you simply connect adjacent letters in any direction. You can’t use the same letter cube twice or more on the same word. Note it said letter cube and not “letter”. So if you manage to see two letter “T”s in the mix that are adjacent to each other, then other words such as “letter” become possible. Once you start forming words, you simply write the words down. Once the timer has run out, all players 1 by 1 announce the words they find to the other players. When a word is found on 2 different word lists, it’s removed from all word lists and won’t be scored. Scores are then determined by remaining words and their length. There’re a large number of variations for Boggle including a 5 x 5 board to play on!! About the most popular variation to the game is the Klingon version which was played on The Big Bang Theory.
Zambales Dice Game
This dice game comes from Zambales, Philippines. Or at least that’s where it was picked up on by others. The game uses two dice with Roman numerals and other symbols on it. Of course, even a standard pair of 6 sided dice will do. A player has 5 chances to roll any matching pair. Bets are made before the rolling starts. If the player can’t roll a matching pair within 5 tries, he/she loses. The game was intended to be something somewhat fast paced and entertaining. Bets can range from everyday objects up to the completely farfetched ideas!!
Craps
Craps is a gambling dice game commonly found in many casinos (real and video games). The idea is to bet on the outcome of the roll(s) of a pair of dice. So, a player would place a bet or more on the desired possible outcomes and hope for the best. You might find somewhat different rules for betting depending on where you’re playing. But for the most part, the standard rules are always in place. In comparison to Sic bo, craps doesn’t always have a single roll equals a win/lose outcome set of situations. Certain bets can remain on the table until a specific roll shows up.
For example, a pass line bet. So if the shooter rolls anything other than 7, 11, 2, 3, and 12, a point is established from that roll. For that bet to win, the shooter has to roll the point number again before a 7 is rolled. But with a field bet, each roll determines a win or loss. With field bets, the typical setup is that you have to collect your winnings as you want before the shooter rolls again. The same goes for placing any more field bets. These types of bets are usually seen as riding bets automatically. So if you leave a bet where it was, it’s at as much risk of losing as it is of winning on the next roll.
The main problem with craps is that you’d find somewhat different rules from place to place. Some casinos will allow certain bets while others won’t. So take a little while to figure out the house rules first. That and betting in the field is usually the better bet. When you check it, you’ll notice you have a set of 7 numbers out of 11 to potentially win with. The downside is that you only have one try for each roll at it.
Cho-Han
This is a very simplistic Japanese gambling dice game. The dealer puts 2 standard dice in a cup. After shaking the cup and placing it open side down, players start betting. The bet is to guess the outcome of the sum of the dice as either even or odd. Once all bets are made, the dice are shown and all players involved either take their winnings or prepare to have less!!
Beetle
This is a drawing dice game. All you need is a pen, a piece of paper, and a single die. Commercially available game sets have different items in the box depending on the manufacturer. Some even include a snap together beetle for the not so artistic players!! The idea is simple. Just roll the single die and draw a beetle part according to the number you rolled. The beetle parts corresponding to the numbers on the die should be determined before the game starts. You should also determine which parts of the beetle you want to include in your game.
If you roll a number that you already drew on your beetle, you simply lose your turn. Whichever player draws the complete beetle first, wins. But to get started with drawing, you have to roll for the required beetle parts. The body is first and foremost. No other parts are allowed without the body already in place. Eyes and antenna can’t be drawn until the head is drawn. But other parts can be drawn as long as the body is already there. For example, the body is drawn but the head is not in place yet. You can roll and you’re allowed to draw the wings and/or legs if the numbers match.