Dice games for 2 players

Two players and a few dice are enough for a whole game night. Yatzy works beautifully for two, and so does Ten Thousand, where you push your luck turn by turn. In the mood for bluffing, Mia turns two dice under a cup into an intense duel.

Dice games for 2 players

For a quick round, Pig and Twenty-One are hard to beat: one die, simple choices, full tension. With more people, see dice games for 3 or dice games for 4.

62 dice games for 2

Around the Spot (alias Flower Petals)

Three rolls with three dice where only 1, 3 and 5 score, since they have a spot in the centre.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
5+ years

Balut

Fill 28 boxes across seven categories with five dice, and predict in advance how many points you will finish with.

2-6 players
30-45 minutes
8+ years

Barbudi

Shooter and fader stake the same amount, then roll two dice: 3-3, 5-5, 6-6 and 6-5 win, 1-1, 2-2, 4-4 and 1-2 lose.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Beetle

Roll the die and draw a beetle part by part. The body comes first, and the first complete beetle wins the round.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
5+ years

Boss Dice

A two-player duel of poker hands and hidden rolls, where the boss decides whether the round counts at all.

2 players
10-15 minutes
18+ years

Buck Dice

Roll three dice and count hits on the point number. Land on exactly 15 points to step out, and the last player left loses.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Cee-lo (alias Four-Five-Six, 4-5-6 or Three Dice Game)

Roll three dice until you hit 4-5-6, triples or a point, and try to beat the banker's result.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Centennial (alias Ohio or Martinetti)

Roll three dice and race from 1 up to 12 and back again, number by number, before anyone else.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Chicago (alias Rotation)

Eleven rounds with two dice, where the goal is to hit the sums 2 through 12 in order, one per round.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Cho-Han (alias Cho-Han Bakuchi)

The dealer shakes two dice under a cup, and you bet on whether the total comes up even or odd.

2-10 players
5-10 minutes
18+ years

Chuck-a-Luck (alias Bird Cage)

Bet on a number from 1 to 6, let the banker roll three dice, and get paid for every die that matches.

2-8 players
5-15 minutes
18+ years

Crag

A pocket-sized cousin of Yatzy with three dice, one reroll and thirteen quick categories, where a crag scores 50.

2-5 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Craps

Roll two dice, bet pass or don't pass, and follow the shooter from the come-out roll to the point.

2-8 players
10-60 minutes
18+ years

Cubilete

A Cuban cup game where aces count the most, and five aces (a carabina) wins the entire match on the spot.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Dice Golf

Nine holes with three dice, where you roll until a double appears and the fewest strokes wins.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Drop Dead

Roll five dice where twos and fives go dead, and score the most points before every die is gone.

2-8 players
15-25 minutes
6+ years

Even Minus Odd

Roll six dice, count evens against odds and settle the difference in chips with the pot.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Everest (alias Matterhorn)

Roll three dice and cross off the numbers 1 to 12 twice, in any order you like, before anyone else.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Farkle (alias Zilch, Greed, Zonk, Hot Dice or Squelch)

Roll six dice, set scoring dice aside and stop before a farkle wipes out your turn.

2-8 players
20-45 minutes
8+ years

Fifty

Only doubles score, double 6 is worth 25 and double 3 wipes your score. The first player to reach 50 points wins.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Forty-One

Roll six dice and set one aside per roll. You must keep a 4 and a 1, and the other four dice count as your score.

2-8 players
15-25 minutes
18+ years

Generala (alias General)

Five dice and eleven categories, with premiums when straights, full houses and poker land on the first roll.

2-6 players
25-35 minutes
8+ years

Hail Victor

A reconstructed staking game from antiquity where double six wins it all and double one is punished.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Hazard

Name a main, roll two dice, and win with a nick or by hitting your chance before the main comes back.

2-8 players
15-30 minutes
18+ years

Help Your Neighbour

Everyone owns a number, and every time your number shows up on the dice it costs you a chip.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

High Dice (alias Beat the Bank)

The banker rolls two dice, and you get one roll to beat the total. A fast banking game also known as Beat the Bank.

2-8 players
5-10 minutes
18+ years

Hoo Hey How (alias Fish-Prawn-Crab)

Bet on one of six symbols, let the banker roll three dice, and get paid for every die that matches your pick.

2-8 players
5-15 minutes
18+ years

Hooligan

Seven rounds with five dice where you call the row you are going for, and rolling a hooligan scores 20 points.

2-8 players
15-25 minutes
10+ years

Intelligence

Four rolls, five dice and full freedom to rebuild your poker hand along the way. Thinking beats hoping.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Jactus

A playable reconstruction of Roman dice play, with the Venus throw, the dog throw and tokens in the pot.

2-4 players
15-30 minutes
8+ years

Klondike (dice)

The banker rolls five dice into a poker-style hand, and each player gets one roll to beat it. Aces rank highest.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Liar's Dice

Hide five dice under your cup, bid on what the whole table shows, and call out the bluffs.

2-6 players
15-30 minutes
10+ years

Maxi Yatzy

Roll six dice up to three times, fill the extended score sheet and save unused rolls for later turns.

2-6 players
20-40 minutes
8+ years

Mexican

Open rolls with two dice where the lowest roll costs a life and 21 beats everything.

2-8 players
10-25 minutes
10+ years

Mia (alias Meiern or Mäxchen)

Two hidden dice, claims that must keep rising and lies that cost lives. Mia, a roll of 21, beats everything.

2-8 players
10-25 minutes
10+ years

One-O-Five

Roll five dice and chase ones, then twos, all the way up to sixes. The first player to finish all six numbers wins.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Passage

The lowest opening roll sets a point number, everyone chases it with two dice, and the first player to 11 points wins.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
8+ years

Perudo (alias Dudo)

Bluff with hidden dice where ones are wild and a call of dudo decides who loses a die.

2-6 players
20-40 minutes
10+ years

Pig

Roll the die as many times as you dare, but a 1 wipes out the whole turn. First to 100 points wins.

2-10 players
10-20 minutes
5+ years

Plus and Minus

Four rolls with five dice where you add and subtract your way to a round score. Highest total after five rounds wins.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Poker Dice (alias Indian Dice)

Roll five dice up to three times and build the best poker hand at the table, no cards required.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
10+ years

Pursuing Sheep

A Chinese dice game where three of a kind is the shepherd and the rest is the flock. Six of a kind takes the pot.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Qualify

Five throws where the highest die is set aside each time. Reach a total of 25 or more to qualify and beat the banker.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Round the Clock

Roll the dice and hit the numbers 1 to 12 in order, like the hands moving around a clock face.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Sequences (alias Straight Shooter)

Roll six dice and score for runs starting from 1. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
8+ years

Sevens Out

Roll two dice and keep scoring until a seven ends your turn. The first player to 500 points wins.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Ship, Captain and Crew (alias 6-5-4)

Secure the 6, 5 and 4 in strict order within three rolls, and let the last two dice be your cargo.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Shut the Box

Roll two dice and shut the numbered tiles 1 to 9 before the dice stop you.

1-4 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Sic Bo

Bet on small, big, single numbers or triples, then let the banker reveal three dice from under the cup.

2-8 players
10-30 minutes
18+ years

Ten Pins

Bowling with two dice over ten frames, where 5-5 is a strike and any six rolls off the alley.

2-6 players
15-25 minutes
6+ years

Ten Thousand (alias 5000 or Dix Mille)

Roll six dice, bank your points and be the first player to reach 10,000.

2-8 players
20-45 minutes
8+ years

Three or More

Roll five dice and collect three, four or five of a kind to score points, round after round.

2-6 players
10-20 minutes
6+ years

Threes (alias Tripps)

Set at least one die aside per roll and chase the lowest possible total, where every three counts as zero.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Triple Yahtzee

Fill three columns on one score card, where the second column counts double and the third counts triple.

1-6 players
35-50 minutes
8+ years

Twenty-One

Roll a single die as many times as you dare and get closest to 21 without going over.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
8+ years

Twenty-Six

Pick a number from 1 to 6, roll ten dice thirteen times and count the hits. A score of 26 or more pays out.

2-8 players
10-20 minutes
18+ years

Under and Over Seven

Bet on whether the sum of two dice lands under seven, over seven or exactly seven, which pays the most.

2-8 players
5-10 minutes
18+ years

Yacht (alias Cheerio, Yot or Yam)

The forerunner of Yahtzee with twelve categories, five dice and three rolls, and no upper section bonus.

1-6 players
25-35 minutes
8+ years

Yahtzee (alias Kniffel)

Roll five dice up to three times and fill all 13 boxes on the score card, with the upper bonus and the joker rule.

1-6 players
20-30 minutes
8+ years

Yamb

The Balkan take on Yatzy, played on a grid of four columns filled downwards, upwards, freely and on announcement.

1-6 players
25-40 minutes
8+ years

Yatzy

Roll five dice, choose what to keep, and fill in the score sheet one row at a time.

1-6 players
20-30 minutes
6+ years

Zanzibar

Three dice, three rolls and a strict ranking where 1-2-3 beats everything. The loser pays the winner in chips.

2-8 players
15-25 minutes
10+ years