How to play Boss Dice

Boss Dice is a bluffing game for exactly two players. Each player needs five ordinary dice and a dice cup, so ten dice and two cups in total. Rolls are ranked as poker hands, with six as the highest value and one as the lowest.

The game comes from American bars, where it traditionally decided who paid. At home it works fine with chips: agree on a stake per match before you start.

Both players roll their five dice at the same time, openly on the table. Whoever has the higher ranked poker hand becomes the boss for the round. If neither of you has at least one pair, the round is void and you roll again.

The boss sets aside the dice that form their hand and rolls the rest once more, but hides the new roll under the cup. After peeking at the result, the boss must choose:

• Pick them up: the boss calls off the round. Both players pick up their dice, and the round does not count.
• Come up: the round is played out. The challenger then takes their second roll and may keep the dice that fit, or reroll all five.

When both players have used their two rolls, the cup is lifted and the hands are compared. Since the boss sees their own hidden roll before choosing, there is plenty of bluff in whether the round gets called off or not.

Boss Dice uses poker hands, but without straights and without wild dice. From highest to lowest:

1. Five of a kind
2. Four of a kind
3. Full house: three of a kind plus a pair
4. Three of a kind
5. Two pairs
6. One pair

If both players have the same type of hand, the higher dice win. The full house 6-6-6-1-1 beats the full house 5-5-5-2-2, for example. If the hands are completely equal, the round is void and you start over.

The best hand after two rolls wins the round. A match is played best of three, so the first player to win two rounds takes the match. If you play for chips, settle up after each match.

The game is also known as Bull Dice and is said to have been the most popular dice game in San Francisco in its day. A simpler house rule drops the choice between pick them up and come up: both players get two rolls each with a hidden second roll, and the best hand wins. It is faster, but removes much of the bluffing.

If you like dice with poker hands, have a look at Poker Dice. For bluffing with more than two players, Liar's Dice is a good choice.

The rules are built for two, and the duel between boss and challenger works poorly with more. With a bigger group, run a simple tournament where the winner meets the next player, or pick a game like Perudo, which is made for many around the table.

The name comes from the role handed out every round. Whoever wins the open first roll becomes the boss and gains the power to decide whether the round is played out or called off. That choice, made with a secret roll under the cup, is the heart of the game.