How to play Forty-One

Forty-One is played with six dice and chips or points to bet with. Two or more players can join, and the game works best around a table where the dice have room to roll. The name comes from the two dice you are required to secure: a 4 and a 1.

It belongs with the simple bar games and is traditionally played for stakes. At home, everyone drops a chip into the pot before each round, and the settlement takes care of itself.

Players take their turns one at a time, and every turn follows the same pattern:

1. Roll all six dice.
2. Choose exactly one die and set it aside. The choice is final.
3. Roll the remaining dice again, and set aside one more die after every roll.

This continues until all six dice have been set aside. You get six rolls in total, with one die fewer to roll each time.

Among the six dice you have set aside, there must be a 4 and a 1. Those two score nothing, they are your ticket into the round. If you fail to secure both, your turn is worth zero.

The other four dice are your score: simply add up the pips. The best possible result is four sixes, 24 points, alongside the qualifying 4 and 1.

Once everyone has rolled, the player with the highest total takes the pot. If two or more tie at the top, they play an extra round between themselves for the pot, or split it if you prefer.

Play an agreed number of rounds, ideally so everyone starts equally often, since rolling last and knowing the target is a small advantage. Whoever holds the most chips at the end is the winner.

The closest relative is the game known as Midnight or 1-4-24. There you are free to set aside as many dice as you like after each roll, at least one, and a perfect 24 is often rewarded with a double payout. You get fewer rolls but more control, and many find it quicker.

A common house rule in Forty-One is that the pot stays on the table for the next round if nobody qualifies. If you enjoy simple games played for stakes, try Twenty-One or Macao as well, both played with a single die and a chase for a set total.

Usually yes. Without the 4 and the 1 the rest of your dice are worthless, so most players grab them as soon as they appear. Waiting lets you bank a few sixes first, but sometimes the qualifiers never turn up. The safe game takes the ticket first and hunts for points afterwards.

Then nobody has a claim on the pot. The most common solution is to leave it standing and add fresh stakes on top before the next round, so the pot grows. Alternatively, give it to whoever came closest, for example the player who at least secured the 4 or the 1. Agree before you start.