How to play Poker Dice

Poker Dice is played with five dice and suits two to six players. The game exists as special dice with card symbols (nine, ten, jack, queen, king and ace), but ordinary dice work just fine: the six is the ace and the one is the nine. The game is also known as Indian Dice.

On your turn you roll all five dice. You may then keep any dice you like and reroll the rest, up to two more times. The goal is to build the best possible poker hand from the five dice.

Many play that the opener sets the pace: if the first player uses only one roll, nobody else gets more either.

Hands rank as in poker, 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. Straight: five in sequence (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6)
5. Three of a kind
6. Two pairs
7. One pair
8. Highest die

On equal hands, the higher dice in the hand win. Note that there is no flush with dice, and some play without straights as well.

Every player takes a turn, and the best hand wins the round. Play best of five rounds, or score a point per round win and play to five. Traditionally the game is played for stakes, and chips work fine: everyone antes one into the pot, and the winner takes it.

As Indian Dice it is often played with wild ones, counting as any value you like. Another common house rule is that the ace (the six) must be part of a straight for it to count.

If you enjoy poker hands with dice, move on to the duel game Boss Dice or the more tactical Intelligence.

No. The special dice with card symbols are just decoration: five ordinary dice give exactly the same game. The only thing to agree on is whether the one is lowest or wild.