Quick dice games

Sometimes it just has to be quick. These games start in under a minute, need almost no equipment and fit a coffee break as well as a cabin evening. Pig and Twenty-One need only one die, Sevens Out two.

Quick dice games

Press your luck

Most quick games are about knowing when to stop. Drop Dead and Pig punish greed, while Three or More and Sequences offer small point hunts that always tempt you into one more round.

Perfect fillers

Use them as a warm-up before a longer game, to decide who does the dishes, or to pass time in a queue. The dice fit in a pocket and the rules fit in your head.

The quick games

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

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

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

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

Aces to the Centre (alias Aces)

Aces leave the game, twos go left and fives go right, until the very last die decides it all.

3-8 players
10-15 minutes
6+ 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

Going to Boston

Three rolls, keep the highest die each time, and win the round with the highest total.

3-8 players
10-15 minutes
5+ 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

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

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

LCR (Left Center Right) (alias Left Center Right)

Roll the dice and send chips left, right or into the pot. The last player holding chips wins it all.

3-8 players
10-20 minutes
5+ years

Mafia Dice

Pass sixes on, drop ones in the middle and be the first player to get rid of every die you hold.

3-5 players
10-20 minutes
8+ 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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