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Dice Games of Stonewood

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Cee Lo

Each round involves two or more players of equal status. A bet amount is agreed upon and each player puts that amount in the pile or pot. Each player then has to roll all three dice at once and must continue until a recognized combination is rolled. Whichever player rolls the best combination wins the entire pot, and a new round begins. In cases where two or more players tie for the best combination, they must have a shoot out to determine a single winner.

The combinations are similar to those described above, and can be ranked from best to worst as:

4–5–6

The highest possible roll. If you roll 4–5–6, you automatically win.

Trips

Rolling three same numbers is known as rolling a trip. Higher trips beat lower trips, so 4–4–4 is better than 3–3–3. Any trips beats any established point.

Point

Rolling a pair, and another number, establishes the singleton as a “point”. A higher point beats a lower point, so 2–2–6 is better than 5–5–2.

1–2–3

The lowest possible roll. If you roll 1–2–3, you automatically lose.

Any other roll is a meaningless combination and must be rerolled until one of the above combinations occurs.

Ho Han

The game uses two standard six-sided dice, which are shaken in a bamboo cup or bowl by a dealer. The cup is then overturned onto the floor. Players then place their wagers on whether the sum total of numbers showing on the two dice will be “Chō” (even) or “Han” (odd). The dealer then removes the cup, displaying the dice. The winners collect their money.

Depending on the situation, the dealer will sometimes act as the house, collecting all losing bets. More often, the players will bet against each other (this requires an equal number of players betting on odd and even) and the house will collect a set percentage of winning bets.

Of the 36 possible outcomes, there are six distinct doubles that result in an even outcome (e.g., (1,1), (2,2), etc.) and 30 pairings of different numbers: 18 odd sums, and 12 even sums.

Chuck-a-Luck

Chuck-a-luck is played with three standard dice.
Wagers are placed based on possible combinations that can appear on the three dice. Betters place stakes on a board labeled 1–6. They receive a 1:1 payout if the number bet on appears once, a 2:1 payout if the number appears twice, and a 3:1 payout if the number is rolled all 3 times.
Additional wagers that are commonly seen are set out in the table below.

Type Wager
Single Die Bet A specific number will appear
Any Triple Any of the triples (all three the same) will appear
Big Total Score will be 11 or higher with the exception of a triple
Small Total score will be 10 or lower with the exception of a triple
Field Total score will be outside the range of 8 to 12 (inclusive)

5 Dice

Pick the player who rolls the highest number on a die to go first. You’ll need 6 dice and at least 2 players, but you can add as many more people to the game as you want. Give each person 1 six-sided die and have everyone roll. Whoever rolls the highest number goes first, and then the other players take turns going clockwise around the table.

If multiple people are tied for the highest number, have them roll again until someone gets a higher number.
If more than 6 people are playing, choose someone randomly to go first

Toss all the dice into a dice cup. Shake the cup and then flip it over quickly onto the table to roll the dice. Look at the dice you just rolled to find the ones that score points. Dice showing a 1 or 5 score by themselves, but all other values score points if you roll a set of 3 or more. The point values of each scoring dice are:

Single 5:50 points
Single 1:100 points
Three 2s:200 points
Three 3s:300 points
Three 4s:400 points
Three 5s:500 points
Three 6s:600 points
Three 1s:1,000 points
For each extra die with the same value as a 3-of-a-kind, you earn double the amount of points. So, if you roll three 2s, you gain 200 points. If you roll four 2s in the same roll, the points double to 400. After that, five 2s are worth 800 points and six 2s are worth 1,600 points.

Score 1,500 points by earning a straight or 3 pairs. If you rolled a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 at the same time, you’ve earned a straight worth 1,500 points. Additionally, if you get 3 separate pairs during the same roll, you also earn 1,500 points.

Example: If you rolled two 3s, two 5s, and two 6s, you would get 1,500 points.

If you roll 4-of-a-kind and a pair in one roll, you also earn 1,500 points.

Set aside at least 1 die that scores to continue your turn. Scoring dice are any singles, like 1s and 5s, or sets, like a three-of-a-kind and a straight. If you rolled one or multiple dice that earned you points, choose at least 1 of them to set aside to bank the points that you’ve earned. If you want to continue your turn, put at least 1 scoring die aside.

You won’t roll any dice you set aside again for the rest of your turn.
Even if you have multiple dice that score, you only need to set 1 of them aside. That way, you have more dice to reroll and have a better chance at earning more points.

Earn at least 1,000 points on your first turn to get “on the board.” If you’ve earned less than 1,000 points from your roll, you must keep rerolling the dice to bank up more points. Roll as many times as you need to until you earn enough points to get on the board

Variation:For an easier game, earn at least 500 or 750 points on your first turn to get on the board instead. If that’s still too difficult, you don’t need to play with this rule.
Each person needs to earn 1,000 points when it’s their turn to begin officially scoring.
After your first turn, you can earn as few or as many points as you’d like End your turn and lose points you earned if you don’t have any scoring dice. If you roll singles or doubles of 2s, 3s, 4s, or 6s, you haven’t earned any points for the roll and your turn ends. Even if you’ve put scoring dice aside earlier, you lose any points that you banked up and pass the dice to the next player.

Example: If you set aside 3 twos on your first roll, and then rolled a 2, 4, and 6, your most recent roll is worth zero points, so the points you earned on your first roll no longer count.

Stop rolling when you’re satisfied with your score for the round. After each time you set aside scoring dice, choose if you want to continue rolling the remaining dice to bank more points, or call it quits for your turn to add the points to your score. Once you decide to stop, your turn is over and the next player takes theirs.
Example: If you first rolled three 6s, set aside the 6s to bank 600 points. If you then rolled the remaining 3 dice and got 1, 5, and 4, you can set aside the 1 and 5 to bank another 150 points for a total of 750. If you’re happy with that score for the round, announce it’s the end of your turn.

Remember that if none of the dice you roll can score, you lose all the points you banked on your turn.
If you’re able to set aside all 6 dice when you’re scoring, you have the choice to stop or reroll all 6 to keep adding to your score.
Only the dice from your most current roll count towards scoring points. If you already set dice aside to score them, you cannot use them to create a new three-of-a-kind.

Calculate your score for your turn and pass the dice to the next player. Write down how many points you earned on your turn. If it’s later in the game and you already have points from a previous round, add the points you just earned to your total. Once you’ve calculated your score for that round, pass the dice to the player to your left so they can take a turn.

Win the game by earning at least 10,000 points before the other players. As soon as you reach 10,000 or more points, all the other players get 1 more turn. If no one else is able to reach 10,000 points during their final turn, then you win. If someone else earns at least 10,000 points during their final turn, then the person with the most total points is the winner.[13]

Variation: For more of a challenge, play so you need exactly 10,000 points to win. If you go over 10,000 on your turn, then you get no points and it’s the next player’s turn

Drop Dead

Five dice and paper to record players' scores are all that is needed. A player rolls the five dice and if the throw does not include a 2 or 5, they receive the score of the total numbers added together. That player is also able to roll the dice again. When a player rolls the dice and any of them contain a 2 or 5, they score no points and the dice that includes a 2 or 5 is excluded from any future throws that they make. A player’s turn does not stop until their last remaining die shows a 2 or 5. At that point, the player “drops dead” and it becomes the next player’s turn. The highest total score wins.

Liar’s Dice

Each player starts having five dice and a cup, which is used for shaking the dice and concealing the dice from the other players. Players roll a die in order, to determine where and in what order they sit. Highest first, then next lowest and so on. In the event of a tie between 2 players, they simply re-roll until one gains a higher score.

After deciding who starts the game, the players shake their dice in their cups,and flip the cups upside down so that the dice are on the table and concealed. Each player looks at their own dice, keeping their dice concealed from other players. Then, the first player makes a bid about how many dice of a certain value are showing among all players, at a minimum. Aces (dice showing a one) are wild, meaning that they count as every number. For example, a bid of “five threes” is a claim that between all players, there are at least five dice showing a three or an ace. The player challenges the next player (moving clockwise) to raise the bid or call liar to end the round.

Raise

Also known as “bid”, a player can increase the quantity of dice (e.g. from “five threes” to “six threes”) or the die number (e.g. “five threes” to “five sixes”) or both. If a player increases the quantity, they can choose any number e.g. a bid may increase from “five threes” to “six twos”.

Bidding aces

A player who wishes to bid aces can halve the quantity of dice, rounding upwards. For instance, if the current bid is “five threes” then the next player would have to bid at least three aces. If the current bid is aces, the next player can call liar or increase the quantity (e.g. “four aces”) or bid a different number, in which case the lower bound on the quantity is one more than double the previous quantity—for instance, from “three aces”, a player wishing to bid fours would have to bid “seven fours” or higher.

Call

If the player calls, it means that they do not believe the previous bid was correct. All dice are then shown and, if the guess is not correct, the previous player (the player who made the bid) loses a die. If it is correct, the player who called loses a die. A player with no dice remaining is eliminated from the game. After calling, a new round starts with the player that lost a die making the first bid, or (if that player was eliminated) the player to that player’s left.

When a player first reaches one dice (i.e. loses a round and goes from two dice to one), a Reveal round is played. During this round, the player makes an opening bid and their choice of die number cannot be changed. Aces are not wild during the round. For instance, the player who is down to one die may bid “two fours”, and the next player’s only options are to raise the quantity (to “three fours” or higher), or to call. The game ends when only one player has dice remaining; that player is the winner.

Mia

All players start with six lives. Usually the players use a die to keep track of their lives, counting down from 6 to 1 as they lose lives. The first player rolls the dice and keeps their value concealed from the other players in or under the container. The player then has three choices:

Tell the truth and announce what has been rolled.
Lie and announce a greater value than that rolled.
Lie and announce a lesser value.

The concealed dice are then passed to the next player in a clockwise fashion. The receiving player now has two options:

Believe the passer, roll the dice and pass it on, announcing a higher value—with or without looking at them. (For a poor liar it may be sensible to not look at the dice.)
Call the passer a liar and look at the dice. If the dice show a lesser value than that announced, the passer loses a life and the receiving player starts a new round. However, if the dice show a greater or equal value, the current player loses a life and the next player starts a new round. Some players play with a third option: Pass the dice to the next player without rolling or looking at them, announcing the same or a higher value.

This relieves the original passer of all responsibility. This choice rests on the assumption that the previous player announced a lesser value than they rolled, which may be a sensible choice if they want to get at a player further down the line.

Note that each player must always announce a value greater than the previous value announced, unless she or he is passed a Mia in which case the round ends.
If Mia is announced, the next player has two choices:

They may give up without looking at the dice and lose one life.
They may look at the dice. If it was a Mia, they lose two lives. If it wasn’t, the previous player loses one life as usual.
The first player to lose all of their lives loses the game.

Scoring
Unlike most dice games, the value of the roll is not the sum of the dice. Instead, the highest die is multiplied by ten and then added to the other die. So a 2 and a 1 is 21 and a 5 and 6 is 65. The highest roll is 21 which is called Mia, followed by the doubles from 66 to 11, and then all other rolls from 65 down to 31. Thus, the complete order of rolls (from highest to lowest) is 21 (Mia), 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, 11, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 54, 53, 52, 51, 43, 42, 41, 32, 31.

Midnight

This game is played with 6 dice. One player rolls at a time. All six dice are rolled; the player must “keep” at least one. Any that the player doesn’t keep are rerolled. This procedure is then repeated until there are no more dice to roll. Once kept, dice cannot be rerolled. Players must have kept a 1 and a 4, or they do not score. If they have a 1 and 4, the other dice are totaled to give the player’s score. The maximum score is 24 (four 6s.) The procedure is repeated for the remaining players. The player with the highest four-dice total wins.

If two or more players tie for the highest total, any money bet is added to the next game.

Pig

Each turn, a player repeatedly rolls a die until either a 1 is rolled or the player decides to “hold”:

If the player rolls a 1, they score nothing and it becomes the next player’s turn.
If the player rolls any other number, it is added to their turn total and the player’s turn continues.
If a player chooses to “hold”, their turn total is added to their score, and it becomes the next player’s turn.

The first player to score 100 or more points wins.

For example, the first player, begins a turn with a roll of 5. He could hold and score 5 points, but chooses to roll again. He rolls a 2, and could hold with a turn total of 7 points, but chooses to roll again. He rolls a 1, and must end his turn without scoring. The next player, rolls the sequence 4-5-3-5-6, after which she chooses to hold, and adds her turn total of 23 points to her score.

Ship, Captain, Crew

You need 5 dice to play.

Rolling a 6 on a die is commonly referred to as the Ship – if rolled, set this aside

Rolling a 5 is the Captain - if rolled, set this aside

Rolling a 4 is the Crew - if rolled, set this aside

Anything else rolled on the remaining dice are considered Cargo or treasure to be counted.

Usually multiple rounds, or games, are played. When starting the next game or round, the player to the right (counter-clockwise) of the previous starting player becomes the new starting player.

The Play

Beginning with the starting player, each player in clockwise order takes their turn by rolling the dice up to three times to determine their final score.

On their turn, a player will try to roll for a 6 (the ship), a 5 (the captain), and a 4 (the crew). These numbers, when rolled, are set aside and are not rolled by the player again except that they must be rolled in order. If the roll results in a 5 and 4, they cannot be kept until a 6 has been rolled, and a 4 cannot be kept until a 6 and a 5 have been rolled.

If a player does not roll a 6, 5 and 4 with their three rolls, then they score zero points. If, however, they manage to roll a 6, 5, and a 4 then the remaining two dice (the cargo) are added together to determine the player’s score.

It’s possible that the player will roll the 6, 5 and 4 in only one or two rolls. If this happens, then the player has the option of using their remaining rolls to re-roll both of the cargo dice to try and achieve a higher score. If they choose to reroll, they must keep the total of the new roll even if it is lower than their previous score.

How to Win

Once all players have had a turn, the player with the highest score is the winner. In case of a tie, all tied players take one additional turn each until a single winner is determined.

Zambale’s Pair’o Dice Game

Two dice are thrown. A player has 5 chances to throw a pair. Bets are placed on if the player will throw a pair on their turn, and if the dice will be even or odd. If the player doesn’t throw a pair on their turn, they lose.