PlayInfoBox

Home /Games /Classic Dice Games From Around the World

Classic Dice Games From Around the World

Here are the rules of five classic dice games played around the world, from casino staples to simple pen-and-paper favorites.

Craps: bet on the roll

Craps is a classic casino dice game. On the first roll (the "come-out roll"), a 7 or 11 wins immediately and a 2, 3, or 12 loses immediately; any other number becomes the "point," and the shooter wins by rolling that number again before rolling a 7.

Liar's Dice: bluff your way to the win

Each player rolls five dice hidden under a cup and looks only at their own. Players take turns making increasingly bold claims about the total count of a given face across all dice on the table; anyone can call "liar," at which point all dice are revealed to settle the round.

Farkle: push your luck or bank your points

Roll six dice and score points for specific combinations (like single 1s and 5s, or three-of-a-kind). Each turn you can bank your points or set aside scoring dice and reroll the rest for more — but if a roll produces no scoring combination at all, you "Farkle" and lose everything earned that turn.

Poker dice (Yahtzee-style): build a hand

Rolling five dice up to three times per turn, players try to form poker-style hands like a full house or four of a kind to score points, similar to a hand of cards. Deciding which hand to chase each turn is the core strategic decision.

Pig: a simple push-your-luck game

Players take turns rolling a single die and adding up their rolls. You can stop at any time to bank your turn total, but rolling a 1 wipes out everything earned that turn — so knowing when to stop is the entire game.

What most dice games have in common

Games like Farkle and Pig share a "push your luck" mechanic, where players decide each turn whether to keep risking their points for more or lock in what they have. Liar's Dice adds a different layer entirely — bluffing and reading other players — on top of the underlying randomness.

Reading the odds before you play

A fair six-sided die gives each face an equal 1-in-6 chance. Roll two dice and add them together, though, and the totals are not equally likely: 7 comes up most often, while 2 and 12 are the rarest. Understanding this basic probability helps with decision-making in push-your-luck games.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these games mostly luck or skill?

It's a mix. Farkle and Pig combine luck with the skill of judging when to stop; Liar's Dice adds real bluffing skill on top of the dice. Craps leans more heavily on pure luck, with betting choices affecting payout rather than the actual odds.

Do I need special dice to play these?

No — standard six-sided dice (usually five or six of them) cover all of these games. For Liar's Dice, a cup to hide each player's dice makes the game work properly.