What dice game uses 6 dice?

Farkle is the classic 6-dice game. You roll all six, set aside scoring dice like 1s, 5s, and three of a kind, and choose whether to bank your points or roll the rest. If a roll has no scoring dice, you lose everything from that turn. The first player to 10,000 points triggers a final turn for everyone else.

What is the best dice game for 2 players?

Backgammon is the best two-player dice game if you want strategy, since every roll gives you real choices about which checkers to move. For something lighter, Farkle and Yahtzee both play well with two. Farkle is faster and more of a gamble, while Yahtzee takes about 20 to 30 minutes and rewards planning which boxes to fill.

What dice game is good for a large group?

Bunco is made for large groups: 12 players at three tables, with partners changing every round, and it works with any multiple of four. Left Right Center is the easiest for an uneven crowd, since it needs only three dice and three chips a person. Farkle also works for any number from one set of 6 dice and a score sheet.

Can you play Yahtzee with regular dice?

Yes. Yahtzee uses five ordinary six-sided dice, so any five dice from another game will work. The only thing you need from the box is the score card, and you can draw one on paper: the six upper boxes (Aces through Sixes), the 35-point bonus line, and the seven lower boxes, from three of a kind down to Chance.

What dice games can you play alone?

Yahtzee and Shut the Box are the two best solo dice games. In Yahtzee you play the same 13 rounds and try to beat your best total; in Shut the Box you try to close all nine tiles, which happens often enough to keep you trying. Farkle also works alone if you set a goal, such as reaching 10,000 in as few turns as possible.

Is Farkle the same as Yahtzee?

No. Both use dice and reward combinations, but they play differently. Farkle uses 6 dice, you can keep rolling as long as you score, and one bad roll wipes out your turn, so it is about pushing your luck toward 10,000. Yahtzee uses 5 dice, gives you three rolls, and has you fill 13 fixed boxes, so it is about planning.

Dice Games: Farkle, Yahtzee, Bunco, LCR and More

1. Farkle

For a crowd with one set of dice. 2 or more players, 30–45 min.

Farkle is the push-your-luck dice game, and it needs only 6 dice and a score sheet. On your turn you roll all six, set aside at least one scoring die, and then decide: bank your points or roll the rest for more. A single 1 is worth 100 and a single 5 is worth 50, three of a kind scores 100 times the number (three 1s are usually 1,000), and a 1-2-3-4-5-6 straight scores 1,500. If you set aside all six dice, you can pick them all up and keep going. The catch is that a roll with nothing scoring is a Farkle, and you lose everything from that turn. It plays 2 to 10 people, anyone 8 and up can learn it in one turn, and the groans when someone Farkles away 2,000 points are the best part. The first player to 10,000 triggers one last turn for everyone else, and a game takes 30 to 45 minutes.

How to play Farkle; farkle score calculator; printable rules.

2. Yahtzee

For families and solo play. 1 or more players, 20–30 min.

Yahtzee is probably the most familiar dice game on this list, and it gives you the most small decisions. Each turn you roll five dice up to three times, keeping any dice you like between rolls, then write a score in one of 13 boxes on your card. The upper section scores Aces through Sixes, and a total of 63 or more there adds a 35-point bonus. The lower section pays for three and four of a kind, a full house (25), a small straight (30), a large straight (40), and a Yahtzee, five of a kind, for 50. Every extra Yahtzee earns 100 more. The real decisions come late, when you have to scratch a box you were saving because the dice didn't cooperate. The game always lasts exactly 13 rounds, about 20 to 30 minutes, and it works for any number of players, including one person trying to beat a personal best.

How to play Yahtzee; yahtzee score sheet; printable rules.

3. Shut the Box

With a tray and a quiet table. 1 or more players, 2–3 min per player.

Shut the Box is a wooden tray of tiles numbered 1 to 9 and two dice. You roll, then flip down any open tiles that add up to the roll: a 9 can shut the 9, or the 6 and 3, or the 5 and 4. You keep going until a roll can't be made, and your score is the total of the tiles still standing, so low is good and shutting every tile wins outright. A turn takes two or three minutes, it plays solo as well as in a group, and the real decision on every roll is which combination leaves you the most ways to finish.

How to play Shut the Box; printable rules.

4. Left Right Center

For a big, noisy table. 3 or more (the standard set's 24 chips cover 8) players, 10–20 min.

Left Right Center needs three special dice and three chips per player, and nothing else. On your turn you roll one die for each chip you hold, up to three: an L sends a chip to your left, an R to your right, a C into the pot in the middle, and a dot does nothing. You can run out of chips and still be in the game, because your neighbors may roll some back to you. The last person holding chips takes the pot. There are no decisions at all, which is exactly why it works for 10 people and a 5-year-old at the same table.

How to play Left Right Center; printable rules.

5. Bunco

For a party of 12. 12 is standard (any multiple of 4) players, 1.5–2 hours for a full party.

Bunco is a party more than a game, and that is why groups love it. The standard setup is 12 players at three tables of four, with partners sitting across from each other and three dice per table. Each of the six rounds has a target number, 1s in round one up through 6s in round six. You roll three dice and score a point for each die showing the target, and you keep rolling as long as you score. Rolling three of the target number is a Bunco, worth 21 points, and you shout it. When a team at the head table reaches 21, they ring the bell and every table stops. Winners move up a table and partners change, so everyone ends up playing with everyone. There are no decisions to make, which leaves plenty of room for talking and snacks. An evening runs 1.5 to 2 hours, and most groups hand out prizes at the end.

How to play Bunco; bunco tally sheet; printable rules.

6. Backgammon

For two players who like strategy. 2 players, 10–30 min per game.

Backgammon is the dice game for two people who want skill to matter. Each player has 15 checkers on a 24-point board and moves them in opposite directions according to two dice, trying to bring all of them into their home board and then bear them off. Doubles let you move four times. A single checker left alone on a point can be hit and sent to the bar, and it has to re-enter before its owner can move anything else, so every roll is a choice between racing, blocking, and attacking. The dice keep a stronger player from winning every game, which is why beginners can take a game off experts. The doubling cube lets either player raise the stakes, and a gammon or backgammon is worth two or three times a normal win. A game takes 10 to 30 minutes, and most sets come with everything you need, including two pairs of dice and the cube.

How to play Backgammon; printable rules.

Which dice game should you play?

Pick by group size first. Backgammon is strictly for two, Bunco is built for 12 (any multiple of 4 works), Left Right Center wants at least three and gets better with more, and Farkle, Yahtzee and Shut the Box handle anything in between. Then decide how much you want your choices to matter: Bunco and Left Right Center are all luck, backgammon rewards skill the most, and the other three sit in the middle.

Game	Players	Dice needed	Time	Luck vs. choices	Best for
Farkle	2 or more (up to about 10)	6	30–45 min	Mostly luck, with a bank-or-roll choice every roll	Casual groups, parties, travel
Yahtzee	1 or more	5 plus a cup	20–30 min	Luck plus steady choices about what to keep and where to score	Families, solo play
Shut the Box	1 or more	2 plus a tile tray	2–3 min per player	Luck plus a choice of tiles on every roll	Solo play, pubs, small groups
Left Right Center	3 or more	3 LCR dice (or regular dice)	10–20 min	All luck	Large family gatherings
Bunco	12 standard (multiples of 4)	3 per table (9 for 12 players)	1.5–2 hours	All luck	Party nights and social groups
Backgammon	2	2 pairs (4) plus a doubling cube	10–30 min	Mostly choices; the dice set up each decision	Two players who want strategy

What dice do you need?

Five of these six games use standard six-sided dice, often called d6, numbered 1 to 6. One pack of 10 or 12 dice covers Farkle, Yahtzee, Bunco and backgammon, and two of them run Shut the Box if you write the numbers 1 to 9 on paper and cross them off.

Farkle needs 6 dice. Yahtzee needs 5, and a cup keeps the rolls honest. Bunco needs 3 per table, so 9 for the standard 12-player party, plus a bell for the head table and tally sheets. Backgammon sets come with two pairs of dice and a doubling cube. Left Right Center uses three dice marked L, R, C and three dots; with regular dice, treat 1 to 3 as dots, 4 as L, 5 as C and 6 as R. If you don't have dice to hand, the dice roller on this site rolls any number of them.

Questions people ask

What dice game uses 6 dice?: Farkle is the classic 6-dice game. You roll all six, set aside scoring dice like 1s, 5s, and three of a kind, and choose whether to bank your points or roll the rest. If a roll has no scoring dice, you lose everything from that turn. The first player to 10,000 points triggers a final turn for everyone else.
What is the best dice game for 2 players?: Backgammon is the best two-player dice game if you want strategy, since every roll gives you real choices about which checkers to move. For something lighter, Farkle and Yahtzee both play well with two. Farkle is faster and more of a gamble, while Yahtzee takes about 20 to 30 minutes and rewards planning which boxes to fill.
What dice game is good for a large group?: Bunco is made for large groups: 12 players at three tables, with partners changing every round, and it works with any multiple of four. Left Right Center is the easiest for an uneven crowd, since it needs only three dice and three chips a person. Farkle also works for any number from one set of 6 dice and a score sheet.
Can you play Yahtzee with regular dice?: Yes. Yahtzee uses five ordinary six-sided dice, so any five dice from another game will work. The only thing you need from the box is the score card, and you can draw one on paper: the six upper boxes (Aces through Sixes), the 35-point bonus line, and the seven lower boxes, from three of a kind down to Chance.
What dice games can you play alone?: Yahtzee and Shut the Box are the two best solo dice games. In Yahtzee you play the same 13 rounds and try to beat your best total; in Shut the Box you try to close all nine tiles, which happens often enough to keep you trying. Farkle also works alone if you set a goal, such as reaching 10,000 in as few turns as possible.
Is Farkle the same as Yahtzee?: No. Both use dice and reward combinations, but they play differently. Farkle uses 6 dice, you can keep rolling as long as you score, and one bad roll wipes out your turn, so it is about pushing your luck toward 10,000. Yahtzee uses 5 dice, gives you three rolls, and has you fill 13 fixed boxes, so it is about planning.