Rules for Skip-Bo Dice

Setting Up the Game

• Place the game board upright on a flat playing surface, such as a table or counter-top. Position each of the 12 dice on their respective squares on the game board. For example, position the green dice labeled "1" on the green square labeled "1." There are 12 squares numbered from 1 to 12, each corresponding to one of the 1 dice. Write down the names of all player on a sheet of paper with a pencil. Place the dice cup beside the game board.

Playing the Game

• Flip a coin to determine which player goes first. The first player places dice 1 through 5 into the plastic cup. After a quick shake, the first player dumps the dice onto the table. If the die corresponding to the lowest unoccupied square on the game board is rolled with the number face up (in this case, the die labeled "1"), the player places the die on the square. If the die labeled "2" was also rolled face up, the player also places that die on its respective square, and so on. Once all corresponding dice are placed on their squares in order, the player collects the remaining dice, places them into the cup and rolls once more in an attempt to continue placing dice. If the player fails to fill the lowest unoccupied square with the corresponding die, play moves to the player on the left, who drops the next five dice into the cup.

Taking a Risk

• Once a player fills the lowest occupied square with the corresponding die, that player can choose to end his turn, rather than continue rolling. In such a case, that player is awarded points equal to the number value on the most recently played die. For instance, if the player rolls all five dice at the beginning of his turn and is able to fill the "12" square, that player may wish to end his turn to earn 12 points. If that player decides to continue rolling (again trying to fill the "1" square and working back up the board) and fails to roll the necessary "1" die, that player would lose all previously earned points that turn. Players will oftentimes find it expedient to end their turns early, rather than risking earned points for a few more.

Winning the Game

• The first player to reach 50 points initiates the end-game portion of the game. All other players receive one more turn in an attempt to beat the player with 50 points. Once all other players take a turn, the player with the highest number of points wins the game. If two players finish while tied with 50 points, all players resume regular play until a player reaches 75 points. That players immediately wins the game.