Hobbies And Interests
Dice Only
Dice-only games range from simply racking up the numbers on the dice to mathematically advanced games, and everything in between. Players can get very creative mathematically by setting up an algebraic formula, then rolling the dice and plugging in the variables. Whoever's end product is greater, wins. One game that is especially fun for kids have each player rolling a die, and for each number they get, they get to draw one body part of a bug. This is called "Beetle."
Gambling Dice
The biggest and most popular gambling dice game is Craps. Craps originally began as Hazard, a game similar to the one played today, by Sir William of Tyre in 1125 AD. The popular term "snake eyes" comes from this game, meaning each die is showing a one on its upward face. In Craps, the shooter will roll the dice. He then has to re-roll that same number before rolling a seven or he will "crap out," losing his bet (and those of others betting on his success). Other casino dice games include the lesser-known Die Rich, Sic-Bo and Big Six.
Games Featuring Dice
Some dice games are pre-packaged and can usually only be bought from a toy, game or other retail store. The most popular of these would be "Yahtzee!" In "Yahtzee!", players take turns shooting five dice from a cup. Each player gets three rolls to try and make different combinations of die results, each worth different points. "Liar's Dice" is a game that was originally played with nothing more than cups and dice, and is now available in stores as a packaged game.
Non-Cube Dice
When thinking of dice, most people picture a six-sided die with dots -- called pips -- on each side, representing the numbers one through six. There are, however, many different kinds of dice. Twenty-sided dice are normally used in role-playing or miniature games like "Dungeons &Dragons" and "Warhammer." Other games in a similar category use types of "polyhedral" dice including a "d8" or "d10" with 8 or 10 sides, respectively.