How to Play the Dice Game Zonk

Game Play

• 1

  Decide who will start the game. The players take turns rolling one die. The person with the highest roll goes first.

• 2

  Roll all six dice. Any dice numbered 1 or 5 or any three-of-a-kind dice are worth points and must be set aside. Roll the remaining dice to resume your turn.

• 3

  Continue until you do not score any points or you decide to stop. If you decide to stop, you can collect the points you have accumulated. You can choose to stop rolling and collect the points at any time after your first roll. However, if you score on all six dice, you must roll all six again.
  If you do not score, you receive a "Z," which is zero points.
  When your turn is over, the person next to you (counterclockwise) goes next.

• 4

  Scoring: 1's are worth 100 points, and 5's are 50 points. Additionally, if you receive a three of a kind, multiply the base number by 100. For example, rolling three 2's will earn you 200 points. However, if you roll three 1's, you earn 1000 points. If you roll four, five or six of a kind, you add 100 points to the total. For instance, rolling four 2's will equal 200 points plus an additional 100.

• 5

  Win the game by scoring exactly 10,000 points. However, if the leader misses the score and goes over, the game continues until 13,000 points.

Zonking

• 6

  If you roll the dice out of the game play area, you receive a "Z."

• 7

  If you roll the dice out of turn, you receive a "Z."

• 8

  If you fail to score on your turn, you receive a "Z."

• 9

  If you leave the table and do not return before your turn, you receive a "Z."

• 10

  Cheating is an important, accepted part of the game. However, if someone catches you, you will receive a "Z" for your turn. You can cheat by giving a false tally when counting your score. In addition, when you move the dice to keep in your corner, you may turn up another dice to raise your score.