Pig is considered a jeopardy game, where you risk everything to see if you can win more. The numbers on the die (except for “1”) each represent points that can accumulate—the winner is the first player to reach 100 points.
Number of Players
The game of Pig is best with two players, but it can work with more people. Just keep in mind that the downtime between turns grows longer with each additional player, which could be challenging for the little ones.
Game Rules
On a turn, a player rolls the die repeatedly. The goal is to accumulate as many points as possible, adding up the numbers rolled on the die. However, if a player rolls a 1, the player’s turn is over and any points they have accumulated during this turn are forfeited. Rolling a 1 doesn’t wipe out your entire score from previous turns, just the total earned during that particular roll. A player can also choose to hold (stop rolling the die) if they do not want to take a chance of rolling a 1 and losing all of their points from this turn. If the player chooses to hold, all of the points rolled during that turn are added to his or her score. When a player reaches a total of 100 or more points, the game ends and that player is the winner.
Scoring Examples
Here are two examples of how to keep score in Pig: Example 1: Sherri rolls a 3 and decides to continue rolling. She rolls seven more times, getting a 6, 6, 6, 4, 5, 6, and then 1. Because she rolled a 1, Sherri’s turn is over and she earns 0 points for this turn. Example 2: Craig rolls a 6 and decides to continue. He then chooses to roll four more times, getting a 3, 4, 2, and 6. He decides to hold (and not take a chance of getting a 1). Craig earns 21 points for this turn (6+3+4+2+6 = 21).
Alternative Versions
You can change the game of Pig a little by using two six-sided dice. In this version, if a player rolls and one of the dice is a 1, the turn ends and no points are scored (as in single-die Pig). However, if a player rolls 1s on both dice (snake eyes), that counts as 25 points. Other doubles are worth double points, so that rolling double 2s is worth 8 points, double 3s is worth 12 points, double 4s is worth 16 points, double 5s is worth 20 points, and double 6s is worth 24 points.
