How to Play the Threes Dice Game

Today we’re going to show you how to play the easy game Threes Dice game. It’s a simple to learn game that players of all ages will love. And it’s super fast to play. Other names for this game are Threes Away, Bender’s Delight and Tripps.

It is said that Threes is one of the oldest dice games on record. It was common in bars and pubs as a gambling game but you can play without the gambling.

Let’s get into how to play Threes, the Threes rules and any game variations of Threes.

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What You Need for Threes Dice Game

You will need five standard dice to play. You may also wish to keep score with a pen and paper.

How to Play Threes Dice Game

To start, the first player rolls all five dice. The aim is to get the lowest score possible. Threes count as zero points. All other numbers count as face value. Players must set aside at least one dice but can set aside any number they’d like.

Next, the player re-rolls any dice that she didn’t set aside. Again, she can keep any of the dice that she wants but she must keep at least one dice.

When all of her dice are set aside, she tallies up her score and it’s now the next person’s turn.

The next player rolls all the dice and the process repeats.

Winning Threes Dice Game

The player with the lowest score is the winner.

Threes Dice Variations

The first Threes variation is a longer play. Before you start, decide on how many rounds you want to play. The player with the lowest score after those rounds wins. You could also set a time limit to play as long as all players play the same amount of times.

The second variation is to play for money or candy or other bidding items. This game stated as a bar game, so it’s only fitting to including the gambling variant. To start, players put an anti in the middle. The player with the lowest score wins the pot. If there are ties, then each player puts another anti in the middle and they play again.

Shooting the Moon

The last rule change for Threes Dice game is the one called Shooting the Moon. When a player rolls five 6s, this is shooting the moon. This player automatically wins the round.

Fun for All

The Threes Dice game is a simple one to play and it’s great for groups big and small. Best of all it can be played I just one round for a quick time filler or it can be played so that it fills a game night.

Looking for more fin dice games? Check out Mexico, Lazy Dice and Tug of War. And if you’re looking for outrageous fun with dice try our Whacky Putt mini golf game and all of its seasonal fun. You can get your copy in our Family Game Shelf Shop.

If you need more dice—we love to play with everyone having their own colour set—shop dice here. Canadians can get theirs here.