How to Play the Round the Clock Dice Game

Today’s dice game is a fast play game that is fun and frustrating all at the same time. Round the Clock is easy and can be enjoyed by any number of players who can add.

Round the Clock is similar enough to Ohio (a family favorite) but a little faster. It would also make a great New Year’s Eve game like the Midnight Dice game. (For other New Year’s Eve dice games see the post here.)

Let’s get into the Round the Clock rules and see the variations.

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What You Need for Round the Clock

You will need two standard dice. You may wish to have a pen and paper to keep track of everyone’s number. If you need some new dice, we love to play with everyone having their own set in their favorite colour, shop here; Canadians, here.

How to Play Round the Clock

The aim of Round the Clock is to be the first player to get to 12 o’clock.

The first player rolls both dice, trying to get a 1. If she succeeds, she says “one o’clock.” She then gets to roll the dice again, trying to get a two.

Dice can be used as the face value or added together to make the number. For example if a player is trying for 6 o’clock, she can roll either a 6 or add the dice to make six such as 3 + 3 or 2 + 4.

If a player is successful, she gets to roll again. On the other hand, if she doesn’t roll the number she is looking for, her turn is over and play moves onto the next player.

On a player’s next turn, she will be trying to get the next number. If she didn’t roll a one, then she is still trying for a 1. On the other hand, if she rolled a 1 and a 2 then she is looking for 3.

Winning Round the Clock Dice Game

The first player to get to 12 o’clock is the winner.

Round the Clock Variations

The first rule variation is that players get only one roll per turn. So if you get the number you are looking for then your turn is over but on your next turn, you are rolling for the next number.

The second rule change is that the dice can be multiplied together to get the number. So if a player is looking for 6 o’clock he can roll a 6, or a 2 + 4, or 1 + 5, or 3 + 3 or 2 x 3.

Last, you could draw a clock on a piece of paper and use tokens to move players around the clock. This could help not only keep track of what number everyone is rolling for but help teach the clock for kids.

Count Down

For a fun twist, start at 12 and go through the clock backwards. So after 12, you would need 11 and so on.

Roll On for Fun

Round the Clock is a simple, fast game that is a great time filler and great math practice for kids.

If you need some new dice, we like to play with everyone having their own colours, you can shop for dice here. Canadians can get theirs here.

If you’re looking for more fun dice games try out Pig, Tug of War Dice, and Aces in the Pot. And try our unique Whacky Putt dice games—the indoor mini golf dice game that will put a smile on everyone’s face.