Pig

What You Need

• 1 die
• Paper and a pencil for the running scores

Setup

Write both names on the paper. Each player rolls the die once. High roll goes first. That is the whole setup. Pig takes ten seconds to teach and about ten minutes to play.

How a Turn Works

1. Roll the die.
2. If it shows 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, add that number to your turn total. The turn total is separate from your score. Keep it in your head or on the paper.
3. Now choose. Roll again to grow the turn total, or say "hold".
4. If you hold, add the turn total to your score. Your turn ends.
5. If you roll a 1 at any point, your turn total drops to zero. You bank nothing. Your turn ends. Your banked score from earlier turns is safe.
6. Pass the die.

Winning

The first player to reach 100 points wins the moment they bank the point that gets them there. In the standard rules there is no final turn for the other player. If you want equal turns, see the variations below.

Two-Player Notes

Pig works best with exactly two. Every roll is either yours or your opponent's, so nobody waits. The first player has a small edge, so alternate who starts when you play a series, or use the equal-turns variant.

Strategy Tips

• Each roll has a 1 in 6 chance of a 1. Hold at 20 is the classic rule and loses about 8 percent of games to a perfect player. Hold at 25 does better and loses about 4 percent.
• Near the end, forget the hold rule. If your opponent will win on their next turn, roll until you win or bust. Playing safe there hands them the game.
• When you are far ahead, bank small. Ten safe points a turn beats a 30-point gamble when the other player needs a miracle.

Variations

• Equal turns. When a player reaches 100, the other player gets one more turn. Higher score wins. A tie means another round each.
• Two-Dice Pig. Roll two dice and add both. A single 1 ends your turn with nothing. Two 1s wipe out your whole score, not just the turn total.
• Big Pig. Two dice. Double 1s add 25 to the turn total. Any other double adds twice the dice total. A single 1 still ends the turn at zero.
• Hog. One roll per turn. Choose how many dice to throw. Any 1 scores zero for the turn. No 1s, and you score the sum of every die.
• Skunk. A group version. Everyone stands. Two dice are rolled for the whole table. Sit down to bank what has been rolled so far. A 1 ends the round, and anyone still standing gets nothing.
• Pass the Pigs. The store-bought version throws small plastic pigs instead of dice. Same idea, sillier.