Written by Howard Fosdick © BestFreeNewGames.com
Overview: 6-6-6 is a classic dice bluffing game similar to Liar Dice, Dudo, or Perudo. Simpler to learn and quite as entertaining, it was once a favorite among college students.
6-6-6 makes an excellent low stakes gambling game because it limits losses. You can enjoy gambling while keeping losses low so that no one loses much or gets upset. Children can have fun playing for pennies because they can pretend they are gambling without facing any real consequences.
We includes rules for 6-6-6 variants, and also the closely-related game of Liar Dice.
Players and Equipment:
2 to 6 players, works best for 3 to 5. Requires 3 dice and two tossing cups. Also a pile of poker chips, pennies, coins, or other markers for each player.
Goal: To win the most chips.
Play:
The first player rolls the three dice. He conceals what they show under his dice cup. He peeks at them while carefully ensuring that no other player sees them.
The player announces what his roll contains. This can be either the truth or a complete lie (a bluff).
He announces the three dice in order, from highest to lowest. For example, "5-2-1" or "6-6-2".
His goal is to fake the player to his right into challenging him when he's actually told the truth -- or to accept his claim as truthful when he's actually bluffing.
The player to his right now either states that he accepts the claim as true. Or, he challenges it as a bluff.
* If the player challenges the claim, the dice are unmasked. If the claim was true, the challenger gives a chip to the roller he challenged.
* If the claim was false (a bluff), the player who made the bluff gives a chip into the person who challenged him and exposed his bluff.
If the next player chose not to challenge the claim, he carefully slides the dice under to cup over to himself. (This movement must be done so that the dice are not upset or changed during the transfer.)
Now that the next player has the cup and dice, he carefully peeks at the dice, again taking care that no one else sees them but himself.
Now he chooses to roll either one, two, or all three of the dice to improve the results. (He must honestly show the others how many dice he chooses to roll.) The player keeps the dice he doesn't roll hidden under the original dice cup, and uses the second dice cup for his roll. He conceals the results of his roll from everyone else.
Like the previous player, he announces his results to the others.
His claim may be true or a bluff, but it must be a higher number than the previous claim. For example, if the previous claim was 5-2-1, this claim must be at least 5-2-2. (It could also be anything higher, such as 6-1-1 or 5-2-4. Digits are always described in descending order and treated as a single three-digit number in claims.)
Now the player to his right must challenge or accept the claim. And around the table you play, until someone has challenged and ends the round.
The next round starts with the player to the right of the last player who rolled.
The game ends after a fixed number of rounds, or by mutual agreement.
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Variations:
Some prefer that players pay into a central kitty or pot instead of directly paying chips or coins to one another.
To keep interactions fresh and interesting, change seats after a number of rounds equal to the number of participants. Or switch to playing in opposite order around the circle.
Try playing where the roller selects who his potential challenger will be. The same person may not be selected as challenger two consecutive times (unless there is no alternative).
Find a Winner -- To find a single winner when more than two play, each player starts with the same number of coins (say 5). Every time someone loses a bluff or a challenge, they pay a coin to the central kitty. When a person runs out of coins, he drops out of the game. The last person left is the winner. He wins the pot. (Or, play with chips and give the winner a free drink paid for by his former competitors.) This format features an exciting end where the last two potential winners square off, one on one.
Find a Loser -- To find a single loser when more than two play, place a number of chips into a central kitty. When a player loses a bluff or a challenge, he takes a chip. First player to accumulate 5 chips is the grand loser.
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6-6-6 Tips for Play:
The lowest roll -- or claim -- is 1-1-1. The highest is 6-6-6.
If the claim reaches the highest possible -- 6-6-6 -- the next player is required to challenge.
If you accept a player's roll and receive the dice yourself, then you roll lower than what you accepted, you will be forced to bluff.
You'll find that some players "play the odds" in considering whether to challenge a claim. Is it statistically realistic to think the claim accurate?
Others "play the player". They consider the roller's manner and personality in deciding whether to challenge.
It's these two different philosophies and the way they interplay that make this game interesting.
Liar Dice:
If you've heard of the game "Liar Dice," it's basically the same game as 6-6-6. The differences are:
(1) Use 5 dice instead of 3| Hand: | Description: | Examples: |
|---|---|---|
| 5-of-a-Kind | Any five dice that show the same number | 1-1-1-1-1 |
| 4-of-a-Kind | Any four dice that show the same number | 3-3-3-3 |
| Full House | Three of any one number, and two of any other number | 2-2-5-5-5 or 6-6-6-1-1 |
| High Straight | All five dice in the sequence 2-3-4-5-6 | 2-3-4-5-6 |
| Low Straight | All five dice in the sequence 1-2-3-4-5 | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| Triplet | Three dice of the same rank | 2-2-2 |
| Two Pair | Two sets of matching dice | 3-3 and 6-6 |
| One Pair | One set of matching dice | 3-3 |
| Highest Die | Highest single die | 6 |
Sources: These rules were compiled from numerous internet sources.
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