Yard Dice Games

If you’re looking for ways to entertain in your backyard, a set of giant dice goes a long way. You can use the yard dice in thousands of ways in outdoor settings, be it a backyard or a beach. Also, most of the games are suitable for all ages.

Join us as we reveal all yard dice games you can try out with your family and friends. All of them require a few yard dice, enough yard space, and a piece of paper to keep score.

Best Yard Dice Games

Keep note of the number of dice required to play the game, and the number of players required. Most of the games require at least two players, but there are a few that mandate at least 3 players.

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Yardzee

Yahtzee, or in this case, Yardzee, is a dice game in which the main objective is to score points by rolling five dice and meet certain combinations, like in poker. It requires at least two players, a set of yard dice, and wide outdoor space.

The players start the game by rolling three yard dice each. If they don’t make any combination at the first roll, they choose to keep one of the dice and re-roll the other two. Each player can roll the dice up to three times in a turn so as to make several scoring combinations while dice remain in the box. There are thirteen turns in each game and thirteen boxes divided into upper and lower sections.

Whether you’ll complete Yahtzee or not depends on whether a particular one is required or any Yahtzee.

• Upper Section

There are six boxes in the upper section, where you determine the score by adding up all the dice of a certain number.

For instance, if in one round a player makes a combination of three aces, and numbers 2 and 3, they score 3. With that said, when the total score of a player is at least 63 in these six boxes, they add a bonus of 35 to the upper section score.

• Lower Section

The lower section contains a number of poker-like categories, where you score if you meet some of the following combinations:

• • Three of a Kind – Three dice are the same. Score: Sum of all dice

• • Four of a Kind – Four dice are the same. Score: Sum of all dice

• • Full House – Three of one number and two of another. Score: 25

• • Small Straight – Four sequential dice (1-2-3-4; 2-3-4-5, or 3-4-5-6). Score: 30

• • Large Straight – Five sequential dice (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6). Score: 40

• • Yahtzee – All five dice are the same number. Score: 50

• • Chance – Any combination. Score: Sum of all dice

Pass the Pig

Pig is a dice game suitable for any age and is played with a single six-sided die. It requires no more than a few feet of grass in your backyard, at least two players, and a piece of paper to keep track of the score. The objective of this game is to score at least 100 points from all die rolls and the first player who does so is the winner.

The game is played in such a way that each player takes a turn to roll the die. The rules are the following:

• When a player rolls any other number but a 1, they get that same number of points and continue their turn.
• If a player rolls a 1, they score no points, and the next player takes a turn.
• When a player chooses to “hold”, they add their turn total to their score, and the next player takes their turn.

To make the game even more fun for the adults, you can include some beverages as well. For instance, the player who rolls a 1, takes a drink.

Twenty-One

Twenty-one is a simpler version of the card game Blackjack, which is played with a single die and by two or more players. In order to win the game, a player must score a total of 21 or close to it, but not go over.

Firstly, each player rolls the die. The one who gets the highest number goes first. The player starts the game by rolling the die as many times as they want, adding up the numbers they get.

The aim is to score a total of 21 or as near as possible to it. When the player scores over 21, they’re bust and are out of the game. Once all the players take their turn, the player, whose total is highest and nearest to 21, wins.  In the case of a tie, the players continue by taking an extra turn. They re-roll the die, aiming to score under 21 once again.

To play Twenty-one, you need a yard die, small yard space, and something to keep score. You can play it with stakes, as well. At the start of the game, each player puts a unit in a pot. When a player busts, they put an additional unit in there. The player who wins the game takes the pot. In the case of a tie, the players can divide it equally among themselves instead of playing an extra round.

Going to Boston

Going to Boston requires three yard dice and three or more people. Before the start of the game, the players decide on how many rounds they’re going to play. The main objective of the game is to win as many rounds as possible.

The directions are the following:

1. Each player has three throws of the dice in one turn.
2. After the first roll, they put the dice with the highest number aside, and continue rolling the other two.
3. In the second roll, they also keep the highest die number and roll the last die. If a player rolls the same highest numbers after the first or second roll, they reserve only one of them.
4. Add up the numbers of all three dice to get the score for that round.
5. Then, the next player continues rolling.
6. The player who scores the highest total wins the round.
7. In the case of a tie, they go with an additional round of rolling.
8. Once all the rounds are played, the player who won the most rounds wins the game.

This game is suitable for both kids and adults. If you include beverages in the adult version of the game, the rules are – when you don’t win the round, you drink. For kids, on the other hand, you can include some sweeteners, which is the prize for the one who wins the round.

Ship, Captain, and Crew

Ship, Captain, and Crew is a dice game, which is played with five dice and by two or more people. In this case, you need a set of giant dice and not-that-small yard space available.

The object of the game is to roll a 6 (the “ship”), 5 (the “captain”), and 4 (the “crew”) with three dice, and get the highest score with the other two. Alternatively, the 4 is sometimes called the “Mate”, and the other two dice are the “Crew”.

Before the start, each player rolls three dice. The one that scores the highest total goes first. Also, the players agree on the number of rounds they’re going to play.

The player starts by rolling all five dice. If they get a combination of 6, 5, and 4 – that is, the “ship”, “captain”, and “crew” at the first roll, they put them aside.

However, they must have the “ship” first, before they can set the “captain” aside. The same goes for the “crew”, they must have the “ship” and “captain” to set the 4 aside. The remaining dice, which aren’t reserved, are rolled again. A player can take up to three rolls in a turn.

After a player has rolled a 6, 5, and 4 in order, the remaining two dice are the “cargo”, which determine the score of the player for that round. If a 6, 5, and 4 aren’t rolled in order on a player’s turn, they don’t score for that turn. If players tie for the highest amount of “cargo”, they take an additional turn. The one with the highest score wins the game.

If played as a drinking game, all the players except the winner must drink.

Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes is a fun yard dice game that requires a set of yard dice, a rope, and at least two players.

Start the game by making a ring on the ground with the rope, around 3 feet in diameter. Now, all the players need to throw all six dice, one at a time, into the ring, standing on a previously established line around 10 feet back. They can divide into teams as well.

For each die that landed in the circle, the player or team adds up the value shown on each to get the total score. The first one who reaches 21 or throws all 1s is the winner.

Double Whammy

Double Whammy is a drinking dice game that requires two dice, three or more players, and shots. The main objective is to roll numbers that won’t result in you needing to take a drink.

As this is a drinking game, make sure to consume responsibly. Also, don’t drive after.

Each player rolls the dice. You’ll be required to take a drink if you score anything that:

• Adds up to 6, such as 1-5 and 2-4;
• Has a 6 in it, such as 1-6, 2-6, 3-6, 4-6, and 5-6.

If you roll a double, like two 1s, 2’s, 4’s, 5’s, you take that many drinks as the number you get. For instance, you roll two 2s, you take two drinks.

When you roll double 3s or 6s, you’re penalized twice – a double whammy, because you’ve scored something that adds up to 6, as well as something that has a 6 in it. In this case, you take six drinks.

The player continues rolling until they get something that doesn’t require drinking, like 1-2, 1-4, and so on. Then, they pass the dice to the next player.

Farkle

Farkle is a popular yard dice game, which is played by two or more players and a set of giant dice. Besides, a piece of paper is required for keeping score.

Each player rolls the yard dice and aims to reach a winning total, which is usually 10,000 points. The player who starts the game rolls all six dice at once. After each throw, they must set aside one or more dice. At this point, the player can either bank the accumulated score and end their turn, or throw the remaining dice.

If the player scores all six dice, they have “hot dice”, and can continue by throwing all of them once again. On the other hand, if they don’t score with any dice, they have “farkled” and lose all the points they have scored in that turn.

Standard scoring

So you count your points, you should reach at least 500 in a single round. Take a look at the following scores for single dice or combinations of dice:

For instance, if a player rolls 1-2-2-2-5-6, their options are the following:

• Earn 200 points for rolling three 2s and re-roll the remaining dice;
• Score 100 points for rolling a 1 and re-roll the remaining dice;
• Earn 50 points for rolling a 5 and re-roll the remaining dice;
• Score three 2s, a 1, and a 5, getting a total of 350, and then re-roll the remaining die;
• Score three 2s, a 1, and a 5, getting a total of 350 and finish the turn.

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Martha M.

I'm passionate about small DIY projects and my modest garden. I'm always up for a challenge! Soon after getting out of university, I realized I won't find many if I don't set the ground myself. Soon after, TopYardDesign.com was created.