Pig (dice) facts for kids

Pig is a fun and simple dice game that involves a bit of risk! It's played with just one die. In games like Pig, you decide if you want to keep rolling the die or stop. If you keep rolling, you might get more points, but you also risk losing everything for that turn. If you stop, you add the points you've earned to your score.

This game has been around for a while. A writer named John Scarne mentioned it as a popular dice game back in 1945. Pig is often used by teachers because it's a great way to learn about probability and making quick decisions.

How to Play Pig

Playing Pig is easy! On your turn, you have two choices: you can roll the die or hold (stop rolling).

Rolling the Die

When it's your turn, you can choose to roll the die.

• If you roll a 1, your turn ends immediately. This is often called a "pig." You don't get any points for that turn, and your score stays the same.
• If you roll a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, you add that number to your current "turn total." Your turn continues, and you can choose to roll again or hold.

Holding Your Points

If you decide to "hold," you announce it, and your turn ends.

• When you hold, you add your current "turn total" to your overall score.
• Then, it's the next player's turn.

The goal of the game is to be the first player to reach a score of 100 points or more.

Let's Play! (An Example)

Let's see how a game of Pig might go with two players, Ann and Bob.

Ann's Turn

Ann starts her turn by rolling the die.

• She rolls a 5. Her turn total is now 5 points. She could stop and keep these 5 points, but she decides to roll again.
• Next, Ann rolls a 2. Her turn total is now 7 points (5 + 2 = 7). She could hold here, but she feels lucky and rolls again.
• Oh no! Ann rolls a 1 (a "pig"). Her turn ends right away. She doesn't get any points for this turn, and her score doesn't change. She passes the die to Bob.

Bob's Turn

Now it's Bob's turn.

• Bob rolls a 4. His turn total is 4.
• He rolls again and gets a 5. His turn total is now 9 (4 + 5).
• He rolls again and gets a 3. His turn total is now 12 (9 + 3).
• He rolls again and gets a 5. His turn total is now 17 (12 + 5).
• He rolls one more time and gets a 5. His turn total is now 22 (17 + 5).
• Bob decides he has enough points for this turn and says "hold." He adds 22 points to his score.

The game continues with players taking turns until someone reaches 100 points and wins!

Images for kids

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  The game of Pig is played with a single six-sided die.

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  A visualization of the best way to play a two-player game of Pig.

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  Sometimes, people play Pig with two dice instead of one.