Gameweave

Poker Dice

Poker Dice is a fast, bluff-free cousin of poker. You get five dice and three throws to build the best hand you can — then you find out whether it was enough.

Objective

Roll the highest-ranking poker hand. The best hand takes the round, and the first player to win three rounds takes the match.

The Dice

Each of the five dice carries a card rank instead of pips:
Face
Rank
Beats
Ace
6
everything
King
5
Queen and below
Queen
4
Jack and below
Jack
3
Ten and below
Ten
2
Nine
Nine
1
nothing
There are no suits on dice, so there are no flushes.

Setup

All five dice start in the pool. Player 1 throws first; play then passes around the table.

Taking a Turn

1.
First throw. Throw all five dice.
2.
Hold what you like. Tap the dice you want to throw again — anything you leave alone is held.
3.
Second throw. The selected dice are thrown again.
4.
Hold again. You may throw again any die, including one you held after the first throw.
5.
Third throw. Your last chance at the dice.
6.
Stand. Your hand is locked in and the dice pass to the next player.
You may Stand at any point — there is no reward for using all three throws, and no penalty for stopping early. After the third throw, standing is your only option.

Hand Rankings

Highest to lowest:
Hand
Example
Notes
Five of a Kind
A-A-A-A-A
The best hand there is
Four of a Kind
Q-Q-Q-Q-10
Full House
A-A-A-K-K
Three of a kind plus a pair
Straight
10-J-Q-K-A
Five in a row; 9-10-J-Q-K also
Three of a Kind
K-K-K-10-9
Two Pair
A-A-Q-Q-J
One Pair
J-J-A-K-9
High Die
A-K-J-10-9
Nothing matching, no run
Only two straights are possible: 9-10-J-Q-K and 10-J-Q-K-A. Five different ranks with a gap in the middle — say 9-J-Q-K-A — is just a high die.

Breaking Ties

When two players make the same kind of hand, the dice themselves decide:
•
Pairs and sets — the higher set wins. A pair of Aces beats a pair of Kings.
•
Full house — the three of a kind decides it first. A-A-A-10-10 beats K-K-K-A-A.
•
Two pair — the higher pair decides, then the second pair. A-A-J-J-9 beats A-A-10-10-K, even though the loser holds a King.
•
Kickers — if the matching dice are level, the leftover dice settle it, highest first. Q-Q-A-K-10 beats Q-Q-A-J-9: both hold a pair of Queens with an Ace, but the King outranks the Jack.
•
Straights — 10-J-Q-K-A beats 9-10-J-Q-K.

Winning

•
The best hand wins the round and scores a point.
•
If two or more players tie exactly — the same hand, right down to the last die — nobody scores. The tied players throw again for the round while everyone else sits it out.
•
The next round picks up with the player after the last one to throw. After an ordinary round that is Player 1 again; after a roll-off it is whoever sits after the last tied player.
•
The first player to three round wins takes the match.