How to Play Sevens: A Dice Game (2024)

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Need a fun new game to learn? Get ready to learn how to play the SEVENS dice game! This dice game for two or more players is so easy to learn and the roll of the dice will result in lots of rousing "Aw man!"s and "Yes!"es. Kids love the action of tossing dice, and parents love the way dice games can sneak in math practice as well as keeping kids off screens.

How to Play Sevens: A Dice Game (1)

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You're so smart that you've already figured out that Sevens has something to do with the number 7. But the numbers 6 and 3 are also important. Find out why by reading the game rules below!

Love dice games? See the best dice game for kids!

How to Play Sevens

What you need:

  • Six dice. As I've said before, dice games are always more fun if you have vintage-colored dice like these.
  • 2 or more enthusiastic players
  • Paper and pencil to keep score
How to Play Sevens: A Dice Game (2)

Objective:

To be the player with the highest score after a pre-determined number of rounds.

Now, watch the how-to video or read the written instructions below.

Sevens Dice Game Instructions

  1. Set up

    Decide who goes first. Arm wrestle if you need to, or roll a die and the player who rolls the largest number starts.

    Decide how many rounds you will play. Alternatively, set a point goal and the first player who reaches that point goal wins.

  2. Rules

    On their turn, each player throws down six dice. Looking at the dice, remove any combination of dice that add up to seven. (*see variations, below)

    For example, if a player rolls a 4-3-6-2-1-1, they would remove the 4, 3, 6, 1.

    After removing the dice, the player has two choices. They can stop, keeping the score of the remaining dice. In the above example, the remaining dice are 2-1, for a score of 3. Or, they can roll again to try and increase their score.

    If they roll again, the rule of removing dice adding up to seven still applies. For example, if the second roll is 6-1, then both dice are disqualified and the score is 0. If the second roll was 6-2, the score is 8.

    The first player can roll their dice a total of 3 times (2 re-rolls).

    After the first player has recorded their score, the dice are passed clockwise to the next player. All players can now only roll the dice the number of times the first player rolled. So if the first player only rolled twice, subsequent players can only roll up to two times.How to Play Sevens: A Dice Game (3)

  3. Ending a Round

    After every player has had a turn, the scores are recorded and a new round begins. The player to the left of the player who began the round begins the new round.

  4. Winning

    After a set number of rounds, players tally up their scores. The player with the highest score wins.

    Alternatively, players can decide to play to a predetermined point value, such as 50 or 100. At the end of a round, if a player has reached that point goal, they win the game.

Variations Your Kids Can Try!

Simple games like Sevens are excellent vehicles for experimentation. The important thing to remember is that all players must agree ahead of time on the rules change! Here are some ideas to try:

Only two dice can add up to 7. The options are then limited to 1-6, 2-5, 3-4.

Any number of dice can add up to 7. If a player rolls 5-1-1-1-4-2, then all the dice would have to be removed and a player ends up with a score of zero.

Allow all players to roll the dice up to three times, regardless of how many times the first player threw the dice.

How does the game change if the forbidden number is 3, 8, 6 or any other number rather than 7?

Why Play Sevens Dice?

First, it's fun!

Also, aside from being a game that all ages will enjoy, younger children can work on number and quantity recognition, as well as basic addition skills.

Sevens dice game doesn't require any electronic devices, so it can be played during family game night but also at play dates, or between siblings to pass the time. Drop a handful of dice in your purse and you and your kids can play on-the-go, along with these dice games that use five dice.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. K says

    Cute video, and I'll definitely be playing this with my boys! However, I caught 2 mistakes: you misspelled "roll" once, AND your math in the last roll is totally wrong! I'm sure you did not mean those things, I just wanted to point that out.

    Reply

    • Erica says

      Gah! Thank you. Probably I should have waited a day before proofreading! Sometimes one's eyes glaze over after 40 viewings! I appreciate you letting me know.

      Reply

  2. Angela says

    I don't understand why whoever scores the highest wins. I would let whoever makes the lowest score win because it means that he has tried his luck.
    Why?
    Thanky you for sharing.
    A

    Reply

    • Debbie says

      I have the same question. I would think you would want to have the lowest score….

      Reply

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How to Play Sevens: A Dice Game (2024)

FAQs

How do you play Lucky 7 dice? ›

One player is chosen to begin and then play proceeds clockwise around the table. Each player in turn rolls six dice and removes any combination of numbers that add up to seven. The aim is to score the highest possible total by adding together the numbers shown on the remaining dice.

How to play unlucky 7 dice game? ›

It is simple enough for kids, but with the utility to entertain adults as well. Play goes something like this: Roll the dice, take the card for the corresponding roll (even if someone else has it), repeat until all cards are in the possession of a player, highest total of points wins the round!

How do you play 7 up dice? ›

🎯 Details about the Game: Two standard six-sided dice are rolled, and the player predict whether the sum of the two rolls will be 7, higher than 7 ("7 Up"), or lower than 7 ("7 Down"). When a participant predicts "7 Up," they're betting on a sum greater than 7.

What are the rules of the dice game? ›

The basic premise of the game is this: you roll six dice. Some combinations of dice will score points, while others don't. You take out the dice that have scored points and then decide whether to keep that score, or re-roll the remaining dice to try to score more points.

Why is 7 a lucky number in dice? ›

When rolling two standard six-sided dice, seven has a 6 in 62 (or 1/6) probability of being rolled (1–6, 6–1, 2–5, 5–2, 3–4, or 4–3), the greatest of any number.

How do you roll a 7 with two dice? ›

When two dices are rolled, there are six possibilities of rolling a sum of 7. These are (2, 5), (1, 6), (3, 4), (4, 3), (5, 2), (6, 1).

How do you play craps for beginners? ›

Craps Terms

An even money bet, made on the first roll of the dice (known as the “come out roll”). You win if a 7 or 11 roll, or lose if 2, 3, or 12 roll (known as “craps”). Any other number that rolls becomes the “point” and the point must roll again before a 7 to win.

What happens when you roll a 3 in craps? ›

A.

If a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, you “crap out” or lose. Any other number rolled (i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) becomes the Pass Line “Point.” Pass Line bets win if the Shooter rolls the Point before rolling a 7.

What are the basic rules of craps? ›

Pass line
  • If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the bet wins.
  • If the come-out roll is 2, 3 or 12, the bet loses (known as "crapping out").
  • If the roll is any other value, it establishes a point. If, with a point established, that point is rolled again before a 7, the bet wins.

Is a 7 bad in dice? ›

First Phase in Craps: Come out

A come out roll of 7 or 11 results in a win for bets on the pass line (this is the only time in craps where 7 is good!).

What is the game over under 7 dice? ›

The goal of the game is simple: predict whether the sum of the dice will roll to a total of under 7, over 7, or equal to 7. The game is typically played with 2 dice. Players take turns rolling the dice. Each time they roll the dice they are to predict one of the three possibilities presented above.

How do you play tricky dice? ›

Players may play cards from their hand or one of the two dice in front of them. The player who plays the highest card/die of the lead suit or highest of the trump suit wins the trick and plays the first card/die of the next trick. Play continues until all cards and dice have been played.

How to play the 7 14 21 dice game? ›

Then there's the hardcore 7-14-21. Only dice that come up as “one” are counted. The player who rolls the seventh “one” names the drink; the player who rolls the 14th downs the drink; and the 21st buys the drink.

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