Topic · 48 guides

Games of chance guides

Kitchen-table and bar games carry real probabilities. These guides give the rules, the scoring and the odds behind each one, then show how the same maths looks in a hashed PvP round.

Dice games

Farkle rules: scoring, farkle odds and when to bank

Farkle rules in plain English: the scoring table, hot dice, the exact odds of farkling with 1 to 6 dice, and when to bank points versus roll again.

Yahtzee rules: the scorecard, the bonuses and the odds

Yahtzee rules explained: 13 rounds, three rolls, every scorecard box, the 35-point and Yahtzee bonuses, Joker rules and the real odds behind each category.

Liars dice: rules, bidding and how likely a bid is

Liars dice rules explained: cups, bids, calling liar, wild ones and spot-on calls, plus binomial odds tables that show when a bid is likely to be true.

Bunco: party dice rules, six rounds and how scoring works

Bunco rules for a party: 12 players, six rounds, 21-point buncos, baby buncos, table rotation, and the exact odds of rolling three of a kind.

Shut the box: rules, the real shut odds and a usable strategy

Shut the box rules for tiles 1 to 9: how to close numbers, when one die is allowed, published shut rates near 4%, and the move that stays closest to optimal.

Left right center rules: chips, dice and who wins by seat

Left right center rules in full: three dice, chip flow to L, C and R, how many dice you roll, and why later seats win slightly more often.

Ship captain crew: rules, cargo scoring and qualifying odds

Ship captain crew rules: bank a 6, then a 5, then a 4 in three rolls, score the two cargo dice, and the real odds of qualifying at all.

Poker dice: rules, hand rankings and the odds of every hand

Poker dice rules, the hand rankings, exact odds for all 7,776 rolls of five dice, and which dice to keep on a reroll, with worked probability examples.

Cee lo rules: 4-5-6, points, banker vs player and the odds

Cee lo rules for the three-dice 4-5-6 game: winning and losing rolls, points, banker vs player play, and the exact odds, including the banker's real edge.

Chuck a luck: the birdcage dice game, its payouts and its 7.87% edge

Chuck a luck explained: birdcage dice rules and payouts, why it feels like a 50/50, the exact 7.87% house edge, and its links to sic bo and crown and anchor.

Hazard dice game: medieval rules, main and chance, and how it became craps

The hazard dice game explained: how the main and the chance work, nicks and outs, the caster's odds for each main, and how hazard was simplified into craps.

Mexico dice game: rules, the scoring order and how lives work

Mexico dice game rules: how to read a two-dice roll, the full scoring order from 21 down to 31, lives, roll limits and the odds of beating any roll you face.

Card games

The 52 card deck: composition, history and the odds of common draws

The 52 card deck explained: 4 suits of 13 ranks, where the French suits came from, jokers, and the exact odds of common draws, pairs, aces and poker hands.

How to play Spades: rules, bidding, nil and scoring

How to play Spades: the deal, trick rules, bidding, nil and blind nil, bags, scoring to 500, worked hands and sensible rules for adult stakes games.

How to play rummy: rules, melds, scoring and variants

How to play rummy: deal sizes, sets and runs, drawing and laying off, going out, scoring, draw odds and the main variants from Rummy 500 to Indian rummy.

How to play gin rummy: knocking, gin, undercuts and scoring

How to play gin rummy: the deal, upcard, deadwood, knocking, gin and undercut bonuses, scoring to 100, Hollywood and Oklahoma gin, and playing for stakes.

Canasta rules: melds, canastas, the pile and scoring

Canasta rules for the classic partnership game: the 108-card deck, wild cards, red and black threes, the frozen pile, initial melds, canastas and scoring.

How to play euchre: trump, bowers, bidding and scoring

How to play euchre: the 24-card deck, dealing, ordering up trump, right and left bowers, going alone, scoring to 10 points and the odds behind each call.

Oh Hell card game: exact bids, changing deals and scoring

Oh Hell card game rules: the changing deal, exact-trick bidding, the dealer constraint, trump from the leftover card, scoring and adult stakes.

Pitch card game: High, Low, Jack, Game and setback scoring

Pitch card game rules: auction bidding, high low jack and game points, setback scoring, partnership play, and how adults stake a table to 7 or 21.

31 card game: Scat rules, knocking, lives and odds

31 card game rules explained: dealing, card values, knocking, lives and playing Scat for quarters, with real hand odds and a simple knock strategy.

Bourré card game: rules, the growing pot and strategy

Bourre card game rules: the deal, trump, the draw, forced play and why a bourréd player matches the pot, plus trump odds and when to stay or pass.

Board games

Backgammon rules: setup, moves, hitting, bearing off and the cube

Backgammon rules explained: the starting setup, how dice moves work, hitting and the bar, bearing off, gammons and the basics of the doubling cube.

Backgammon strategy: opening moves, priming, blitz and cube decisions

Backgammon strategy that holds up: the best opening moves, shot counting, priming and blitz plans, race pip counts and when to double, take or drop.

Tavla: how Turkish backgammon is played and how it differs

Tavla, the Turkish form of backgammon: setup, the opening throw, mars scoring, no doubling cube, dice names, variants like mahbusa and match strategy.

Checkers rules: setup, moves, forced captures, kings and draws

Official checkers rules for the 8x8 game: setup, who moves first, forced captures, multi-jumps, kings, draws, tournament ballots and playing for stakes.

Tiles and mahjong

Mahjong tiles: the full set, suits, honours, meanings and basic rules

Mahjong tiles explained: the 144-tile set, the three suits, winds, dragons, flowers and seasons, regional sets, and the basic mahjong rules for a first game.

Mahjong gambling: stakes, fan scoring, parlours and who pays

Mahjong gambling: Hong Kong fan tables, who pays on a discard, Macau and HK parlours, Japanese riichi sticks, and how adults set a unit.

Dominoes rules: the set, block and draw games, scoring and variants

Dominoes rules for block and draw games: the double-six set, dealing, matching ends, doubles, passing, scoring hands, All Fives and popular domino variants.

Mexican train rules: setup, trains, markers, doubles and scoring

Mexican train rules for double-twelve dominoes: how many tiles to deal, the engine, personal and Mexican trains, markers, doubles, scoring and all 13 rounds.

Chicken foot dominoes: rules, setup and scoring

Chicken foot dominoes rules: the centre double, how a chicken foot forms, drawing from the boneyard, the 50-point double blank and scoring across rounds.

Texas 42 dominoes: rules, bidding and trumps

Texas 42 dominoes explained: four players, count tiles worth 35 points, bidding from 30 to 84, choosing trumps, following suit, marks, nel-o and plunge.

Luck and lotteries

Lucky number beliefs in gambling: 7, 8, 4, 13 and why the odds stay the same

Lucky number beliefs in gambling: why 7, 8 and 9 feel lucky, why 4, 13 and 17 feel unlucky, and what numbers really change at the lottery and roulette table.

Lucky colors in gambling: red, gold, green and the real odds

Lucky colors across cultures: why red, gold and green feel lucky, why they do not change roulette or lottery odds, and what actually does.

Horseshoe luck: up or down, the history, and the gambling link

Horseshoe luck explained: why iron shoes became charms, the up-or-down debate, the St Dunstan legend, gamblers' horseshoes, and what a charm can't change.

Quick pick vs choosing your own lottery numbers

Quick pick or your own numbers? The lottery odds are identical, but chosen numbers cluster, so a jackpot is more likely to be split. The maths, worked.

Pull tabs: printed deals, payout percentages and how to read a flare

Pull tabs explained: how a deal is printed with fixed winners, typical 70–85% payouts, flares and leftover prizes, and how they differ from scratch cards.

Bingo patterns: common shapes and how they change game length

Bingo patterns explained: lines, four corners, X, frame and blackout, how many numbers each needs, and how pattern choice sets game length.

Bingo caller guide: how to call a game, plus the calls list

Bingo caller guide: how to call a game, check winning cards, 75-ball versus 90-ball calling, and nicknames from Kelly's eye to top of the shop.

Pachislot: skill-stop reels, settings 1–6 and how halls work

Pachislot explained: Japanese skill-stop slots, how meoshi works, what settings 1 through 6 change, and how parlours differ from Western machines.

Survivor pool: NFL rules, elimination and how strategy scales

Survivor pool rules: pick one NFL winner each week, never reuse a team, last entry standing wins, plus strategy that depends on pool size.

Handicapping horses: speed figures, class, pace and form

Handicapping horses with speed figures, class, pace and form: what each factor measures, how they conflict, and why a top figure still loses money.