Dice: Fate, Chance, Skill and Pigs

Dice are handy, classy objects that seem to get very little play today, despite being among the most awesome things a man dig out of his pockets. Dice are the very symbol of fate, chance and gambling, and I can't think of the last time I've seen anyone roll a die outside of a casino or a game of Chutes and Ladders. There is no reason for that. They take up even less space than a pack of playing cards, and if you pick up a nice set of bone or wooden ones, you're just that much more stylish.

The history of dice is a long and interesting one, but here I will only mention that loaded or "crooked" dice, significantly predate the "honest" ones. Many early dice were carved from pig or calf ankles (called knuckles) and today dice are still occasionally referred to as knuckles or bones. One classic dice game described in John Scarne's definitive 1945 book, Scarne on Dice is called "Pig," possibly owing to the origin of early dice. Regardless, the rules are simple:

The player with the highest roll goes first. Each turn, a player repeatedly rolls the die until either a 1 is rolled or the player passes. If the player passes before a 1 is rolled he or she will score the sum of the rolls on that turn. If a 1 is rolled before the player passes then no points are scored on that turn. A player must score 20 points to enter the game, and the first to score 100 points (provided that no other players reach 100 points during the same round) is the winner. If two or more players reach 100 points during the same round, a playoff will occur during which those players will attempt to outscore each other until a clear victor is determined.

This game can also be played with two dice. In this version, all rules are identical, with the following exceptions: If a single 1 is rolled, that player's turn is over and no points are awarded for that round. If double 1's are rolled, then that player loses all points accumulated thus far in the game. All other double rolls count as double the amount showing (for example, double 4's would yield 16 points).

A third variation is to play with pigs. A marketed version exists called "Pass the Pigs" in which two small rubber pigs are rolled. Depending on whether the pigs land on their feet, backs, snouts, or sides, different points are awarded. Should the two pigs land touching each other, that player "pigs out" or loses all accumulated points. In the unlikely event that the pigs are touching each other inappropriately (called "makin' bacon" in the older versions, I believe) then that player is barred forever from the game.

Don't be fooled, though, this is not merely a game of chance, but skill.

To my knowledge no "shaved" or "loaded" pigs exist, but I would not rule out the option.