Balut Dice Game: Rules, Scoring and Odds
Balut is a five-dice game a lot like Yahtzee. On each turn you roll up to three times to make a combination, then write it in one box of your scorecard. The best-known roll is the Balut itself: five dice showing the same number. Players shout “Balut!” when they get one, and in many groups that shout is the best moment of the evening.
What You Need
- Five six-sided dice and a cup to roll them in.
- A scorecard with seven boxes per player (paper and pencil are fine).
- Two or more players.
No dice to hand? Our Dice Roller rolls up to six dice at once, so you can set it to five and play on a phone.
Who Goes First
Let everyone roll one die with the Dice Roller; the highest roll starts and ties roll again. With a bigger group, spin our Random Name Picker instead. Play then goes to the left.
How to Play
- Roll all five dice.
- Keep what you like. Set aside any dice you want to keep and roll the rest again. You may roll up to three times in all, and you can stop early.
- Fill one box. After your last roll, choose one empty box on your scorecard and write in the score for it.
- Scratch if you must. If your dice do not fit any open box, or the score would be very low, cross out one empty box. It stays crossed out for the rest of the game.
- Game end. When every player has filled or scratched all seven boxes, add up the scores. The highest total wins.
The Seven Boxes
Rules for Balut differ from group to group. This is a simple way to score it at home: “Box” is the line on your scorecard, “What counts” is the roll it needs, and “Score” is what you write down.
| Box | What counts | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fours | Every 4 you roll | 4 per four |
| Fives | Every 5 you roll | 5 per five |
| Sixes | Every 6 you roll | 6 per six |
| Straight | 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6 | 50 |
| House | Three of one number and two of another | Total of all five dice |
| Choice | Any five dice | Total of all five dice |
| Balut | Five of the same number | 30 |
Club Balut is usually played differently: in many club rules each box is filled four times, which makes a game of 28 turns, and players earn extra points for reaching set totals in each row. If you join a club game, use its scorecard.
The Odds of Each Box
How hard is each box to get? In the table, “One roll” is the chance with a single roll of five dice, worked out exactly. “Up to 3 rolls” comes from our own simulation of 400,000 turns where the player keeps the dice that help and rerolls the rest, so treat those numbers as estimates.
| Box | One roll | Up to 3 rolls |
|---|---|---|
| Balut | 1 in 1,296 | about 1 in 22 |
| Straight | 1 in 32 | about 1 in 4 |
| House | 1 in 26 | about 1 in 3 |
| Sixes (average) | 5 points | about 12.6 points |
| Fives (average) | 4.2 points | about 10.5 points |
| Fours (average) | 3.3 points | about 8.4 points |
A Balut in one roll is very rare (1 in 1,296), but if you chase it with all three rolls you get one about 1 time in 22. The number boxes are worth more than they look: if you go for sixes with all three rolls, you average about two sixes, or 12.6 points. For the maths behind these numbers, see our dice probability guide.
Tips
- Use your rolls. Most of the time it pays to roll all three times, unless you already have what you need.
- Keep Choice for bad turns. Choice takes any dice, so it is a safe place for a turn that went wrong. Try to put a high total there, though.
- Do not chase two things. Decide after the first roll whether you are going for a straight, a house or a Balut, and keep dice for that one goal.
- Know when to scratch. Late in the game, scratching a box you are unlikely to fill can be better than wasting a good roll on it.
- Guess the Baluts. Some groups have every player guess, before the game, how many Baluts will be rolled. It keeps everyone watching other players’ turns.
Variations
- Four columns: play every box four times, as in many club rules, for a longer game.
- Two players, quick game: play just the seven boxes once each. A game takes about 15 minutes.
- Team Balut: pairs share one scorecard and take turns rolling.
- Classroom version: the class plays as two teams on the board with our online Dice Roller. Pupils add up the dice and choose the box together.
If you like Balut, try Yahtzee and poker dice, which use the same five-dice idea. You will find more games in our list of easy dice games.
Where the Game Comes From
According to the story players tell, Balut began in the Philippines, when American soldiers who had no playing cards played poker with dice instead. The game is said to take its name from the cry of street sellers of balut, a cooked duck egg sold in the Philippines. From there it spread to clubs in Southeast Asia, and it became especially popular with Danish players at home and abroad. An International Balut Federation has organised games since the 1970s.
FAQ
How do you play Balut?
Each turn, roll five dice up to three times, keeping the dice you want between rolls. Then write the result in one of seven boxes: Fours, Fives, Sixes, Straight, House, Choice or Balut. When all boxes are filled or scratched, the highest total wins.
What is a Balut in the dice game?
A Balut is five dice showing the same number, like five 3s. The chance in a single roll is 1 in 1,296.
Is Balut the same as Yahtzee?
They are similar: both use five dice, three rolls per turn and a scorecard. Balut has fewer boxes (seven), and club rules usually play each box four times.
How many points is a straight in Balut?
It depends on the rules you use. In the simple home version on this page a straight is worth 50 points. Club rules score differently, so check the scorecard of your group.
Can you play Balut online without dice?
Yes. Set our free Dice Roller to five dice and keep score on paper.