Dice Basketball Game: Rules, Shot Chart and Odds

Dice basketball is a quick paper game for two players or two teams. Each roll of two dice is one possession: some totals are baskets, some are free throws and the rest are misses. After four quarters, the side with more points wins. It needs nothing but two dice and a pencil, a full game takes about 15 minutes, and it is a handy way to sneak some adding up into a sports-mad afternoon. Below is a simple home version with the exact chance of each result and simulated scores.

What you need

• Two six-sided dice, or a dice roller set to two dice.
• A scoresheet with a column for each team and a row for each quarter.
• Two players, or two teams that take turns rolling.
• A coin flip for the tip-off.

The tip-off

A real game starts with a jump ball. Here a coin flip does the job: one side calls heads or tails, and the winner gets the first possession. In the common home version the other side starts the second half, so both teams get the same number of possessions and the toss only changes the order.

How to play

1. A game has four quarters. In each quarter, each team has 10 possessions, so 40 in the whole game.
2. On a possession, roll both dice, add them up and look at the chart below.
3. Write the points in your team’s column. A miss scores nothing.
4. Teams take turns: one possession for one side, then one for the other.
5. At the end of the fourth quarter, the higher score wins. If it is a tie, play overtime: three possessions each, and repeat until someone is ahead.

This chart is a common home version, not an official one. Many families and teachers make their own, so agree on it before the tip-off.

The shot chart and the chance of each result

In the table, “Roll” is the total of the two dice, “Result” is what the possession scores and “Chance” is the exact probability out of the 36 ways two dice can land.

A seven is the most common total (6 in 36), and the middle totals 6, 7 and 8 together come up 16 times in 36, so a two-point basket is exactly as likely as a miss: each happens on 16 of the 36 possible rolls. The three-pointer needs a 2 or a 12, which come up only once in 18 rolls. On average a possession is worth about 1.1 points, close to a real basketball team. You can read more about why the middle totals win in our guide to dice probability.

How many points does a team score?

To see what final scores look like, we simulated 60,000 games of 40 possessions per team. “Average” is the mean score of one team. “Middle 80%” means that 8 in 10 team scores fell between those two numbers. “Tied” is the share of games that were level after four quarters and needed overtime. The three-point chart is a variation explained below.

These are estimates from a computer simulation, not from real games. Most games end with each side scoring somewhere in the thirties to the fifties, and about one game in 25 goes to overtime. Because every possession is a fresh roll, a big lead can still disappear in the last quarter, which keeps both sides interested to the end.

Tips

• Keep a running total after every quarter. It saves time at the end and catches mistakes.
• Let each team name its players and give the points to the player who rolled; children love keeping individual stats.
• For a shorter game, play two halves of 10 possessions each instead of four quarters.
• Play a best-of-three series and swap who wins the tip-off with a new coin flip each game.

Classroom ideas

• Mental maths: pupils add the points after each possession and the quarter totals at the end.
• Probability: before playing, ask the class to guess which total comes up most often, then tally 100 rolls and compare with the chart.
• Fair teams: split the class into teams with a random name picker, then do the tip-off with a coin.
• Data handling: make a bar chart of points per quarter for each team.

Variations

• Three-point chart: 2, 3, 11 and 12 are all three-pointers, 6, 7 and 8 are two points, and the rest are misses. Scores go up by about a quarter, as the table shows.
• Fouls: on an 11, the other team picks a player who has “fouled”; five fouls and that player is out.
• Shot clock: limit each quarter to a timer instead of a set number of possessions.
• Defence roll: the defending side rolls one die first, and a 6 means a block, so the possession is lost.
• Other sports: try Dice Baseball with two dice, or dice cricket with just one.

Where does dice basketball come from?

There is no single inventor. Sports fans have played with dice for a long time, and from the 20th century several boxed sports dice games were sold with their own player cards and charts. The one-chart version on this page is a simple folk game; many families and teachers have made up their own versions with different totals, and none of them is the “official” one.

Prefer ice to the hardwood? Read our dice hockey game rules, with a rush chart, the exact chance of a goal, overtime and a shootout.

FAQ

How do you play dice basketball?

Each roll of two dice is one possession. In the common home version a 2 or 12 is a three-pointer, a 6, 7 or 8 is a two-point basket, an 11 is a free throw for one point and anything else is a miss. Each team gets 40 possessions, and the higher total wins.

Which result is the most likely?

A two-point basket and a miss are tied: each comes up 16 times in 36, about 44% of rolls. Three-pointers and free throws come up 2 times in 36 each.

How many points does a team usually score?

In our simulation of the basic chart, a team scored about 44 points on average, and 8 in 10 scores were between 36 and 53.

How do you decide who starts?

Do the tip-off with a coin flip. The winner gets the first possession, and the other team starts the second half.

Can I play it without real dice?

Yes. A dice roller with two dice on a phone or classroom screen works the same, and everyone can see the roll.