Dice Decathlon Game: Ten Events, Rules and Odds
Dice decathlon packs ten track and field events into one game for two to four athletes. Over two “days” you sprint, jump, throw and vault, and every event earns points. Runs get one roll, throws and long jump get two tries, and the high jump and pole vault use three dice. Add up all ten scores, and the highest total is the champion. A full decathlon takes about twenty minutes.
What you need
- Three six-sided dice, or a dice roller that can roll two or three dice.
- A score sheet with ten rows for the events and a column for each athlete, plus a row for the total after day 1 and the final total.
- A random name picker to set a fair order of turns.
Who goes first?
Put every athlete’s name into the random name picker and draw them one by one to set the order. Keep the same order for all ten events. The order does not change anyone’s chance, because every athlete rolls the same way in every event.
How to play
- Play the ten events in the order of the table below, five on day 1 and five on day 2. In each event, every athlete takes a turn.
- Runs: roll two dice once.
- Throws and long jump: roll two dice twice and keep the higher total.
- High jump and pole vault: roll three dice, drop the lowest, and add the other two.
- Your score for the event is your total times 100, so from 200 to 1,200 points.
- After day 1, read out the standings. After day 2, the highest total wins.
- Ties: the athlete who scored more points in more of the ten events wins. If still tied, the higher single event score wins.
This is a simple home version, not an official game. A real decathlon has the same ten events in this order over two days, and each result is turned into points with scoring tables, so a fast 100 m and a long javelin throw can be compared. Kevin Mayer of France set the men’s world record of 9,126 points in 2018. In this game the average total is about 7,840, and the best possible score is 12,000.
The ten events
In the first table, “Event” is the event name, “Day” is the day it is held, and “How to roll” is the kind of roll used.
| Event | Day | How to roll |
|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 1 | Run: one roll |
| Long jump | 1 | Throw or jump: best of two rolls |
| Shot put | 1 | Throw or jump: best of two rolls |
| High jump | 1 | Height: three dice, drop the lowest |
| 400 m | 1 | Run: one roll |
| 110 m hurdles | 2 | Run: one roll |
| Discus | 2 | Throw or jump: best of two rolls |
| Pole vault | 2 | Height: three dice, drop the lowest |
| Javelin | 2 | Throw or jump: best of two rolls |
| 1500 m | 2 | Run: one roll |
Points per event
The next table compares the three kinds of event. “Average points” is the exact average score, and the last column is the exact chance of a perfect 1,200.
| Kind of event | Average points | Chance of 1,200 points |
|---|---|---|
| Run: one roll | 700 | 1 in 36, about 3% |
| Throw or jump: best of two rolls | about 837 | 71 in 1,296, about 5.5% |
| Height: three dice, drop the lowest | about 846 | 16 in 216, about 7% |
Runs are the riskiest events: one roll means one bad total can cost you. A second try lifts the average from 700 to about 837, because you keep the better roll. Our guide to dice probability shows why 7 is the most likely total of two dice and how the best of two rolls shifts that.
What total can you score?
This table shows the total of one athlete after all ten events. “Chance” is the exact probability of scoring at least that total, rounded.
| Total score | Chance |
|---|---|
| 7,000 or more | about 90% |
| 7,500 or more | about 71% |
| 8,000 or more | about 44% |
| 8,500 or more | about 19% |
| 9,000 or more | about 6% |
| 9,200 or more | about 3% |
The most common total is 7,900 points. About 3 athletes in 100 score 9,200 or more, enough to beat the real world record. The scores of two athletes end exactly level only about 4% of the time, so the tie rule is rarely needed.
What score wins?
With four athletes, the winner is the highest of the four totals. In this table, “Chance” is the exact probability that the winning score falls in that range, rounded.
| Winning score | Chance |
|---|---|
| 7,900 or less | about 10% |
| 8,000 to 8,200 | about 17% |
| 8,300 to 8,500 | about 24% |
| 8,600 to 8,800 | about 23% |
| 8,900 or more | about 26% |
A winning score of 8,300 or more happens in about three decathlons out of four. Because the scores of the four athletes are close after day 1, the last events, right up to the 1500 m, can still decide the gold medal.
Tips
- Write the running total after each event so everyone knows the standings.
- Read out the standings after day 1 like a TV commentator.
- For a shorter game, play only day 1, a pentathlon of five events.
- Hand out gold, silver and bronze medals made of paper.
Classroom ideas
- Addition: add the ten event scores and check each other’s totals.
- Probability: why does the best of two rolls give more points on average than one roll? List the chance of a total of 12 with one roll and with two.
- Data: make a bar chart of the class totals. Where is the middle?
- History: find out which ten events make up a real decathlon and why it is said to find the best all-round athlete.
Variations
- Heptathlon: play seven events: 100 m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 m, long jump, javelin and 800 m.
- Fouls: in the throws and long jump, a double 1 scores zero for that try.
- Team decathlon: teams of two split the ten events between them.
- One try only: every event gets a single roll of two dice.
Want to play single events? Try the dice hurdles race, the dice pole vault game or the dice javelin game. For a race in three sports, try a dice triathlon.
FAQ
How do you play a decathlon with dice?
Play ten events. Runs get one roll of two dice, throws and long jump get the best of two rolls, and the high jump and pole vault use three dice with the lowest dropped. Each total times 100 is your score, and the highest total after ten events wins.
How many athletes can play?
Two to four athletes work best, so the game does not take too long.
What is a good score?
The average total is about 7,840 points. About 44% of athletes reach 8,000, and about 6% reach 9,000.
What is the highest possible score?
12,000 points, with a total of 12 in every event.
What happens on a tie?
The athlete who scored more in more of the ten events wins, then the higher single event score.
What are the ten events in a real decathlon?
Day 1: 100 m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 m. Day 2: 110 m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 m.