Dice Long Jump Game: Rules, Fouls and Odds

Dice long jump is a field event for two to six athletes. Every athlete gets three jumps. For each jump you first roll one die for the take-off, where a bad step means a foul, and then two dice for the distance. Only your best jump counts, and the longest jump wins. A competition takes about ten minutes and needs only dice, paper and a pencil.

What you need

• Three six-sided dice: one for the take-off and two for the distance. A dice roller works too.
• A score sheet with a row for each athlete and three boxes for their jumps.
• A random name picker to set a fair jumping order.

Who jumps first?

Put every athlete’s name into the random name picker and draw them one by one to set the jumping order. Keep the same order in all three rounds. The order does not change anyone’s chance, because every athlete gets the same three jumps.

How to play

1. In each round, every athlete jumps once, in the jumping order.
2. Take-off: roll one die. On a 1 you stepped over the board: it is a foul, and the jump gets no mark. On a 6 you hit the board perfectly and add 0.25 m to this jump.
3. Distance: if the take-off was not a foul, roll two dice, add them up and read the distance from the chart below.
4. Write the distance on the score sheet, or an X for a foul.
5. After three rounds, each athlete’s best jump counts. The longest best jump wins.
6. Ties: if two athletes have the same best jump, compare their second-best jumps. If still tied, compare the third. If still tied, each makes one more jump.

This is a simple home version, not an official game. In real long jump, a jump is a foul when the athlete’s foot goes past the edge of the take-off board, and the distance is measured from that edge to the nearest mark in the sand. Ties are also broken with the second-best jump. Bob Beamon’s 8.90 m at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City was famous for beating the old world record by more than half a metre, and Mike Powell jumped 8.95 m in 1991, still the men’s world record at the time of writing.

The take-off chart

In the first table, “Take-off die” is the number on the single die, “Result” is what it means for the jump, and “Chance” is the exact probability.

One jump in six is a foul, so with three jumps the chance of fouling all of them is 1 in 216, less than half a percent. One jump in six gets the perfect take-off bonus.

The distance chart

In the next table, “Roll” is the total of the two distance dice, “Distance” is the length of the jump before any take-off bonus, and “Chance” is the exact probability out of the 36 ways two dice can land.

The most common jump is 6.75 m, because 7 is the most likely total of two dice, as our guide to dice probability explains. A valid jump averages exactly 6.80 m once you count the take-off bonus. With a 12 and a perfect take-off, the longest jump in the game is 8.25 m.

How far will you jump?

This table compares one jump with the best of three. “One jump” is the chance that a single jump, fouls included, reaches that distance. “Best of three” is the chance that the best of your three jumps does.

Three jumps make a big difference. A single jump reaches 7.00 m only about 38% of the time, but your best of three gets there about 76% of the time. The most common best jump is 7.25 m.

What distance wins?

With four athletes, the winning distance is the best jump of all twelve. In this table, “Chance” is the exact probability that the competition is won with that distance, rounded.

Most competitions with four athletes are won with 7.75 m or 8.00 m. The magic 8.25 m, a 12 with a perfect take-off, wins about 1 competition in 20.

Tips

• Use a different colour die for the take-off so nobody mixes them up.
• Mark a long strip of paper from 5.50 m to 8.25 m and move each athlete’s counter to their best jump.
• Read out each distance like a stadium announcer.
• Keep each athlete’s best jump as a personal record to beat next time.

Classroom ideas

• Measurement: mark 6.80 m, the average jump in the game, and 8.95 m, the men’s world record, on the playground. How many steps is each?
• Probability: why is the chance of three fouls 1 in 216? Multiply 1 in 6 three times.
• Data: record every jump in the class and make a bar chart. Which distance comes up most?
• Decimals: add 0.25 m to each distance in the chart and check the new values.

Variations

• Six jumps: after three rounds, the top half of the athletes get three more jumps, as in big real competitions.
• Triple jump: roll the distance dice three times for hop, step and jump, and add the three totals.
• Wind: before each jump, flip a coin. Heads means a tailwind, add 0.25 m.
• Team event: teams of two add their best jumps together.

For a jump that goes up instead of forward, try our dice high jump game, or fly through the air in our dice ski jumping game.

Ready to throw instead of jump? Try our dice shot put game, where you choose a safe or a power throw.

FAQ

How do you play long jump with dice?

Roll one die for the take-off: a 1 is a foul and a 6 adds 0.25 m. Then roll two dice for the distance, from 5.50 m on a 2 to 8.00 m on a 12. Each athlete gets three jumps, and the best one counts.

How many athletes can play?

Two to six athletes work well. With more athletes, the winning distance tends to be longer.

What happens on a tie?

Compare the second-best jumps, then the third-best. If still tied, each athlete makes one more jump.

What distance usually wins?

With four athletes, usually 7.75 m or 8.00 m.

Does the jumping order matter?

No. Every athlete gets the same three jumps, so the order does not change the odds.

What is the long jump world record?

For men, 8.95 m by Mike Powell in 1991, at the time of writing.