Drop Dead Dice Game: Rules, Scoring and Odds
Drop Dead is a simple dice game for two or more players. You roll five dice and add them up, but any die that shows a 2 or a 5 is “dead” and drops out. You keep rolling the dice that are still alive until every die has dropped dead. It needs no strategy at all, so young children can play on equal terms with adults, and it is good practice for quick adding.
What You Need
- Five six-sided dice (one set is enough for the whole group).
- Paper and a pencil to keep score.
- Two or more players.
No dice? Our Dice Roller can roll up to five dice at once on a phone or a classroom screen.
Who Goes First
Have everyone roll one die with the Dice Roller; the highest roll starts, and ties roll again. For a big group or a class, spin our Random Name Picker to pick the first player, then play goes to the left.
How to Play
- Roll all five dice.
- No 2s or 5s? Add up all the dice and write the total down. Then roll the same dice again.
- Any 2 or 5? That roll scores nothing. Put every 2 and every 5 aside: those dice are dead.
- Keep rolling the dice that are left. Each roll either scores its total (no 2s or 5s) or loses more dice.
- Your turn ends when your last die drops dead. Your score for the turn is the sum of all your scoring rolls.
- Highest score wins. Play one round each, or several rounds and add up the totals.
Example Turn
Mia rolls 6, 4, 3, 1, 2. The 2 is dead, so she scores nothing and keeps four dice. She rolls 6, 6, 4, 3: no 2s or 5s, so she scores 19 and rolls the four dice again. Next she gets 5, 1, 2, 4: two dead dice and no points. With two dice left she rolls 3 and 6 for 9 more points, then 2 and 1. One die left: she rolls a 4 (4 points), then a 5, and her turn is over. Her score is 19 + 9 + 4 = 32.
The Odds Behind Drop Dead
A die drops dead on a 2 or a 5, which is 2 chances in 6, so each die survives a roll two times out of three. A roll only scores when every die survives, so the more dice you have, the less likely a roll is to score. In the table below, “Roll scores” is the chance that the next roll has no 2s or 5s, and “Points from here” is the average number of points still to come before the turn ends. We worked these out exactly from the rules above.
| Dice left | Roll scores | Points from here |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 13% | about 16 |
| 4 | 20% | about 15 |
| 3 | 30% | about 14 |
| 2 | 44% | about 11 |
| 1 | 67% | 7 |
This is the funny part of the game: with five dice a roll scores only about one time in eight, but with one die left it scores two times in three. A single surviving die is worth 7 points on average, because it keeps scoring about 3.5 points a roll until it finally lands on a 2 or a 5. For more on why this happens, see our dice probability guide.
How Long Is a Turn and What Is a Good Score?
We simulated one million turns with five dice to see what a normal turn looks like. “One turn” is what we measured and “Result” is what came out. These are simulated numbers, so real games will vary.
| One turn | Result |
|---|---|
| Average score | about 16 |
| Typical (median) score | 12 |
| Turns that score 0 | about 1 in 5 |
| Best 10% of turns | 38 or more |
| Average rolls per turn | about 6 |
| Long turns (top 10%) | 10 rolls or more |
| Winner of a 4-player round, on average | about 34 |
Scores are very uneven. About one turn in five scores nothing at all, while a lucky turn now and then goes past 100. That is why the average (16) is higher than the typical score (12): a few huge turns pull the average up. With five dice, a turn usually lasts about six rolls, so a round for four players takes only a few minutes.
Tips for Playing
- There are no choices to make. Drop Dead is pure luck, so it is a good game for mixed ages and for players who do not like losing to “better” players.
- Play several rounds. Because one turn can score 0 or 100, a single round is very random. Five or ten rounds give a fairer winner.
- Let the roller add up. In a class, the player who rolls says the total out loud and the others check it. It turns the game into quick adding practice.
- Use a cup or a tray. Five dice bounce everywhere. A box lid keeps them on the table.
- Keep a simple score sheet. One column per player, one line per round.
Variations
- Target score: the first player to reach 100 (or 200) points over several rounds wins.
- Different dead numbers: some groups make 1s and 6s dead instead. The odds and the average scores stay exactly the same, because the numbers that score still average 3.5.
- Fewer dice for little ones: play with three dice. Turns are shorter, and an average turn still scores about 14 points.
- Team Drop Dead: split the class into two teams that take turns; add up each team’s scores.
Like games where luck decides how long your turn lasts? Try Pig or Farkle, where you choose when to stop. You will find more ideas in our list of easy dice games.
Where the Game Comes From
Drop Dead is a traditional family dice game that appears in many dice game collections. We could not find a reliable record of who invented it or when.
FAQ
How do you play Drop Dead?
Roll five dice. If there are no 2s or 5s, add them up and roll again. If any 2s or 5s show up, that roll scores nothing and those dice are out. Keep rolling until all your dice are out; the highest total wins.
Why are 2s and 5s dead in Drop Dead?
That is simply the usual rule. Any two numbers would give the same odds: each die drops out one time in three.
What is a good score in Drop Dead?
In our simulation of one million turns the average was about 16 and the typical score was 12. Anything over 38 is in the best 10% of turns.
How many rolls does a turn of Drop Dead take?
About six rolls on average with five dice. Most turns take between 3 and 10 rolls.
Can you play Drop Dead without real dice?
Yes. Use our online Dice Roller set to five dice, then four, and so on as dice drop out.