Dice Games for 2 Players: 8 of the Best (With Rules)

Two people, a handful of dice and half an hour: that is all most of the best dice games need. Some are pure luck and good for a drink and a chat; others reward real decisions. Here are eight that work especially well with two players.

The quick list

Farkle

Roll six dice, set aside any that score (1s, 5s, triples), then decide: bank your points or roll the rest for more. Roll nothing that scores and you lose everything from that turn. With two players it becomes a tense race, because you can see exactly how far behind you are. Full scoring in our Farkle rules.

Pig

The simplest push-your-luck game there is. Roll one die as many times as you like, adding up the total — but roll a 1 and your turn scores nothing. First to 100 wins. The two-dice version and the strategy are in Pig dice game rules.

Fifty

Players take turns rolling two dice. Only doubles score: double 6 is worth 25, any other double 5 — except double 3, which wipes your score back to zero. First to 50 wins. No decisions at all, which makes it a fine game for talking over.

Twenty-One

Like blackjack with a die. On your turn, roll one die again and again, adding up the total, and stop whenever you like. Go over 21 and you are bust. When both players have stopped, the higher total without busting wins. Play best of ten.

Poker dice

Five dice, three rolls, and the best poker hand wins. With two players, play first to five hands, and let the first roller set the number of rolls for the other. See poker dice rules for the hands and the odds.

Yacht

The ancestor of the famous five-dice scoring game: twelve rounds, three rolls each, and a scorecard of categories to fill — fours, full house, straights, five of a kind. Each choice costs you a category you might need later, which is where two-player games are won. Rules in Yacht dice game rules.

Shut the box

Roll two dice and flip down numbered tiles that add up to your roll. When you cannot, your turn ends and the tiles left standing are your score. With two players, take turns and the lower score wins. See shut the box rules.

Backgammon

The great two-player dice game: luck in every roll, skill in every move, and a doubling cube that turns it into a battle of nerve. Start with how to play backgammon.

Dice games for 2 adults

For an evening in with a drink, the push-your-luck games — Farkle, Pig, Twenty-One — are the best company; the rules are short and the arguments are long. Liar's dice can be played by two, but it shines with three or more.

What to buy

Most of these games need nothing more than a cup and dice. A Farkle set gives you a felt-lined cup and six dice, which covers Farkle, Pig, Fifty, Twenty-One, poker dice and Yacht — and a folding dice tray keeps the rolls on the table instead of under the sofa.