How to Play Aces in the Pot

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Aces in the Pot is a fast, luck-driven dice game for two to six players that runs on two standard dice and a small pile of chips or coins per person. There are no complex decisions to learn and no reading required, which makes it genuinely accessible to anyone old enough to take a turn.

Its appeal is the tension of watching your chip stack dwindle, the brief reprieve of sitting out a round on zero chips, and the possibility of clawing back into the game until the very last roll. It suits kitchens, campsites, and pub tables equally well and wraps up in well under half an hour.

A little history

The origins of Aces in the Pot are unclear. It belongs to a broad family of chip-passing dice games that have circulated in North America and Britain for generations, passed on informally without a single documented inventor or publication date. Rules under this name appear in mid-twentieth-century recreational game anthologies, but no earlier authoritative record has been firmly established.

Setting up

1. Seat all players in a circle around the table.
2. Place a pot, bowl, or saucer in the centre of the table to collect chips during play.
3. Give each player exactly two chips. Any uniform tokens work: coins, dried beans, matchsticks.
4. Choose a starting player by any agreed method, such as highest single die roll.

How to play

1. The starting player rolls both dice.
2. For each die showing a 1 (an ace), the active player places one of their own chips into the central pot. If both dice show 1, two chips go into the pot.
3. For each die showing a 6, the active player passes one of their own chips to the player on their left. If both dice show 6, two chips are passed left.
4. Any die showing 2, 3, 4, or 5 has no effect on that roll.
5. After resolving the roll, the turn passes clockwise to the next player.
6. A player who has run out of chips is not eliminated immediately. They still take their turn, roll the dice, and can receive chips passed from the player on their right. They simply cannot contribute chips to the pot or pass chips left until they hold some again.
7. A player who has no chips and rolls dice that show only aces or sixes simply takes no chip action, as they have nothing to give.
8. Play continues around the table until only one player holds one or more chips and all others have zero chips in hand.

Winning and scoring

The last player holding at least one chip wins the round and claims all chips in the central pot. If players are gambling for stakes, the winner takes the pot. For a multi-round session, agree in advance on how many rounds constitute a match, or play until one player has accumulated all chips.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns a player who has exactly one chip and rolls both an ace and a six on the same turn. The standard ruling is that both results apply in the order the player chooses: the chip goes into the pot (for the ace) or is passed left (for the six). Either way the player ends the turn with zero chips. Since both outcomes remove the chip, the practical result is the same and there is no advantage to arguing the sequence.

A second dispute arises when the final two active players each hold chips and one of them rolls a six, passing their last chip to the other player, who immediately becomes the sole chip holder. That transfer ends the game at once; the player who received chips does not take a further turn. The game ends as soon as only one player holds chips, regardless of where in the turn sequence that moment falls.

How to win more often

• There is very little you can control, so keep stakes modest and focus on enjoying the ride rather than fighting the dice.
• If playing multiple rounds, track how often the pot goes unclaimed for long stretches. Rounds with many players tend to last longer because chips recirculate via the six before reaching the pot via the ace.
• With only two players, the chip stack transfers rapidly between hands and the game is over quickly. Add a third player if you want a longer session.
• When you are sitting on zero chips waiting for a six from your right-hand neighbour, stay engaged. Players who lose focus and miss a chip being passed to them slow the game for everyone.
• Agree on the physical location for the pot and the direction of passing before the first roll. Settling these details upfront eliminates nearly all mid-game arguments.

Variations

Three-Chip Start

Each player begins with three chips rather than two. This extends the game noticeably, gives more room for comebacks, and suits groups who want a longer session or who find the two-chip version too abrupt.

Right-Pass Variant

In this version, sixes cause the chip to be passed to the player on the right rather than the left. This is purely a directional preference and does not change the underlying game, but it is worth agreeing upfront so there is no confusion about which way chips travel.

Last Roll

When only one player is left holding chips, the other players are not automatically eliminated. Instead, each player with zero chips is allowed one final roll on their next turn. Any six on that roll wins them a chip back from the leader. If they receive a chip, they survive; if not, they are truly out. This adds a small redemption element and prevents the game from ending too suddenly.

Single-Die Version

For younger players or a shorter game, each player rolls only one die per turn. An ace sends one chip to the pot, a six sends one chip left, and all other results are neutral. The game plays identically but moves faster and is easier for young children to follow.

Aces in the Pot: frequently asked questions