How to Play Dice Cricket

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

Dice Cricket is a two-player tabletop game that mimics the structure of a one-innings cricket match using a single standard six-sided die. Each face on the die maps to a cricket outcome: runs scored, a wicket lost, or no run taken. One player bats while the other keeps score, then the sides swap, and the higher innings total wins.

The game travels well, costs almost nothing, and teaches children the language and rhythm of cricket without needing a garden or fine weather. It is played at kitchen tables, on long journeys, and at school lunch breaks across the UK and other cricket-playing nations.

A little history

Dice Cricket's origins are unclear, and no single inventor or publication date is widely documented. Pencil-and-die cricket games of this general type appear in British puzzle and parlour game books from the mid-twentieth century, and variations circulate informally across cricket-playing countries. The core mechanic of assigning die faces to cricket outcomes is consistent across most versions, though the exact scoring chart differs between households and regions.

Setting up

1. Decide which player bats first, by agreement or by each rolling the die once with the higher roll choosing.
2. Draw a simple scorecard with two columns, one for each player's innings, and a row for each wicket from 1 to 10.
3. Agree on the scoring chart before play begins. The standard chart used throughout this page is: 1 = 1 run, 2 = 2 runs, 3 = 3 runs, 4 = 4 runs, 5 = OUT (wicket), 6 = no run (dot ball).
4. The batting player takes the die. The non-batting player acts as scorer and umpire.

How to play

1. The batting player rolls the die and the scorer records the result according to the agreed chart.
2. Rolls of 1, 2, 3, and 4 add that number of runs to the batting side's total.
3. A roll of 6 scores zero runs (a dot ball) but does not take a wicket. Play continues.
4. A roll of 5 takes a wicket. The scorer marks one wicket fallen and notes the total at that point.
5. The batting player continues rolling after each wicket: there is no pause between wickets in the standard game.
6. The innings ends when ten wickets have fallen. Record the final total.
7. The two players swap roles. The second batting player now rolls, aiming to exceed the first player's total.
8. The second innings also ends when ten wickets have fallen.
9. Compare the two totals. The higher total wins. If the second batting side passes the first player's total before losing all ten wickets, the innings ends immediately at that point and the second player wins.

Winning and scoring

The player with the higher runs total at the end of their innings wins. If batting second, a player wins the moment their running total exceeds the first player's total, even if wickets remain: there is no need to play on. A tie occurs if both players finish on exactly the same score after ten wickets each, in which case a tie-break single over (six rolls each, no wicket rule) is recommended to produce a result.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns what happens if the second batting side reaches the first player's total exactly rather than exceeding it. Standard ruling: the scores are tied and the match is a draw or goes to a tie-break, because passing the target requires scoring one more run than the opponent, not equalling them. Agree this before the match to avoid argument mid-play.

A second frequent question is whether a wicket on the very last ball of a fixed-over variant ends the innings or simply counts as a wicket lost. In the standard unlimited-roll format this does not arise, but in over-limited variants the wicket should be recorded and the innings ends only when all overs are bowled or ten wickets fall, whichever comes first. If a 5 is rolled on the final roll of the final over, the wicket counts and the innings closes at that moment.

How to win more often

• There is no meaningful choice in the core game since you must roll and accept the result, but keeping a running total helps the second batting player know exactly when they have won, so score carefully.
• When batting second, keep a visible note of the target. Players who lose track of the target sometimes stop too early or misread a tied score as a win.
• Teach younger players to say the running total aloud after every roll. This builds arithmetic fluency and prevents scoring errors that cause disputes at the end of an innings.
• In repeated-match sessions, play a series of three or five innings each and tot up the aggregate. This smooths out the luck of a single innings and produces a fairer overall result.

Variations

Twenty20 Format

Each player faces a fixed 20 overs (120 rolls) rather than batting until ten wickets fall. The innings ends at 120 rolls or ten wickets, whichever comes first. This creates a stricter time limit and suits younger players or shorter sessions. Wickets still count as zero and end the 'ball', and the player with more runs after both innings wins.

Two-Dice Version

Each roll uses two dice simultaneously. Add the two faces for runs (so totals of 2 to 12 are possible), but if either individual die shows a 5, it is a wicket regardless of the other die. This version produces higher scoring innings and more dramatic swings. Agree whether two fives on the same roll counts as one wicket or two before starting.

Test Match Format

Each player bats two full innings (batting until ten wickets each time, twice). The aggregate of both innings determines the winner. If one side is so far behind after their second innings begins that they cannot win even with ten wickets remaining, they are 'all out' and concede. This version takes 45-60 minutes and suits players who want a longer session.

Custom Scoring Chart

Some households replace the standard chart with a more cricket-realistic version: 1 = dot ball, 2 = 1 run, 3 = 2 runs, 4 = 4 runs, 5 = 6 runs, 6 = OUT. This shifts the average score per ball upward and produces bigger totals, but also means dot balls are the most common outcome, which reflects real cricket more closely. Agree and write down any custom chart before rolling.

Dice Cricket: frequently asked questions