How to Play Pig

Pig is the classic "one more roll?" game: a single die, two players, and a decision every roll. It was described by John Scarne in 1945 and is a staple of classroom probability lessons.

The rules

On your turn, roll one die. The number is added to your turn total.
Keep rolling as long as you like, or hold: the turn total is added to your score and the die passes.
Roll a 1 and the turn total is lost; the die passes with nothing banked.
The first player to 100 points wins. Reaching 100 during a turn wins at once.

Two-Dice Pig

Roll two dice each time and add both. A single 1 loses the turn total. Double 1s lose your entire score. Any other double counts twice (two 4s add 16).

Playing on kawu

Roll and Hold buttons, or press R and H. The computer plays the other seat at easy, normal or hard.
Hint shows what the hard computer would do. No undo: the die has spoken.
Scores and the die are saved, so you can close the page and come back.

Then read Pig strategy for the hold-at-20 rule and when to break it.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I roll a 1 in Pig?

Your turn ends at once and the points you had collected this turn are lost. Your banked score is safe. In Two-Dice Pig a single 1 does the same, but double 1s wipe your whole score.

Do I have to roll at least once?

Yes. You can't hold a turn total of zero; roll first, then hold whenever you like.

Who goes first?

On kawu you roll first every game. Going first is a small advantage, so the computer plays a little more boldly to make up for it.

Last updated 2026-10-21