Porchlight › How to play › Hot Dice
How to play Hot Dice
A push-your-luck dice game for two to six players. Throw six dice, set aside the ones that score, and decide whether to bank your points or risk them on another throw.
The aim
Have the highest total once a player reaches the target (10,000 by default) and everyone else has had one last turn.
Setting up
Everyone starts on 0. The order of play is drawn at random.
Playing
On your turn:
- Throw all six dice.
- Set aside at least one die that scores. Every die you set aside must count toward a score.
- Either bank the points you have built up this turn, or throw again with the dice you haven't set aside.
Each set of dice you put aside adds to the turn's total. You can only bank at the moment you set dice aside.
Bust. If a throw contains nothing that scores, your turn ends and you lose all the points you had built up that turn.
Hot dice. When all six dice have been set aside, you get all six back and can throw again.
One throw at a time. Only dice from the same throw combine. A 5 kept from one throw and two 5s from the next are not three of a kind.
Scoring
Dice are always scored the best way they can be. In Box scoring, four 1s score as three 1s plus a single 1 (1,100), not as four of a kind (1,000).
Box scoring (the default)
| Dice | Points |
|---|---|
| Each 1 | 100 |
| Each 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three of any other number | 100 × the number (three 4s = 400) |
| Four of a kind | 1,000 |
| Five of a kind | 2,000 |
| Six of a kind | 3,000 |
| Straight 1 to 6 | 1,500 |
| Three pairs | 1,500 |
| Four of a kind plus a pair | 1,500 |
| Two sets of three | 2,500 |
The last four combinations need all six dice from a single throw.
Doubling scoring
| Dice | Points |
|---|---|
| Each 1 | 100 |
| Each 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 1,000 |
| Three of any other number | 100 × the number |
| Each die beyond three of a kind | Doubles the score (four 4s = 800, five 4s = 1,600, six 4s = 3,200) |
| Straight 1 to 5 | 500 |
| Straight 2 to 6 | 750 |
| Straight 1 to 6 | 1,500 |
Doubling scoring has no bonuses for pairs or for two sets of three.
Winning
The first player to bank a total at or above the target sets the mark. Every other player then gets one more turn to beat it. After that, the highest total wins. Equal totals share a place.
Table options
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring | Box or Doubling | Box |
| Play to | 2,000, 4,000 or 10,000 | 10,000 |
| To get on the board | Any score, 500 in one turn, or 1,000 in one turn | Any score |
| Three busts in a row | No penalty, or Lose 1,000 | No penalty |
| Computer players | Easy, Normal or Hard | Normal |
| Turn timer | Normal, Relaxed (twice as long), Quick (half as long) | Normal |
- To get on the board: until your first bank, you can't bank unless the turn is worth at least 500 (or 1,000). After that, any amount can be banked.
- Three busts in a row: your third bust in a row takes 1,000 off your total, and the count starts again. Banking also resets the count. Totals can go below zero.
Ranked games always use the defaults.
On Porchlight
- Press Throw, or the R key, to start your turn.
- Click dice, or press 1 to 6, to choose them. Dice that can't score are dimmed.
- Pick every die that scores (A) chooses the highest-scoring set from the throw.
- Keep & throw (R) sets your chosen dice aside and throws the rest. Keep & bank (B) sets them aside and banks. Each button shows how many dice you'd throw, or how many points you'd bank.
On a Normal timer you have 30 seconds for each throw or choice. If time runs out, the computer moves for you. If it runs out twice in a row, you're out of the game: a computer player takes your seat and you're placed last (in a two-player game, you forfeit). The same happens if you leave, or if your connection drops and you don't come back within about a minute.
The host can fill empty seats with computer players. Play with bots sets up a game against one.
Tips
- You don't have to keep every scoring die. Keeping a single 1 and throwing five dice is often better than keeping a 1 and a 5 and throwing four.
- With only one or two dice left, a bust is likely. Banking is usually the right choice.