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Dice game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pig is a simple die game first described in print by John Scarne in 1945.[1] Players take turns to roll a single die as many times as they wish, adding all roll results to a running total, but losing their gained score for the turn if they roll a .
As with many games of folk origin, Pig is played with many rule variations, including the use of two dice instead of one. Commercial variants of two-dice Pig include Pass the Pigs, Pig Dice,[2] and Skunk.[3] Pig is commonly used by mathematics teachers to teach probability concepts.
Pig is one of a family of dice games described by Reiner Knizia as "jeopardy dice games", where the dominant type of decision is whether or not to jeopardize previous gains by rolling for potential greater gains.[4]
Each turn, a player repeatedly rolls a die until the chosen number is rolled or the player decides to "hold":
The first player to score 100 or more points wins.
For example, the first player, Andersandle, begins a turn and rolls a . Andersandle could hold and score 5 points, but chooses to roll again. Andersandle rolls a , and could hold with a turn total of 7 points, but chooses to roll again. Andersandle rolls a , and must end his turn without scoring. The next player, Alexia, rolls the sequence , , , , , after which she chooses to hold, and adds her turn total of 23 points to her score.
Optimal play for 2-player Pig was computed by Todd W. Neller[5] and visualized by Clifton G. M. Presser in 2001.[6] At any time, the relevant decision information includes the player's score, the opponent's score, and the turn total. Such information corresponds to a 3D point in the graph's space. If this point is inside the gray solid, the player should roll. Otherwise, the player should hold.
Many 2-dice variants have been analysed,[7] and human-playable Pig strategies have been compared to optimal play.[8] For example:
This variation is the same as Pig, except:
Some versions of this game instead use as the "bad" die face.[9]
This variation is the same as Two-Dice Pig, except:[citation needed]
Skunk (or Think) is a variation of Two-Dice Pig that is played with large groups. Rather than rolling in turn, all players begin the round standing. At any point in the round, a player may hold by sitting down. The round continues until a is rolled, or all players have sat down. Skunk is played in five rounds, and scoring is recorded in a five-column table with columns labeled with the letters of the word "SKUNK". The first round score is entered in the "S"-column, the next in the first "K"-column, and so on. After five rounds, the highest-scoring player is the winner.[10]
Hog is played with a larger number of dice. On a player's turn, they choose any amount of dice to roll, and throw those dice. If they roll any 's, they score zero for their turn; otherwise they score the sum of the dice. Play then passes to the next player. The game continues to a target score.[11]
The commercial game Pass the Pigs is similar to two-dice Pig, and is played with two small model pigs being thrown, similar to shagai bones.
In this game, a roll of left side and right side has the same consequences as rolling a (i.e., the turn ends with the loss of the turn total), and a roll with pigs touching has the same consequences as rolling two 's (i.e., the turn ends with the loss of the turn total and score). Pass the Pigs is similar to Frey's variant in that two pigs in the same non-side configuration score double what they would individually.
Pig often serves as a simple example for teaching probability concepts from the middle school level upwards. The game also provides exercises for teaching computer science in areas ranging from introductory courses to advanced machine learning material.[12]
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