Dice Poker is similar to the popular game called Yahtzee. It is a pure dice game, which means that there are no other pieces, not even a game board, just five dice and a table to write the score.
Start position and game object
Players roll five dice each turn and try to get the best combination for maximum points in different rows. The scoring rules will be explained at the next sections and the game starts with an empty score table:
The player who gets more total points, wins the game.
How to get points
The dice are rolled at the beginning of each turn and the player who is to make the move decides, which row could be the best to use the dice combination for. As the previous picture displays, there are 13 rows in the table and their descriptions show the corresponding score calculations:
Ones - a sum of all 1's
Twos - a sum of all 2's
Threes - a sum of all 3's
Fours - a sum of all 4's
Fives - a sum of all 5's
Sixes - a sum of all 6's
3 of a kind (3 or more dice with the same number) - a sum of all dice
4 of a kind (4 or more dice with the same number) - a sum of all dice
Full House (3 dice with the same number + 2 dice with the same number, and those two numbers must be different) - 25
Small Straight (a straight of 4 or more dice) - 30
Large Straight (a straight of all dice) - 40
5 of a kind (all dice with the same number) - 50
Chance (any dice combination) - a sum of all dice
The scores at this table are valid only if the dice combination (used in the corresponding row) fulfills the row conditions, otherwise the player scores 0 points. For example, if the player rolls 1-3-2-4-4, he can get 1 point at the 1st row (a sum of 1's) or 8 points at the 4th row (a sum of 4's) or 30 points at the 10th row (a small straight) etc.
Other important rules
Since the basic rules would make the game too luck based, there are several additional points to make it more interesting and strategic:
If a player is not satisfied with the dice roll, he can select one or more dice and make another roll with them. This action can be done twice at the current turn, then the player must use the resulting combination with no more changes to it. Of course, the additional rolls are not mandatory - if the player is satisfied with the first roll, he can use it immediately.
Using the dice is mandatory in every turn. It means that either if the roll does not make any points at any available row, the player must use it, even if it scores 0 points for him. It also means that every game has exactly 13 moves.
Whilst not as well known as craps, dice poker has picked up in popularity and can now be found at many Las vegas gaming rooms, in addition many online casinos have started to feature the game and this can be a good way to try it out on their demo play feature. Casinos running Microgaming software now offer this game and one good choice is Royal Vegas details here, known for its promotions and bonuses.