Dice games
421
Get rid of your chips before the others, by rolling the best combinations with three dice.
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 15
- variants
- 3
You’ll need: 3 dice + 11 chips. Marquoir gives you all the rules and keeps score.
Setup
- Three dice and eleven chips in the middle of the table.
- Two to six players, often at the bar.
How to play
- First phase, the charge (la charge): the eleven chips are handed out. Each round, the player with the lowest result takes the number of chips set by the best one.
- Second phase, the discharge (la décharge): players who hold chips pass them on to the next losers.
- Each player has three rolls, but the first to play sets the number of rolls for the whole round.
Scoring
- 421 is the best combination: it is worth eleven chips.
- 111, called Nénette, is worth seven chips.
- A one together with a pair, for example 1-6-6, is worth the value of the pair: here six chips. These hands rank from 1-6-6 down to 1-2-2.
- 221, the Fauche, is worth two chips.
- Next come three of a kind, from 666 down to 222, then the straights 6-5-4, 5-4-3, 4-3-2 and 3-2-1. All are worth one chip.
- All other hands are worth one chip and are ranked by comparing the dice from highest to lowest.
- In a perfect tie, the players involved roll again.
End of the game
- The game ends as soon as a player has got rid of all their chips during the discharge.
- The last player still holding chips has lost: traditionally, they buy the next round.
House rules and pitfalls
- 421 is worth eleven chips, in other words the whole pot: the hand that gives the game its name often ends the charge on its own.
- All hands not listed are worth one chip and are compared die by die, from highest to lowest.
Variants
Number of chips
11 chips (usual)
7 chips (short game)
One quick round at the bar before heading off.
21 chips (long game)
Twice as much charge, and a discharge that never ends.
chosen when starting, the scorer follows
Frequently asked questions
How many rolls do you get on your turn?
Three at most, but the first player of the round sets the number for everyone: if they stop after one roll, the others only get one.
How are the hands ranked in 421?
421 (eleven chips), 111 known as Nénette (seven), a one with a pair from 1-6-6 down to 1-2-2 (the value of the pair), 221 known as the Fauche (two), then three of a kind from 666 down to 222, the straights, and finally all other hands (one chip).
Who decides the chips during the charge?
The best result of the round sets the number of chips the lowest one takes. During the discharge, it is the other way round: a player holding chips unloads them onto the loser of the round.
What happens in a perfect tie?
The players involved roll again between themselves, until someone wins.
Who has lost at the end?
The last player still holding chips when all the others have got rid of theirs. At the bar, they buy the next round.
How do you record a game in the counter?
Everyone starts with 11 chips. Enter as negative the chips a player gets rid of, as positive those they pick up; the first to reach zero is out.
The box
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Lancer de dés