Skip to content

Dice games

Chicago

players
2–10
minutes
15
years
8+

In the box

2 dice · Something to write the scores down

Box details
Origin
Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
Mechanics
Dice RollingObjectives

score sheets for this game →

Where to buy it

Near you

In a shop

Within 50 km.

The basics

With two dice, the game has eleven rounds, and the target of each one is known in advance: 2 in the first, then one more each round, up to 12. In each round, every player rolls the two dice once only, and hitting the target exactly scores as many points as it is worth. After the round of 12, the highest total wins.

Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026

The rules, step by step

Setup

2 dice, 11 rounds, 2 to 12
  • Two dice and something to write the scores on. Two or more players.
  • The game has eleven rounds, one for each total two dice can make, from 2 to 12.

How to play

1 roll per round, No reroll, no choice, Target 2, then +1
  • The target for each round is known in advance: 2 in the first round, then one more in each round.
  • In each round, every player rolls the two dice once, in turn.
  • No rerolls and no choices: the game is pure luck, and a game plays fast.

Scoring

Target hit: its value, Target missed: 0, Maximum 77 points
  • Rolling exactly the target scores as many points as it is worth: making the 9 round scores 9 points.
  • Missing the target scores nothing and costs nothing.
  • The maximum possible is 77 points, the sum of the totals from 2 to 12.

End of the game

11 rounds, Highest total
  • The game ends after the eleventh round, the 12 round.
  • The highest total wins. The sources give no tie-break: in a tie, the win is shared, unless the table agrees to play one more round.

House rules and pitfalls

A 7 comes up one time in six, a 2 or a 12 only one time in thirty-six.
  • A 7 comes up one time in six, a 2 or a 12 only one time in thirty-six. On average, the 7 round scores the most, a little over one point, ahead of the 8 round; over a whole game, you score 7 points on average.
  • The game is also called Rotation.

Going further

In the same family