Need a fun family dice game? Look no further! The Mafia Dice rules are easy to learn and the game is excellent for group entertainment because it's best with three or more players. The more the merrier.
Fortunately, Mafia Dice has nothing to do with organized crime, but it does have everything to do with FUN and is one of the best dice games for kids. Like most dice games, it's a game of pure chance; there is no strategy or skill involved beyond number recognition, making is a solid choice for families with children of different ages.
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Mafia Dice is one of our favorite games that uses 5 dice (<--- see our other favs.) It's sure to become your family's favorite, as well!
How to Play Mafia Dice
If you prefer, we have video instructions (see below), and printable instructions (see the bottom of this post.)
What you need:
- 5 dice per player; we love these vintage colored dice!
- 3 or more enthusiastic players
- 5 casino chips per player (or other tokens, like pennies, buttons, etc.); optional, see "variations" We actually find a lot of uses for these kinds of chips so they are handy to have for games!
Objective:
Be the last player left with casino chips.
Rules
Watch our video to learn how to play, or read the written instructions below the video. Good news!
Instructions
- Set up
Decide who goes first. You can determine this by having every player roll one die; highest roll goes first. Alternatively, you can thumb wrestle.
- Rules of Play
Player 1 throws down (gently, please) all 5 of his dice. He passes any 6s to the player on his left. He removes any 1s from play. He keeps the remaining dice.
Player 2 throws down all 5 of her dice, plus any dice player 1 passed to her. She passes any 6s to the player on her left. She removes any 1s from play. She keeps the remaining dice.
Player 3 throws down all 5 of their dice, plus any dice player 2 passed to them. They pass any 6s to the player on their left. They remove any 1s from play. They keep any remaining dice.
Play continues in this manner until one player has no remaining dice. That player is the winner of the round. - Ending the Round
After a player has won a round, the remaining players all roll one die. The player with the highest roll loses a chip. In the case of a tie for the highest roll, the tied players roll again.
- Beginning a New Round
At the start of a new round, everyone begins again with five dice. The player to the left of the initial first player begins the round.
- Winning the Game
Play continues until only one player has any chips left. That player is the winner of the game.
- Variations
For a shorter game, instead of playing with chips, simply predetermine how many rounds you will play. The player who has won the most rounds is the ultimate winner.
For very large groups, this may be the preferred variation since playing until only one player has any chips left can take a long time.
Alternatively, if you still want to use chips, play for a predetermined number of rounds and the player with the most number of chips left, is the winner.
Technically, Mafia Dice can be played with only two players, but it works much, much better with three or more.
Printable Game Instructions
Printable instructions are available, so you can teach the kids how to play without turning on the screens during family game night. Fill out the form, below, to get them sent to your email! After you request the printable be sure to hop over to dice games with 5 dice, for more games to play with your 5 mafia dice!
More fun dice games:
- Drop Dead (a fun game, despite the name!)
- Lu-Lu Dice, a traditional "dice" game from Hawai'i that uses disc-shaped homemade dice.
- Sevens dice game
- Buck dice - also totally reliant on luck and not skill!
Lee Ann Kinzer says
I purchased that beautiful package of 100 dice and cannot wait to be able to again visit with granddaughters and PLAY. This game seems an especially good one for sisters age 4 and getting a grip on numbers and age 8 with a good mental grasp and also dyslexia.
Erica says
Have fun playing the game with your granddaughters!
Andrew Smith says
I have played Mafia dice a few times with my kids and have read a few variations online and the one I liked the best, after one player has run out of dice all remaining players roll all of their Dice and count the pips on each dice and payout that much money and or chips or points to the winning player. And me and my kids also like to play this and farkle and various other games in a last man standing or elimination type where the remaining players continue to play for second best and third best and so forth.
Erica says
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.