Need a fun new game to learn? Get ready to learn how to play the SEVENS dice game! This dice game for two or more players is so easy to learn and the roll of the dice will result in lots of rousing "Aw man!"s and "Yes!"es. Kids love the action of tossing dice, and parents love the way dice games can sneak in math practice as well as keeping kids off screens.
Note: this post contains affiliate links that may earn commission.
You're so smart that you've already figured out that Sevens has something to do with the number 7. But the numbers 6 and 3 are also important. Find out why by reading the game rules below!
Love dice games? See the best dice game for kids!
How to Play Sevens
Don't miss our suggested variations at the bottom of this post!
What you need:
- Six dice. As I've said before, dice games are always more fun if you have vintage-colored dice like these.
- 2 or more enthusiastic players
- Paper and pencil to keep score
Objective
To be the player with the highest score after a pre-determined number of rounds.
Now, watch the how-to video or read the written instructions below.
Sevens Dice Game Instructions
- Set up
Decide who goes first. Arm wrestle if you need to, or roll a die and the player who rolls the largest number starts.
Decide how many rounds you will play. Alternatively, set a point goal and the first player who reaches that point goal wins. - Rules
On their turn, each player throws down six dice. Looking at the dice, remove any combination of dice that add up to seven. (*see variations, below)
For example, if a player rolls a 4-3-6-2-1-1, they would remove the 4, 3, 6, 1.
After removing the dice, the player has two choices. They can stop, keeping the score of the remaining dice. In the above example, the remaining dice are 2-1, for a score of 3. Or, they can roll again to try and increase their score.
If they roll again, the rule of removing dice adding up to seven still applies. For example, if the second roll is 6-1, then both dice are disqualified and the score is 0. If the second roll was 6-2, the score is 8.
The first player can roll their dice a total of 3 times (2 re-rolls).
After the first player has recorded their score, the dice are passed clockwise to the next player. All players can now only roll the dice up to the number of times the first player rolled. So if the first player only rolled twice, subsequent players can only roll up to two times.
- Ending a Round
After every player has had a turn, the scores are recorded and a new round begins. The player to the left of the player who began the round begins the new round.
- Winning
After a set number of rounds, players tally up their scores. The player with the highest score wins.
Alternatively, players can decide to play to a predetermined point value, such as 50 or 100. At the end of a round, if a player has reached that point goal, they win the game.
Variations Your Kids Can Try!
Simple games like Sevens are excellent vehicles for experimentation. The important thing to remember is that all players must agree ahead of time on the rules change! Here are some ideas to try:
Only two dice can add up to 7. The options are then limited to 1-6, 2-5, 3-4.
Any number of dice can add up to 7. If a player rolls 5-1-1-1-4-2, then all the dice would have to be removed and a player ends up with a score of zero.
Allow all players to roll the dice up to three times, regardless of how many times the first player threw the dice.
How does the game change if the forbidden number is 3, 8, 6 or any other number rather than 7?
Why Play Sevens Dice?
First, it's fun!
Also, aside from being a game that all ages will enjoy, younger children can work on number and quantity recognition, as well as basic addition skills.
Sevens dice game doesn't require any electronic devices, so it can be played during family game night but also at play dates, or between siblings to pass the time. Drop a handful of dice in your purse and you and your kids can play on-the-go, along with these dice games that use five dice.
K says
Cute video, and I'll definitely be playing this with my boys! However, I caught 2 mistakes: you misspelled "roll" once, AND your math in the last roll is totally wrong! I'm sure you did not mean those things, I just wanted to point that out.
Erica says
Gah! Thank you. Probably I should have waited a day before proofreading! Sometimes one's eyes glaze over after 40 viewings! I appreciate you letting me know.
Angela says
I don't understand why whoever scores the highest wins. I would let whoever makes the lowest score win because it means that he has tried his luck.
Why?
Thanky you for sharing.
A
Debbie says
I have the same question. I would think you would want to have the lowest score….