Threes Away (A Fun and Easy Dice Game for All Ages)
Whether you’re planning a cozy family gathering or a competitive evening with friends, Threes Away is your ticket to a night filled with laughter, strategy, and those sweet, sweet zeroes.
It’s the game that proves you don’t need a board or fancy equipment to have an epic night—just a handful of dice and a willingness to embrace the chaos of rolling threes.
Welcome to Threes Away, the dice game where you aim low to score high—well, actually, to score low… ummm, let me explain.
The Lowdown on Threes Away
In Threes Away, your goal is to end up with the lowest score possible. When you roll the dice, you really want to see threes because each three counts as zero points.
The lower your total score, the better. Other numbers on the dice count as their face value, so you’ll need to think about which dice to keep and which to reroll to keep your score low.
Think of it as the dice version of golf—low scores are the goal of the game.
The Essentials
To get rolling, you’ll need:
- 5 six-sided dice: Go for the colorful ones, they make every roll feel like a mini-celebration (or maybe it’s just me?.
- Pen and paper: For scorekeeping, because trying to remember scores after your fourth game is like trying to remember your friend’s cat’s name. It’s just not happening.
- At least 2 good friends who’re ready to roll (but a bigger crowd is usually more fun)
Once you’ve gathered your crew, decide who goes first. Rock-paper-scissors, a good old-fashioned staring contest – whatever floats your boat.
Oh, and you might want to set a round limit, unless you’re cool with playing till the break of dawn.
Let’s Play
- Player A starts the round by rolling all five dice at once. The goal is to get the lowest score possible, and threes are your best friends here, because they’re worth zero points! 🎉
- After the initial roll, Player A must keep at least one die, but they can keep more if they want. If there are any threes, they’ve got to keep those, too. Example time: if the first roll is 3, 4, 2, 6, and 3, the player must keep the two threes.
- Player A then re-rolls the remaining dice, again keeping at least one die per roll. They continue this process until all the dice have been kept.
- Once all the dice are kept, Player A adds up the values of the kept dice, excluding any threes, to get their score for the round. So, if the final dice are 3, 3, 1, 2, and 3, the player’s score would be 1 + 2 = 3 points.
- Player A then passes the dice clockwise to the next player (Player B), who repeats the process from step 1.
- The round continues until each player has had a turn rolling the dice and recording their score.
The table below shows a possible scoring example for a game of Threes Away:
| Round | Player A | Player B | Player C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Total | 9 | 17 | 14 |
Always keep an eye on your opponents’ scores. It might influence your strategy.
- In the next round, Player B starts, followed by Player C, and then back to Player A. The starting player rotates with each new round, giving everyone a chance to set the pace.
- The game ends after a predetermined number of rounds (decided during setup) or when everyone’s having so much fun that they lose track of time!
- The player with the lowest total score across all rounds emerges as the Threes Away Champion!
| What’s Up? | Cool Stuff | Not So Cool Stuff | Just a Heads Up | Who’s Gonna Love It? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threes Away – the dice game where low scores win! 🎲 | It’s super easy to learn and set up. Grab some dice, paper, and a few friends, and you’re good to go! 👍 | If you’re not a fan of luck-based games, this might not be your jam. | Not the best game for groups of 6 or more | Kids aged 8+ who love a good, silly game night. Perfect for family gatherings! 👨👩👧👦 Adults who enjoy a bit of friendly competition and an easy-to-learn game |
Why This Game Rocks
- It’s quick: Perfect for when you want to fit in some fun without planning an entire game night.
- It’s easy: Got friends who shy away from complex rules? Even my 6 year old picked it up in no time, and now she asks to play it every other family game night.
Wait! You Need These 5 Addictive Dice Games in Your Life!
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Mix It Up (Threes Away Variations)
When you’ve mastered any game, it’s always good to have a few variations in your pocket to keep it interesting.
Here’s some options to for Threes Away:
- High Score Version: Flip the traditional goal and aim for the highest score possible. In this version, the high numbers (5s and 6s) are your new best friends. Keep those high rollers and think twice before letting go of a 4.
- Limited Rolls: You only get two rolls each turn. Decide which dice to keep after the first roll very carefully, because you’ve only got one more chance to improve your hand.
- Color-Coded Dice: Assign different point values or special rules to dice of different colors. Red dice might double your score for that roll, blue dice could count as zero no matter what number they show. Put a bunch of different-colored dice inside of a hat. Before you start rolling for your turn, you have to blindly pick 5 dice out of the hat.
Each of these variations can offer a fresh twist on the classic game, keeping it a viable option for game night or a family fun night.
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Pro Tips
- Threes are your friends – embrace that zero like it’s a parking spot right in front of the store.
- Your strategy will also depend on the order of play. If you’re a second or third player in a round, you might make riskier decisions based on the scores of those who went before you.
- Strategy is key. Keep those low numbers, and reroll the high ones. (Once, I kept a 5 because I was feeling lucky. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.)
- While dice games are all about the luck of the roll, Threes Away also requires some strategic thinking. You’ll have to weigh the risks and benefits of keeping certain dice. For example, do you keep that 4, or risk rerolling and potentially ending up with a 5 or 6? Even rolling a 2 can mess with your mind a bit – after all, it’s possible to turn it into a 1 or 3.
Want Some More Easy Dice Game Options?
Don’t want the fun to stop? Check out some other fun dice games:
And if you have kids and you’re wanting to do a more educationally-inclined family fun night, check out this post: 10 Insanely Easy Math Dice Games for Kids (Simple & Fun!).