Vegas Dice Game: Roll for the Big Money

A 2012 Spiel des Jahres nominee, Vegas Dice Game is about playing the odds and reading your opponents.

Will you go for the big money or play it slow and steady? Will the dice be your friends, or will Lady Luck desert you?

Gameplay

There are six casino boards laid on the table; these each represent a different casino and they are numbered one through six. The game comes with a deck of cards, with the cards representing different denominations of money. At the beginning of each round, players deal a money card to each casino. If the bill is worth less than $50,000, more cards are dealt to that casino until their total value reaches that number. Each player is also given eight dice.

The game is played over four rounds. On your turn, you roll all your dice. You must then choose a number you rolled and place all your dice that match that number onto the corresponding casino. After all players have placed all their dice on casinos, the round ends. For each casino, the player with the most dice present on it takes the largest money card connected to that casino. If there is more than one card there, the player with the second most dice present takes the next largest bill, and so on. If multiple players have the same number of dice on a casino, all of their dice are removed from the casino. Any cards that are not won are put back into the deck.

After the money cards are assigned, a new round then begins. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins.

Review

Vegas Dice Game has a simple, straightforward concept that is easy to grasp. A couple of minutes and soon everyone gets the gist of how the game is played. People who have played before also don't have a significant advantage over those who are new to it, and this makes it a great game for different groups with varying experience levels.

The game is also quite compact. The box itself is a bit large for the components inside (though it does look fantastic), however the components themselves are minimal, and if you have limited space you can easily bring them without the box, which also makes Vegas Dice Game good for game nights away from home.

Players do not have a way to directly affect their dice rolls, however there's both strategy and player interaction that results from this — you must choose how many different casino boards to pursue, when to cut your losses, when to compete against an opponent head on, choosing whether to go for the casinos that will earn you more or the ones that will look less attractive to the other players, and all while keeping in mind the odds of the dice rolls.

Vegas Dice Game plays in thirty minutes, not over-staying its welcome nor wrapping up too quickly. If you enjoy dice games, it’s a solid one to add to your collection, as it works well for a wide range of ages and experience levels alike.

Pros: Blend of strategy and luck, good presentation, can be played by a wide range of ages and experience levels

Cons: Box is a little large, occasionally turns will leave you with few options

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.