How to Play: Pass the Pigs
We love the game Pass the Pigs, inspired by a dice game called “Pig.”
This is a very compact game that I usually keep in my bag. If we’re waiting at a restaurant or just need a little time to sit and rest, it’s easy to pull out and practice some basic addition skills without the kids even realizing it.
If you want to buy this game for your family, check your local game shop or go to our Games & Activities Page under “Boat Gear” for this game and other great dice, card, and board game activities.
Looking for more game rules that you can try? See all of our blog posts tagged with Game Rules.
We keep scores for games like cards, dice, or Pass the Pigs in a notebook that I keep in my bag with a deck of cards, die, and Pass the Pigs. We can pick up wherever we left off in our last game!
Game Information
Game Objective
Your goal is to be the first player to earn (and keep!) 100 points by rolling two pigs as dice.
Number of Players
This game is usually played with two to six players.
Playing Time
A normal game can take about 10 to 30 minutes.
Supplies
Two pig dice
Notepad and pencil for tracking scores.
Recommended Ages
This game is great for ages 6 and up.
Game Rules
One person keeps score. This person is the swineherd.
Setup:
Get out your two pig dice, pencil, and paper. The swineherd gets the pencil and paper.
Pick who goes first. Play will go around to their left.On Your Turn:
Roll both pigs together on a smooth surface and mentally note the score. Points are scored according to how the pigs land.
After noting your points, decide whether to stop rolling and score or to keep rolling and try to add points to your score.
Stopping Rolling:
If you choose to stop rolling, add the points you have rolled so far on this turn and have the swineherd mark your score on the scorepad. This ends your turn. Pass the pigs to the next player.Keep Rolling:
You may continue to roll the pigs repeatedly on your turn, each time mentally keeping a running total of the points rolled. You may keep rolling until one of the following occurs to end your turn (and the swineherd marks your score):You decide to stop rolling and score.
You roll a “Pig Out,” which means you score 0 points for this turn.
You roll an “Oinker, " meaning you lose ALL of your points accumulated in the game.
SCORING:
Pig Out: 0 Points and End of Turn (pigs land on opposite sides, one with a dot, one with a blank)
Sider: 1 Point (BOTH pigs land on the same side, either both with dots or both blank)
Trotter: 5 Points (one pig lands on all four feet)
Double Trotter: 20 Points (BOTH pigs land in the trotter position)
Razorback: 5 Points (one pig lands on its back with all feet in the air)
Double Razorback: 20 Points (BOTH pigs land in the razorback position)
Snouter: 10 Points (one pig lands on its snout and two front feet)
Double Snouter: 40 Points (BOTH pigs land in the snouter position)
Leaning Jowler: 15 Points (one pig lands on its snout, ear, and ONE front foot)
Double Leaning Jowler: 60 Points (BOTH pigs land in the leaning jowler position)
Oinker: Lose Entire Score (start back at zero) (both pigs land in any position and are TOUCHING)
Piggyback: This position is undignified (one pig on top of the other) and means you are out of the game.
Great for Kids
This game is great for building several skills:
Math Skills - addition, probabilities
Social Skills - explaining the game and interacting with other players
Fine Motor Skills - picking up pigs, rolling pigs, writing down scores
Critical Thinking - learn when it’s worth taking a risk and when it is too high (probabilities!).
Interesting Links
Researching some rule options for this game led me to some interesting information.
First, go check out the Wikipedia page for this game.
Lower on the Wikipedia page, you’ll see a section for Relative Frequencies. Create your own graph table and track the frequencies of the pigs to see if your relative frequencies match this chart, or decide what has a good probability of being your next roll!
