Dice 10k

Dice 10k is a strategic, high-stakes 1v1 dice-rolling game where risk management, mathematical calculation, and nerves of steel decide the winner. Players take turns rolling six 6-sided dice (6d) to score points, aiming to be the first to land on exactly 10,000 points.

1. The Five Core Concepts

• Player Turn — the active window of time when a player has control of the dice and is actively scoring.
• Player's Hand — the set of active dice available to throw. A turn starts with 6 dice in the hand.
• Player Throws — the physical action of rolling the active dice in the hand.
• Turn Score — the temporary pool of points accumulated during the current active turn. These points are at risk of being lost unless safely "registered" (banked).
• Player Score — the permanent, safe registry of points. Once points are registered to the Player Score, they can never be lost (except via the 6d zero-score penalty).

2. Scoring Combinations

Only specific dice rolls yield points. Any dice that do not match the scoring combinations below are considered "non-scoring dice."

Single Dice Values

1 = 100 points
5 = 50 points

Three-of-a-Kind

Set of 3 identical dice rolled in a single throw.

3 × 1 = 700
3 × 2 = 200
3 × 3 = 300
3 × 4 = 400
3 × 5 = 500
3 × 6 = 600

Multipliers for Larger Sets (N-of-a-Kind)

If you roll more than 3 of the same number in a single throw, the score doubles for each additional matching die:

• 4-of-a-Kind — double the score of the 3-of-a-kind. (e.g., 4 × 1 = 1,400 pts; 4 × 2 = 400 pts)
• 5-of-a-Kind — double the score of the 4-of-a-kind. (e.g., 5 × 1 = 2,800 pts; 5 × 2 = 800 pts)
• 6-of-a-Kind — double the score of the 5-of-a-kind. (e.g., 6 × 1 = 5,600 pts; 6 × 2 = 1,600 pts)

Special Configurations

Only valid when throwing all 6 dice at once.

• Three Pairs — 3 distinct pairs of any numbers (e.g., 2-2, 4-4, 5-5) = 1,000 points.
• A 4-of-a-kind plus a single pair (e.g., 2-2-2-2-5-5) is a valid alternative interpretation of "three pairs": the four can be read as two pairs, so the whole throw scores 1,000 points. Because the same throw also scores as a 4-of-a-kind + singles (4 × 2 = 400 plus 2 × 5 = 100, total 500), the player is offered both interpretations and picks the one they want applied to the turn score.
• Straight — exactly one of each number (1-2-3-4-5-6) = 1,500 points.

3. Gameplay Loop & Rules of the Turn

Start of Turn — the player begins with a full Player's Hand of 6 dice.

The First Throw — the player throws all 6 dice.

Selecting Dice & Tactical Sub-selection

• The player must select at least one scoring die or scoring combination from the throw to proceed.
• Crucial Strategy (Tactical Sub-selection) — the player is not forced to take all scoring dice. They can choose to select only a subset of the scoring dice to strategically manipulate their score or to keep more dice in their hand.

• The points from the selected dice are added to the Turn Score.
• Selected dice are set aside and cannot be thrown again on this turn (unless a "Player's Hand" is achieved).

Subsequent Throws

• The non-selected, non-scoring dice left in the Player's Hand are rolled again.
• From the new throw, the player must again select at least one new scoring die/combination to add to the Turn Score.
• This continues until the player decides to Bank/Register their points or they Bust.

The Bust Penalties

If a player rolls their active dice and none of the rolled dice score:

• Bust on less than 6 dice — the player's Turn Score is wiped to 0, and their turn immediately ends. No permanent Player Score is lost.
• Severe Bust (bust on a 6d throw). If a player rolls all 6 dice (either on their very first throw of the turn, or on a forced re-roll after a Player's Hand) and scores 0 points, they suffer a massive penalty directly to their permanent Player Score:
  • If their current Player Score is under 5,000 points: they lose 1,000 points.
  • If their current Player Score is 5,000 or more: they lose 2,000 points.
• A player's score may go negative: if the bust penalty (or an overshoot Subtract) exceeds their current score, the permanent score is reduced below 0. There is no 0 floor.

Player's Hand (Hot Hand Bonus)

If all 6 dice successfully score (either all in one throw, or accumulated over multiple throws during the turn), the player has completed a Player's Hand. Bonus points are awarded:

• 1st Player's Hand in a turn = +500 points
• 2nd consecutive Player's Hand in the same turn = +1,000 points
• 3rd consecutive Player's Hand in the same turn = +2,000 points (doubles infinitely: +4,000, +8,000, etc.)

Forced Re-roll — after achieving a Player's Hand, the player is forced to pick up all 6 dice and throw them again. Their accumulated Turn Score (plus bonuses) remains intact, but they face the risk of a "Severe Bust" on the next 6d throw!

4. Ending a Turn & Registering (Banking)

A player can choose to end their turn and transfer their Turn Score to their permanent Player Score only if they meet the following conditions:

The Registry Minimums

• To open the board (1st Registry) — if a player has a permanent Player Score of 0, their Turn Score must be at least 500 points to register.
• Subsequent Turns — for all subsequent turns, the Turn Score must be at least 300 points to register.

The Base-100 Constraint

• To register points, the Turn Score must end in a multiple of 100 (e.g., 300, 400, 1200).
• If the Turn Score ends in a 50 (e.g., 350, 550, 1150), the player is forced to throw again. They cannot bank their points until they either bust or successfully alter their Turn Score to end in a double zero (00) by scoring with another 5 (50 points) or another combination.

The Exact-10k Win Condition & Overshoot Choice

A player wins only when banking brings their permanent score to exactly 10,000. A bank that would push the permanent score above 10,000 (an "overshoot") is not a win. How it resolves depends on where the permanent score stands:

• Permanent score below 10,000 — only Add is available: the overshoot is locked in, the permanent score ends up above 10,000, and the game continues. There is no way to dodge the overshoot from below.
• Permanent score already above 10,000 — every bank overshoots, so the player is offered a choice and the turn still ends:
  • Add — climb even higher above 10,000. The game continues.
  • Subtract — discard the turn points against the permanent score (perm -= turn, no 0 floor — the score may go negative). Landing on exactly 10,000 this way is a win — it is the only way back from an overshoot lock.
• Banks that land at or below 10,000 work as before: the turn ends, the turn score is added to the permanent score, and a landing on exactly 10,000 is a win.