High-Risk vs. Low-Risk Dice Strategies

Dice is one of the oldest forms of gambling in the world. What now happens in brightly lit casinos was once a pastime for the sides of dirt roads and in dim kitchens while working over an open fire.

Although there is no one strategy that works for everyone, knowing your probabilities, the rules of dice, and a few mathematical tips, you can up your dice game. Read on to learn about some high-risk and low-risk dice strategies.

Before we dive in, let’s cover some frequently asked questions:

1. Do Previous Dice Rolls Matter?

No, each dice roll is an independent event. That means your probability of seeing any specific number is the same with every turn you take, even if you may have rolled 7’s the past six rolls.

You can try to look for patterns, and most do, but remember that any pattern you notice isn’t real, as mathematically, each dice roll is an independent outcome.

2. Is There Truth to the Dice Superstitions?

Some believe you need to blow on the dice before tossing them. You can believe this if you want, but there is no scientific evidence that any of the superstitions surrounding dice are real.

3. Are Loaded Dice Real?

If you are playing in a casino or online, there is no reason to worry about loaded dice, as these things are heavily regulated. That being said, if you are at a friend’s or a stranger's home game, always be wary of any dice they offer—they might be loaded.

Now, let’s get into some dice strategies to help you change your game!

High-Risk Dice Strategies

1. Choosing the Right Number to Bet On

In double dice games, it’s important to know that certain numbers appear more than others. This is because of the way math works. For example, the number 2, as a total of two dice rolls, has a 1/36 or 3% probability, because the number 2 is only achievable when you roll a one on both dice. Meanwhile, betting on a number like 6 has a much better probability because not only can rolling two 3’s make 6, but so can a 1 and a 5, and a 2 and a 4. This means out of 36 possible outcomes, five of them will yield a 6, giving you a 14% chance of winning.

The best number to choose when rolling two dice is 7, as it has 6 possible outcomes, making your chances of rolling a 7 6/36 or 1/6. For this reason, many games do not allow you to choose 7.

2. Make Opposing/Multiple Bets

Now, we generally do not recommend this strategy as you do need to be prepared to lose, and this tip is specifically applicable to dice games like craps. But basically, you make a main bet on the outcome of a dice roll, while simultaneously making some sort of side bet. This means that even if you don’t win the main bet, you will likely walk away with something. However, there is also a chance you lose both bets.

(Examples: a pass line or no pass line in craps)

3. Change Your Bet While Playing

Note, we are not discussing Matringaling here, as while there is some strategy behind it, it more often leads to losses rather than wins. Instead, we recommend studying math and learning when might be a good time to raise or change your bets.

Remember, each dice roll is independent (especially when gaming online) but in casinos where the dice are rolled by hand, it is odd when someone rolls twenty 6’s in a row (and you’ll likely have someone from security checking the die) but that aside, as the number of 6’s rolled concurrently increases, if you are betting under, there is a point where raising your bet might be a good idea. Again, this is still playing with chance, but it is a way you might be able to increase your winnings. Just remember it is a high-risk strategy, and it is just as likely that you lose everything. (See also Kelly Criterion)

Low-Risk Dice Strategies

1. Bet Over/Under Instead of Specific Numbers

This one is just straight math. When you choose to bet on a dice being over a certain number, versus under, you can choose your probability of winning. For example, if you have a single 6-sided die, if you bet that the roll will be over three (only over, not equal to), you have a 50/50 chance of winning. This is much different from betting on rolling a 2, as that only gives you a 1/6 or roughly a 17% chance of winning.

This gives you a lot of control and lowers your risk of massive losses. For example, you can also bet the dice roll will be over 2, giving you a 60% chance of winning.

**Do note, this strategy works best in single die games.

Remember, the house will always take a cut, but this is a good, low-risk strategy that can increase your play time on an online casino.

2. Choose Low Risk

Online casinos have begun to offer more options to customers. Many of them, like MintDice.com, offer multiple options to choose your level of risk. Then the computer will tell you what to bet. For example, if you only want a payout of 1.01 percent of your original bet, you can select that, and the machine will adjust to allow you to attempt to roll under 98, which you have a much higher chance of doing.

While this might sound easy, know you won’t hit it big with this method, and not all gambling websites allow it.

3. Play Low Buy-In

If you are really worried about losing money, one of the best low-risk dice strategies is to play on machines and websites that allow low buy-ins. This will allow you to put as little money on the line as you want. Of course, you also won’t win a lot, but there are many websites out there that will let you bet a fraction of a cent per roll (specifically in the cryptocurrency world).