How to Play Even Minus Odd: A Simple Dice Game for Quick Fun

Even Minus Odd is a quick and easy dice game that’s great for all ages. You only need six dice and a few chips or counters to play, and the scoring method is easy to learn which makes this a perfect game for family gatherings, game nights, or anytime you need a fun game that requires minimal setup. Here’s a breakdown of the rules to get you rolling!

Objective

The goal of Even Minus Odd is to win the most chips. You’ll earn or lose chips based on the difference between even and odd dice rolls.

What You’ll Need

• 6 six-sided dice
• Ten chips or counters per player

Number of Players

Even Minus Odd is playable with 2 or more players.

Game Setup

1. Place the Chips: Put ten chips per player in a pile in the center of the table.
2. Decide Who Goes First: Roll the dice to determine the starting player. The highest roller gets to go first, and play proceeds clockwise around the table.

Gameplay

1. Roll the Dice: On their turn, a player rolls all six dice.
2. Calculate the Difference:
   • Look at the dice rolls. Add up all the even numbers (the dice showing 2, 4, or 6). Then add up all the odd numbers (the dice showing 1, 3, or 5) and subtract that number from the total of even dice.
     • If the resulting number is positive, you will take that many chips from the center of the table.
     • If the resulting number is negative, you will pay that many chips to the center of the table (or as many as you have if you don't have enough).
       
       For example, if you roll a 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 and a 2, you would add the positive numbers (4+4+2+2=12) and subtract the negative numbers (5+3=8). Since the result is 4 (12-8=4), you would take four chips from the center of the table.
3. Give or Take Chips: Put chips into the center of the table if your score for the turn was negative, or take chips if your score was positive. If you lose all your chips, you are not out of the game! You get to continue playing, you just have nothing to lose!
4. Next Player's Turn: After recording their score, the player’s turn ends, and the next player rolls the dice.

Example of Scoring

A player rolls the six dice. The results are 6, 5, 3, 3, 1, 1. They then calculate their score.

• They only rolled a single even number (the 6).
• Then they add up their odd-numbered dice (5+3+3+1+1=13).
• Then they subtract the sum of the odd-numbered roll from the sum of the even-numbered roll: 6 – 13 = -7. Since the result is negative, they have to put 7 of their chips back to the center of the table!

Ending the Game

The game ends when all the chips are gone from the center of the table. If there are not enough chips in the center for the last player to take their full amount of chips, they only take what's left.

The player with the most chips is the winner!

Optional Rules & Variations

To keep things interesting, try these other ways to play:

• Fewest Chips Wins: The player with the fewest chips at the end of the game is winner instead of the player with the most chips.
• White Minus Black: Instead of six dice, this variant uses 5 dice. Three of the dice should be white and two should be black. When rolling, instead of subtracting even and odd-numbers, you will simply add the scores of the white dice together, then subtract the sum of the scores on the black dice. For example, if you rolled 6, 4, and 3 on the white dice, and 5 and 2 on the black dice, your results would be 6+4+3=13 on the white dice and 5+2=7 on the black dice. So, since 13 – 7 = 6, you would take 6 chips from the center of the table.

Even Minus Odd is a fun, straightforward game that moves fast enough to keep everyone engaged. It's an excellent choice for a quick and easy dice game with friends, family, or kids, Grab your dice, and let the even and odd excitement begin!