The Home Version of the Game of PIG

My math group has started delving into the topic of probability. There are many games we can play using simple materials - usually just playing cards, coins, or dice. We start with coin tosses, as that gives us a way to practice 1 out 2, or 50-50 probability, and now we are using one die.

One of our favorite games so far is the game of PIG. The classroom version is a bit different than the home game I will teach you now - but the gist is the same. Please consider playing this game at home - great practice in mental addition, and a fun lesson in probability.

What you need:
• a die
• pencil
• paper

What to do: 

1. Two or more family members take turns rolling a die.

2. On a turn, you or your child(ren) roll the die as many times as you want, mentally keeping a running total of the sum. You can stop rolling at any time. When you stop rolling, record the total. For subsequent rounds, add this figure to the total from previous rounds.

3. If a 1 comes up on the die before stopping, the player scores 0 for that round and it's the next player's turn. 

4. The first player to reach a total of 100 points wins.

5. After playing the game, discuss the strategies you used to decide whether to keep rolling or to stop.