Macao Dice Game Rules

Macao is a simple casino-style game for 3 to 6 players. All you need is a single die and a pile of chips. The game is traditionally played for stakes, but works just as well with valueless chips or points. Give everyone the same number of chips to start, for example 20.

Pick one player to be the banker for the first round. Everyone else places a stake, one chip for instance, on the table in front of them.

The goal is to get as close to 9 as possible without going over. In turn, each player rolls the die and adds up the pips. After each roll you choose to stand on your total or roll again.

If you go past 9, you are bust. You are out of the round and lose your stake to the banker straight away.

Finally the banker rolls under the same rules, trying to beat the players still standing on 9 or less. If the banker busts, the banker pays every remaining player the amount of their stake. If the banker stands on a total, the banker pays the players with a higher total and collects from those with an equal or lower one.

Winning ties gives the banker a small edge, so pass the role to the next player after every round.

Play an agreed number of rounds, ideally so everyone has been the banker the same number of times. When the last round is done, the player with the most chips wins.