Boss Dice
Boss Dice is also known as Bull Dice. This Boss game is based on Poker dice hands with some differences, played with two players who each play with five dice and a dice cup.
The goal is to win two out of three hands (horses). A hand consists of two rolls. The player with the higher poker hand after the second roll wins the hand and is the Boss.
How to Play:
Both players roll their five dice at once. The player who rolls the highest poker hand is the Boss. If no ranking Poker hand is rolled the round is void and players start over again until a Poker hand is rolled. The Boss sets aside the dice that make up his Poker hand and rolls the remainder, keeping them hidden by his dice cup. Therefore, the Boss picks up his unmatched dice and rolls them being careful to conceal this second roll from his opponent. Now the Boss evaluates his entire hand (all five dice) and reviews his opponent’s first roll.
Based upon his results and his opponent’s first roll, the Boss decides whether or not he wants the hand to continue. If he thinks his opponent has a chance of beating him with the second roll, the Boss says "Pick them up." They both start over again rolling all five dice to determine who will be Boss.
If the Boss thinks he can beat his opponent, he calls "Come Up!" His opponent then decides what his best opportunity is for rolling a better hand than the Boss’s. The opponent may decide to keep some of the dice from his first roll or re-roll all five of the dice.
At the end of the second roll, both players show their hands and the higher poker hand wins. If there’s a tie, there is no winner, and they re-roll the hand again.
Both players get two rolls per hand, but the Boss gets to see the results of both of his rolls before continuing the hand. In addition, when the boss calls his opponent "Up," the opponent does not know what the Boss’s second roll was and can only guess as the strength of the Boss’s hand. Consequently, the opponent could make an error when deciding how many and which dice to roll on his second roll.
Rules:
1. Boss Dice is won by the higher poker hand. However, nothing is wild and straights don’t count.
2. To be Boss, a player must roll at least one pair. If neither players rolls as least one pair on the first roll then the roll doesn’t count. There is no Boss. They both re-roll all five dice and start the hand fresh.
3. On the very first roll of each hand, there’s an exception made to the normal ranking poker hands. Two pair don’t count. Only the higher pair of a two pair roll is counted. Accordingly, on the first roll, one pair will beat any two pairs of lower rank (i.e. a pair of 5’s beats 4’s). If both players show two pairs, and the higher pair is the same, there is a tie. You can only keep only one of the two pairs.
4. Two pair does count on the second roll! It’s possible to win a hand with just a two pair.
5. If there’s a tie on the first roll, there is no Boss. Both players re-roll all five dice and start the hand fresh.
6. If there is a tie on the second roll, there is no winner and the hand is replayed.
Ranking:
Five of a kind 
6’s ranking highest; 1s lowest.
Four of a kind 
6’s ranking highest; 1s lowest.
Full House Three of a kind and a pair. Three 6’s and two 5’s is the highest Full house. Three aces (1’s) and two dueces (2’s) would be the lowest Full House.
Three of a kind 
6’s down to aces. The two unmatched dice don’t count.
Two pair 
Two 6’s and two 5’s would be the highest. Two dueces (2’s) and two aces (1’s) would be the lowest. In ranking two pair hands, the highest pair determines the winner-the lone dice does’t count. i.e., a pair of sixes and dueces beats a pair of fives and fours.
One pair 6’s down to aces, the other dice doesn’t count.
Straight or Five Unmatched Dice Count for nothing in poker ranking in Bar Dice Games (Alameda).
Strategy:
Once the Boss is established, the opponent must decide which dice to keep and which to roll in an attempt to beat the Boss. Most of the time this is obvious.
Let’s say your the Boss with a pair of sixes and you roll a pair of fours. Your opponent has a pair of threes and your opponent keeps two threes and also keeps a six and places the other two dice in the cup. He’s telling you that he is undecided about keeping just the six or the two 3’s. He would only keep the six if he were sure that you had three sixes. A quick, confident "Come Up!" would probably lead him to believe that you had at least three sixes, and since he was leaning towards that direction, he could very well pick up the pair of threes and try to beat you by matching up with his lone six. It’s a bad move on his part but you bluffed him into it. Your odds of winning are much better now. You caused your opponent to make an error. The odds of beating him are only 1.25 to 1.
Now, let’s say you rolled the third six. By hesitating in your call, you could lead your opponent to believe that you only had two pair, in this case, he would keep his pair of threes and roll the other three dice. However, once again, a quick and confident "Come Up" could lead him to believe that you had three sixes or better. He might try to win by keeping his one six and rolling four dice. There is a significant difference in the odds against the opponent winning depending upon his choice.
A word of caution about "streaks." There is no question that there are winning and losing streaks. The difficulty is in trying to determine when you or your opponent is in one, as well as, guessing how long it will last. You should try to stay alert to them but don’t alter your playing habits once you have based them on correct odds play. Playing 20 ’F "perfectly" (according to correct odds) will help you improve your game regardless of good or bad "luck" streaks.
The following are examples of how to play Boss Dice.
| A |
B |
| Keeps Rolls |
Keeps Rolls |
| 1st roll 6,6 5,4,2 |
5,5 4,4,3 |
| 2nd roll 6,6,6,2,1 |
5,5,5,2,2 |
1st roll, A is boss. His pair of 6’s is higher than B’s pair of 5’s. (Remember, a two pair hand doesn’t count on the first roll.)
2nd roll, A rolls a third 6 and calls B up. B rolls a Full House and wins the horse.
| A |
B |
| Keeps Rolls |
Keeps Rolls |
| 1st roll 5,5 3,3,1 |
6 1,2,4,5 |
| 2nd roll 5,5,4,4,2 |
6,6,4,4,2 |
1st roll, A is Boss. B rolls an Alameda.
2nd roll, A rolls a pair of 4’s to go with his pair of 5’s. Since B only kept a 6, A calls him up with just two pair (fifty-four). B rolls a higher two pair and wins the horse. A made a bad choice for two reasons.
First, his two pair were not that good.
Second, a already had lost a horse and was in no position to be taking a poor chance.
Spades
Klabberjass