Bar Dice Solver

Position Calculator
Guide

This tool computes the mathematically optimal play for any bar dice position and your resulting chance of staying safe. Set up a position with the controls and the analysis updates instantly — it does not simulate or track a live game.

Scoring
Hand score. The best of (count + aces) × 10 + face across faces 2–6. Aces are wild and join whichever face scores highest. A higher count always beats a higher face.
No ace = 0. A hand with no ace is unscoreable and counts as zero. If you still have rerolls, the optimal play is always to reroll.
Dice
Tap a die to cycle its value 1→6. Or type digits 1–6 in the search box and pick a matching hand from the list — it filters as you type.
Game Context
Players. How many are at the table this turn.
Seat. Your turn order. Seat 1 rolls first and sets the cap by deciding when to stop.
Beat. The current leading score you need to top. Not applicable for seat 1, who goes first.
Cap. The maximum rolls each player gets this turn, fixed by seat 1's choice.
Rerolls left. How many rerolls you still have in your turn.
Analysis
Optimal decision. The play that maximizes your P(safe): keep some dice and reroll the rest, stand pat, or reroll everything.
P(safe). Your probability of not being the game's final loser, assuming every player plays optimally. Everyone but the last loser is safe.
Baseline & delta. The average P(safe) for your seat across all positions, and how far this specific position sits above or below it.
Color. ≥ 65%, 40–65%, < 40%. It reflects how strong the position is, independent of the recommendation — you can stand pat on a weak position simply because rerolling is worse.
Score Distribution
The probability of finishing on each possible score if you follow the optimal strategy from here.
Keep Alternatives
Every legal keep decision ranked by P(safe), so you can compare the optimal play against the others. The blue dot marks the best.
Dice
Game Context ▾
Players
Seat
Beat
Cap
Rerolls left
Analysis
Score Distribution ▾
Keep Alternatives ▾

About Bar Dice Solver

Bar dice is a long-standing tradition at bars across Wisconsin. Bar dice is played with five standard dice. Players roll to build the highest-scoring hand, with aces (ones) acting as wild dice that count toward any face value. Each round the player with the highest score is safe and removed from play. The last two players play best two out of three. The last player remaining buys the next round.

This tool uses game theory and backward induction to compute the exact optimal play for any position: which dice to keep, which to reroll, and when to stand pat. It also calculates your precise probability of staying safe given perfect play from all players.

How bar dice scoring works

A hand's score is the best value of (count + aces) × 10 + face across all faces 2–6. Aces are wild and boost whichever face produces the highest score. A hand with no ace scores zero. The highest possible score is 56 — five of a kind with sixes, boosted by an ace.

How to use this tool

Set your dice using the visual dice or by typing digits in the search box. Open Game Context to enter the number of players, your seat, the score you need to beat, and how many rolls remain. The Analysis section immediately shows the optimal decision and your probability of staying safe. Expand Score Distribution or Keep Alternatives for a deeper look at the position.