Maybe it's a Wisconsin and Mid-West thing, but you will find Bar Dice played quite often. It's even in the state law that playing for beverages or food is LEGAL. (however playing for cash is against the law)

Even though it's a cup you might hear it called the box. Here are the obvious parts, but just to keep it straight. five dice and a cup, usually leather.

The best thing that can happen is for somoene NOT to bring chips back. If an owner doesn't recognize that someone paid upwards of $2 for a drink, and got a cheap chip as a credit, then they don't understand making a profit for selling nothing. The biggest fear is someone stealing chips and getting free drinks, or someone cleaning out their drawers and bringing back a handfull. But since the drinks are paid for, I never did understand the drink credits getting frowned upon.

#1 game you will find - Bar Dice (also called Indian Dice by those who didn't want to associate it with drinking... but now that would probably be politically incorect?)

Old timers rules:

One flop (shake) down to the last two players, then the last two play best two out of three horses to determine who loses. (wins the right to buy a round?)

One dump (shake) on a tie, one tie all tie.

So the basic game goes like this. Hypothetical five people are sitting at Pete's Happy Hour Saloon, and decide to shake for a round.

Play starts by "Pee Wee" each player rolls out of hand, one die. High goes first. If two people tie, only those two roll again, until one player gets the right to start. (if it's a later game, loser starts the next game)

Each round, until there are only two players left, one player gets out. Any number can start the game.

Sixs are high, aces are wild. You need an ace for anything to count. You need an ace to be able to "farm" dice. Dice coming to rest on money, napkins or anything else but the bar surface, don't count and all dice must be re-rolled. Dice coming out, not all at the same time, must be re-rolled. Stacked dice (one on top of another, must be re-rolled. Simple way of looking at it, all the dice must come out at the same time and rest flat on the playing surface.

Play moves in a clockwise rotation, and the dice are handed to the next player, or passed, without putting them back into the box.

Five players (remember?) Player one Comes Out, Player Five is the anchor.

Player 1: 2-3-3-4-6 = Nuts (for nothing)
Player 2: 1-2-5-5-6 = three 5s
Player 3: 1-1-2-3-4 = three 4s
Player 4: 5-5-6-6-6 = Nuts
Player 5: 1-2-3-4-5 = pair of 5s

3 fives is high, player two is out.

Player 5 is the one with the dice. Last player to hold the dice, comes back. (Note: this is always true, so if in the above example the anchor went out, the dice should go back to player four.)

Four players left, #5 starts again, one dump elimination rounds.

For sake of brevety, two players tie with three 6s, (one tie all tie) so they go around again, but since player four had the dice and was the anchor, he comes back.

P4 2-2-3-4-5 Nuts
P5 2-3-4-5-6 Nuts
P1 1-1-3-4-6 3 sixes (four of anything needed to beat it)
P2 is out
P3 1-1-2-3-4 3 fours

Player 1 is out, player 3 comes back. (OK you get the idea, Player three gets out and that leaves two) P4 vs P5 for the right to buy the round of drinks.

The player coming out sets the pace. He can shake 1,2 or 3 times, and the next player has the same number of shakes to beat him. Player coming out Sets The Pace. Ties are settled by a one dump tie-breaker, high hand wins. If no winner, shake again until someone wins the hand.

P5 shake 1 = 1-1-2-3-4
he can keep 3 fours, farm the 2 aces, or farm the two aces and any number of the same dice. You can't farm two different values, and ONCE YOU FARM YOU CAN'T CHANGE! You can however always save all aces and as many of the same value dice as you have.

P5 thinks 3 fours is good (and it is) in one, so he leaves it.

P4 shakes 1-2-3-4-5 = a pair of fives.

A horse on P4...

P4 4 comes back with 2-3-3-3-4 = Nuts
2nd shake 1-1-1-2-3 = 4 threes (in two)
P4 farms the aces and picks up the other two dice, shakes 6-6 for 5 sixes.

P5 has to beat 5 6s
Rolls 1-2-3-4-4 farms the ace
rolls 1-2-3-4 farms another ace
Has 1-1 rolls 4-5-5 = ends with 4 5s, loses the horse

Horse apiece - or piecework.

P5 comes out with 2-3-3-3-4- = nuts
2nd roll 1-1-2-3-6 = 3 6s in two, farms 1-1-6
Rolls 5-5 but farmed 6's so he end up with 3 6's

P4 rolls 1-2-3-4-5 farms the ace
rolls 2-2-4-5 Farms the two 2's
Has 3 2's which won't beat 3 6's
Last roll, 1-2 Five Ducks! 1-1-2-2-2 He wins!!!!

P5 grumbles about the darn Farmer, and buys the round.

Notes: fives aces natural on the come out roll, buys the bar a round. Fives aces in two or three, buys everyone else in the game a drink. You win the horse, but lose a round of drinks. May vary according to house rules.

Kiddie rules: (or house rules since 18 got the right to drink, and it kind of stuck in some places) one dump down to the last THREE players, who then have the first player set the pace, one player gets eliminated and the last two play horses.

House rules: Instead of last player to hold the dice, when the anchor gets out, they pass the dice to the next player. No big deal, since you are only getting one flop, but someone might make an issue of it.

Other house rules may apply, but hopefully I covered them all.

Rank of hands:

Nuts, pair, three of a kind, four of a kind, five of a kind, five aces beats anything.

Remember you need to have and ace to make a hand, or it's nuts. The rank of the hand 1-3-3-3-3 is no different than 1-1-1-1-3, they are both five of a kind.

So three of anything beats two of anything, it takes four of a kind to beat 3 6's. Three 4's beats 3 3's Etc.

Questions?