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1. Demonstrate the game a couple times with the whole class. Solicit advice from the class about when you (the teacher) should stop rolling on your turn.
   Students can give you a thumbs up if they think you should continue rolling, and a thumbs down if they think you should stop.
2. For students who are less confident with addition, use tens frames and counters or a hundreds chart to keep track of the score.
   For example, students get to pick counters up as they roll. If they stop before they roll a one, then they transfer those counters to their tens frames.
   Fill up 4 (or 5) tens frames to win.
3. Remind students that they will lose games and win games, and each loss can be a chance to re-examine how they are playing.
4. As kids play each other, circulate the room and ask them about their strategies.
   It’s ok for students simply to play, but there’s an opportunity to probe deeper into the workings of chance and the strategy of the game too.
5. Stir up controversy! Encourage students to stake a claim, either that strategy does matter and which, or that it does not matter.
   Encourage students with different conjectures to play each other. Ask them if the results change their minds. Don’t use the position of the teacher to evaluate their conjectures. Instead, let the game give them feedback.
6. (For more mature students, this can be a great opportunity to run the experiment detailed in the steps below.) It can be helpful to bring the whole class together for a discussion about whether strategy matters and if so, which ones are best.
   Here we like to highlight contrast by picking two extreme strategies: Roll once and stop, and Roll until you get a 1 or win the game.
   (We sometimes refer to these as “Slow and Steady” and “Let it Ride”).
   If these two extreme opposite strategies were pitted against one another, which would win?
   This is a good chance to poll the room.
   Be sure to include a third option, that they are equally good strategies.
7. Test it! Half the students play “Slow and Steady”, half play “Let it Ride”, and pair them up.
   Have each pair play a couple games and keep track of which strategy prevailed.
8. Share the data. What do you find? Does the result change anybody’s mind?
9. Homework: Have students teach Pig to someone at home and play.

• Pig Dice Game Online
• Pigmania

The Game of Pig - Online Dice Probability Game. The goal of the game is to reach a total of 100 before the computer. On your turn, roll the dice as many times as you like. The sum of your two dice will be added to your total. You may decide to stop whenever you like and let the computer start rolling. Two Dice, 1 is Bad: NRICH Online Maths Club Pig Game - ones - Pig with 2 dice. Throwing a 1 ends the turn with no score. Throwing two 1's sets the player score to 0. (original link) Durango Bill's partial analysis of two dice Pig. A hold value analysis is performed assuming one is trying to reach 100 in N turns. However, the analysis doesn't.

Pig was was first recorded by the American magician John Scarne in the 1940s. It can help players develop skills in arithmetic and strategy. Teacher Peter Kane recommends it as an alternative way to get pupils doing maths. He suggests playing the game with the whole class during Maths Week as a Maths Week activity. Afterwards, teachers can download and print Pig certificates from our website for participating students. After reviewing the rules below, students should be ready to roll!

We will make PIG Maths Week 2020 certificates available for teachers to download during Maths Week.

An online version was developed by Maths Week for pupils of all ages and can be played in teams of 2 – 6 players.

Click on the image of the playing screen

Pig Dice Game Online

There are 2 levels:
Basic PIG game – suitable for 3rd and 4th classes (need 1 die for each group)
MultiPIGationgame – more challenging for 5th & 6th Class. (dice needed for each group)

Basic PIG
PIG is a game for 2 to 6 players.

1. Players take turns with a die.
2. On a player’s turn he/she can roll a die as many times as they like.
3. If a roll is a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, the player adds that many points to their score for the turn.
4. A player may choose to end their turn at any time and “bank” their points.
5. If a player rolls a 1, they lose all their unbanked points and their turn is over.

Beginner’s Game: The first player to score 50 or more points wins.
Advanced Game: The first player to score 100 or more points wins.

MultiPIGationgame

The multPIGation game will stretch the pupils a bit more.
This is similar to basic PIG but players throw 2 die and multiply the two scores.
Even number can be banked but odd answer loses point/turn.

See also Monster Game: a similar game that you can make up yourself and doesn’t require dice. Click on the picture to see instructions.

Pigmania

There are lots more fun learning activities available for home-learning on our Maths at Home Activities Page