About Greedy Dice
Greedy Dice is a game of nerve played with a single dice. It is usually known as Pig. The only decision is when to stop, and that turns out to be a surprisingly good decision to argue about.
How a match works
The player to start is chosen at random. On your turn you roll. A two, three, four, five or six is added to your points for this turn, and you choose: roll again, or hold.
Holding banks your turn's points and hands the dice over. Rolling again might add more. But if a one comes up, the points you had built up in that turn are gone, and your turn ends with nothing.
Points already banked are safe for good. The first player to reach fifty wins.
What the numbers say
On any roll there is one chance in six of a one. The other five results average four points. So each roll risks everything you have on the table for an expected gain of a little over three.
That sum balances at about twenty. If your turn total is below twenty, rolling again gains more on average than it risks. Above twenty, you are risking more than you stand to gain. "Hold at twenty" is the classic rule of thumb, and it is hard to beat.
How to win
Adjust to the score. If you are well behind, you need to take bigger risks, because playing safe will not catch up. If you are ahead, bank smaller amounts and make your opponent do the gambling.
Near the end, go for it. If your opponent is on forty-five, holding at twelve is no use. They are likely to finish on their next turn.
Do not chase after losses. A one feels like bad luck that is owed back. It is not. Every roll is the same one in six.
For luck mixed with judgement, HTML5 games do not come much simpler.