Brick Strategy

Learning to play Brick well requires first that you know the rules. Although these are quite simple, there are a few nuances to the game of Brick that affect strategy. These nuances are actually based on probability.

For example, it is nice to know that on any role of a die, you have one chance in six of getting any particular number, one through six. This means that if you are looking to maximize the number of pips you can collect, then one six is roughly equal to three twos. However, it should be noted that the chances of getting at least part of the points from three twos is greater than the chances of getting any points at all out of one six. Even so, the chances of getting the whole six is far greater if you simply roll the single six die.

To make this a bit more clear, there is a 1 in two chance of rolling at least one 2 (3 dice / 6 possibilities for each die). But there is only a one in six chance (1 die / 6 possibilities on the die) that the 6 will turn up. To get the entire six points possible, the chances for the six pip die remains the same. However, the chances of getting the entire six with the 3 two pip dice is one in 216. What this means is that if you are in the lead and looking to add on to your score it is likely better to pick up the 3 two pip dice. And if you are gambling to catch up with an opponent, it would likely be better to pick up the single six pip die.

In general, though, the choices are often not so simple. The amounts on the different sets of dice will seldom be exactly even. When this is the case, it is almost always wise to choose the set of dice that has the most pips revealed. However, this rule of thumb can be modified, depending on the situation, always remembering that when gambling to get quick higher scores, go for the higher numbered dice even when they are fewer in number.