Game Night: Zonk

Zonk is one of my favorite dice games.  Our friends, Kelly and Vicki, taught us how to play a couple of years ago and I've been hooked ever since.  It is one of the only games that Shaun will sit down and play with me on any given weekend night.  I have shared it with friends and everyone seems to get the hang of it easily and we all have a grand ole time!  It is easily played by two people or as many people as you want and so easy to play.  Of course, one person keeps score, which is usually me, and that person really has to pay attention.  Showing how to play and typing how to play may be two different animals so please bear with me here.  Either way, I hope you get the gist of the game and try it out with your friend or friends.  It is a good way to pass the time on winter nights.

Zonk

The game is played using five dice.  To get on the board you must have a minimum of 750 points.  Points are scored by rolling the dice and getting numbers that are worth points... duh.  Here are a list of points.
You can print it out as a cheat sheet if you need to.

To begin, each person rolls the dice when it is their turn.  Add points according to the dice rolled in your head or out loud.  If a one or five is rolled, scoot them to the side and roll the dice with no points.  If more points are rolled, add them to the scoot pile and roll remaining dice again.  Basically roll until you Zonk, meaning no points are rolled, or until you have a self satisfactory amount of points and you "stay" and the scorer logs your points.  If triples are rolled, at the same time, the points are... 200 for three twos, 300 for three threes, etc.  Three ones equal 1000 points.  If 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are rolled in one roll of the dice, it equals 2500 points.  When you have rolled all points, being any points, and all dice are showing points, you can roll them all to keep going until either you stay with the points that you have or you Zonk.  When you Zonk you loose the points you have gathered during your turn. 

To get "on the board" each player must obtain 750 points when it is their turn.  Sometimes this takes a while, other times it's no problem.  From there you can mark down points with each turn, unless you Zonk.  Then the next player takes their turn.  The first person to 10,000 points is the winner.  This amount sounds like it would take a tremendous amount of time but it can take a very short time too.  Depending on your points rolled.

Sometimes it can be a gamble.  When you have an amount of points and dare to keep rolling, you could Zonk and loose them all with no points to log.  Sometimes you choose to stay with just two or three hundred points per turn.  Those points do add up.  And the sometimes you go for the big points and gamble.

To be the score keeper, you simply make columns on a sheet of paper with names at the top, log points and add to each player's points as you go along.  I like being the score keeper, it adds to the fun of the game for me.  You really have to watch what other players roll.  Sometimes they might miss a trick or need help.

A few notes:
Rolling four of any number at the same time doesn't increase your point unless it is a five or a one.  For instance: 4 sixes and a three still equals 600.  You can stay or roll the other six and three.

Rolling a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 equals nothing although we sometimes feel it should.

Triples must be rolled in one roll.  Meaning if you already have two ones to the side and roll another one, this does not equal 1000 points it would equal 300 points.

Here are some examples of play:

If you aren't thoroughly confused by now I am delighted.  If you are, message me with any questions.  Zonk really is a lot of fun and people have played with us that never play games and have had a good time.
Why not play this weekend?!