How to Play Left Right Center & Other Fun Dice Games

When you’re looking for the perfect game for the whole family, LCR (Left-Center-Right) is the perfect choice. This dice game has simple setup and rules so anyone can learn it within a couple of minutes. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to play along with some house rules and other dice games to try out!

LCR Rules At a Glance

To play LCR, give everyone 3 chips, and roll the dice on your turn. Pass 1 chip to your left for each L, 1 chip to the center pot for each C, and 1 chip to the right for each R. If you have fewer chips, roll fewer dice. If you’re the last person with chips, you win the game!

Section 1 of 5:

LCR Setup

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There’s no limit on how many people you can play with, but you’ll need at least 3 players. Sit at a table or on the floor so you have someone to your right and left. Leave open space in the center to place chips into the “pot.”
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Give each player 3 chips. If you have a copy of LCR, it will come with a set of chips. Otherwise, you can play with poker chips, checkers, buttons, or any other small tokens you have at home.^{[1]
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- Put away all the extra chips because you won’t need them during the game.
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Assign "L," "C," "R," and dots to dice rolls if using standard dice. If you don’t have a boxed copy of LCR, you just need 3 regular 6-sided dice to play the game. Assign each die face with these substitutions:^{[2]
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- 1, 2, & 3: dots
- 4: left (L)
- 5: center (C)
- 6: right (R)
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Take turns rolling the dice to decide the first player. Roll all 3 dice and count how many dots are showing. After everyone has a chance to roll, whoever had the most dots takes the first turn.
- If there’s a tie, either roll the dice again or choose the youngest player to go first.
- If you’re playing with standard dice, remember that dots are any dice showing 1, 2, or 3, not the individual dots printed on the dice.

Section 2 of 5:

Left-Center-Right Rules

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Each player starts with 3 chips, so everyone rolls the same number of dice during their first turn. Take all 3 of the dice and roll them in the middle of the table so everyone can see the results.^{[3]
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Pass or keep chips based on the dice roll’s results. Look at the results of your dice roll to see which sides are face-up. Dots mean your chips are safe, but any of the letters will make you lose your chips.^{[4]
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- Dot (1, 2, or 3): do nothing
- L (4): pass 1 chip to the person on your left
- C (5): pass 1 chip to the center pot
- R (6): pass 1 chip to the player on your right
- You may pass all of your chips on your first turn, but don’t worry because you’re still in the game! Other players might have to pass you chips on their turns.
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Give the dice to the next player to continue the game. When you finish your turn, pass the dice to the player on your left. Everyone continues rolling the dice and passing chips until the end of the game.^{[5]
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- It’s possible to have more than 3 chips during the first round if you received them from other players. Still roll all 3 dice like normal. You’ll only move a maximum of 3 chips on your turn.
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Roll up to 3 dice depending on how many chips you have. When it’s your turn after the first round, count how many chips you have in front of you. If you still have 3 or more, then roll all 3 of the dice. Otherwise, roll 1 die for each chip you have.^{[6]
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- If you don’t have any chips, you lose your turn and don’t get to roll the dice. If another player passes you a chip on their turn, then you get your turn back.
Continue taking turns, passing chips between the players, and adding them to the pot. If there's only one person with chips in front of them, they win the game! As their prize, they get to take all of the chips from the pot as well.^{[7]
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Section 3 of 5:

Are there strategies to win LCR?

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Nope, LCR is entirely based on luck. You can’t really control the results when you roll the dice, so you just have to hope you get lucky on your turn. LCR is a pretty low-stakes game, so just have fun rolling the dice and seeing where your chips end up!

Section 4 of 5:

Fun LCR Variations to Try

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Try LCR Wild for a more competitive game. LCR Wild replaces one of the faces with a Wild symbol. If you’re using standard dice, assign the 1 as a wild instead. Play the game as you normally would, but make these changes whenever you roll a Wild:^{[8]
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- 1 Wild: take 1 chip from any player
- 2 Wilds: take 2 chips from 1 player or 1 chip from 2 different players
- 3 Wilds: win the game immediately
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Race to get rid of all your chips first to play Last Chip Wins. Rather than trying to be the last person with chips, win the game if you move your final chip into the pot. If you ever only have 1 chip left and you roll a C, then you win!^{[9]
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- If you roll an L or R with your last chip, you’re still in the game. You only win if you roll a C with your final chip.
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Make the last player with chips roll all dots to make winning more difficult. Play the game as you normally would until only 1 person has chips left in front of them. They’ll roll the dice one final time. If they roll all dots, then they win! If they still roll any Ls, Cs, or Rs, pass the chips as you normally would and continue playing.^{[10]
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- If you have 3 or more chips in front of you, then you have to roll dots on all 3 dice. If you only have 1 or 2 chips, then you only have to roll 1 or 2 dice instead.
Replace the chips with pennies, quarters, or even dollars to make your own stakes for the game. Choose the value of each chip and play the game as normal. Whoever wins the game gets all of the money in the pot as their winnings.^{[11]
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Section 5 of 5:

More Dice Games to Play

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Keep the fun rolling with these other exciting games. Don’t let game night end once you finish a game of LCR. There are plenty of other easy games you can play as long as you have some dice at home. Check out our rules guides and hop into your next game right away!
- 10,000
- Liar's Dice
- Bunco
- Yahtzee
- Farkle

Community Q&A

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Do we only roll the dice once each time?

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Yes, only once.

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How many players do I need to play LCR?

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Minimum of 3, no maximum. You can play with pennies or other coins if you don't have enough chips.

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How do I get the coins out of the center?

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They stay in the center until the round is over. When someone wins, they win the coins/chips in the center. If you are playing for keeps, the person keeps the chips (coins, if you're playing for money). Then everyone antes 3 more, or re-distribute the coins evenly again.

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