Sa'-ro

Sa'-ro is a dice game played by peoples of the Zambales region in the Philippines and first recorded by William Alan Reed. Who can pair the dice in the allotted number of rounds?

Set Up

• 2 six-sided dice

Historically, the dice used for this game may used by the Zambales people had sides of “I”, “II”, “III”, “X”, “+”, and “#”. However, any six-sided dice, such as poker dice, may be used as long as they have equivalent faces.

Roll one six-sided dice to determine player turn order. Reroll any ties.

Game Play

Each player has 5 turns to get a single pair of faces on their dice. Once the pair is made, their turn is over.

Winning the Game

The winner is the player who has after no more than 5 turns rolled a pair of faces. If there is a tie, the person with the highest value of pair wins. If there is still a tie, roll a six-sided die to determine the winner.

Betting

Historically, wagers were made using small things like a kind of sweet potato, cigars, and tobacco leaves. However, any kind of betting mechanism may be used, as long as it’s agreed upon by the players.