Pass the Pigs


Pass the Pigs is a commercial version of the dice game Pig, but using custom asymmetrical throwing dice, similar to shagai. It was created by David Moffatt and published by Recycled Paper Products as Pig Mania! in 1977. The publishing license was later sold to Milton Bradley and the game renamed Pass the Pigs. In 2001, publishing rights for North America were sold to Winning Moves, which acquired the game outright from David Moffat Enterprises in early 2017.

Rules

Each turn involves one player throwing two model pigs, each of which has a dot on one side. The player gains or loses points based on the way the pigs land. Each turn lasts until the player throwing either rolls the pigs in a way that wipes out their current turn score, wipes out their total game score, or decides to stop their turn, add their turn score to their total score and pass the pigs to the next player. The winner is the first player to reach a predetermined total score.

Scoring

There are several variations to these game rules. One is the Hog Call, where a player attempts to guess the score their opponent is about to land. After scoring 20 points a non-throwing player may attempt a Hog Call. To do so, the non-throwing player must scream "sooee!" before the opposing players throw. The caller must then guess the score of the next throw. If correct, the caller receives the points thrown, and the thrower loses double the points thrown. Only one player may hog call per throw.

Variants

The approximate relative frequencies of the various positions, using a standardized surface and trap-door rolling device and a sample size of 11,954, are
PositionPercentage
Side 34.9%
Side 30.2%
Razorback22.4%
Trotter8.8%
Snouter3.0%
Leaning Jowler0.61%