A standard die has six faces numbered 1 through 6, marked with pips in fixed patterns. Opposite faces always add to seven: 1 across from 6, 2 across from 5, 3 across from 4. Western dice are right-handed, meaning the 1, 2, and 3 faces read counterclockwise around the corner they share.
The six pip patterns
The layouts are near-universal across manufacturers.
| Face | Pip pattern |
|---|---|
| 1 | A single pip dead center |
| 2 | Two pips on a diagonal, opposite corners |
| 3 | Three pips on a diagonal through the center |
| 4 | Four pips, one in each corner |
| 5 | Four corners plus one in the center |
| 6 | Two vertical columns of three |
Add them and you get 21 pips on the die.
Odd faces get a center pip. Even faces don’t. That’s the whole system, and it’s why the 1, 3, and 5 patterns look related and the 2, 4, and 6 patterns look related.
Asian-style dice keep the same counts but shift the geometry. The 2 pips are often stacked along the middle axis rather than set on a diagonal, and the pips sit closer to the center of the face. Chinese dice usually paint the 1 oversized and red, and often the 4 as well.
Opposite faces sum to seven
This is the oldest rule in dice design and it holds on nearly every die made for real play. Look at the top face, subtract from seven, and you know the bottom without touching it. A die where opposite faces don’t sum to seven is a novelty or a custom game piece.
The seven rule forces the 1, 2, and 3 faces to meet at a single corner, since none of them can be opposite another. That shared corner is where handedness comes in.
Right-handed and left-handed dice
Hold a die so you can see the 1, 2, and 3 faces at once. They meet at a vertex. Read them in order around that corner.
If 1, 2, 3 runs counterclockwise, the die is right-handed. If it runs clockwise, it’s left-handed. The two versions are mirror images and roll identically. Nothing about fairness changes.
Western dice are normally right-handed. Chinese dice are normally left-handed. Sources disagree about Japan: Wikipedia’s dice article says Japanese dice follow the Western right-handed convention, while other dice writers group Japan with China and Korea on the left-handed side. Take that one as unsettled.
Another way to spot it: set the die with 6 on top and rotate so both the 2 and the 3 are facing you. On a right-handed die the 2 is on the right. Check the corner on cheap import dice. Manufacturing origin shows up there more reliably than on the packaging.
Casino precision dice
Casino dice are a different object from the ones in your board game closet. Sharp square edges instead of rounded ones, tight machining tolerances, and a transparent body so a hidden weight would show.
The pips matter most. They’re drilled out and backfilled with paint or epoxy matched to the density of the cellulose body, then the faces are polished flush. On a normal die the hollow pips remove more material from the 6 than from any other face, leaving it slightly lighter, and it lands 6 up marginally more often than it should. Density-matched flush pips remove that bias.
Casinos serialize their dice and retire them on a schedule. The ones sold in gift shops have been cancelled first, usually with a drilled hole or a shaved corner. For the counterfeiting angle, see how loaded dice work and how to spot them.
Related: pip counts on a standard die and the shapes beyond the cube. Or roll a die in your browser.
FAQ
Why do the numbers on a die add up to seven on opposite sides?
It’s an ancient convention that balances the cube and makes the die easy to read. With 1 opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, and 3 opposite 4, the bottom face is always seven minus the top. It also spreads the drilled pip material evenly across all three axes.
What is a right-handed die?
One where the 1, 2, and 3 faces read counterclockwise around the corner they share. Western dice use this arrangement. The mirror-image version, with those faces reading clockwise, is a left-handed die and is the normal type in Chinese manufacture. Both roll identically.
Why are casino dice transparent with sharp edges?
Transparency makes internal weights or drilled cavities visible. Sharp square edges make the die tumble rather than roll predictably, and they’re cut to tight tolerances so no dimension favors a face. The pips are filled flush with density-matched material so every face weighs the same.