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.[3]

Pass the Pigs

An example of a roll in Pass the Pigs. The player earns 15 points for the two pigs.
Publisher(s)	Winning Moves
Players	2 or more players, preferably up to 4[1][2]
Setup time	A few seconds of unpacking

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

• Single pig
  • The pig is lying on its side - 0 Points
  • Razorback - The pig is lying on its back - 5 Points
  • Trotter - The pig is standing upright - 5 Points
  • Snouter - The pig is leaning on its snout - 10 Points
  • Leaning Jowler - The pig is resting on its snout and ear - 15 Points
• Both pigs
  • Sider - The pigs are on their sides, either both with the spot facing upward or both with the spot facing downward - 1 Point
  • Double Razorback - The pigs are both lying on their backs - 20 Points
  • Double Trotter - The pigs are both standing upright - 20 Points
  • Double Snouter - The pigs are both leaning on their snouts - 40 Points
  • Double Leaning Jowler - The pigs are both resting between snouts and ears - 60 Points
  • Mixed Combo - A combination not mentioned above is the sum of the single pigs' scores
  • Pig Out - If both pigs are lying on their sides, one with the spot facing upwards and one with the spot facing downwards the score for that turn is reset to 0 and the turn changes to the next player
  • Makin' Bacon (or Oinker) - If both pigs are touching in any position,[2] then the total score is reset to 0 and the turn changes to the next player
  • Piggyback - If one pig lands completely resting on top of the other, then the player is out of the game. (According to the scoring rules on the front of the game package such a result is impossible.)

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

• Pass The Pigs Big Pigs (2016) Each pig measures about 6" and is made of foam rubber. They land in all the same poses as the standard 2 pigs. It includes a larger score pad and a drawstring storage bag.
• Pass The Pigs Pig Party Edition (2011) The game includes 4 sets of pigs for a total of 8 pigs. The gameplay is a little different from standard Pass The Pigs in that players try to roll a position, or combination, as depicted on a card from the roll-card deck. Players take turns and whoever rolls it first wins the card and the points. If a player rolls the move pictured on the first roll they win the card plus a bonus roll. A bonus roll entitles the player to roll all eight pigs at once to get bonus points.

Relative frequencies

The approximate relative frequencies of the various positions (for a single pig), using a standardized surface and trap-door rolling device and a sample size of 11,954, are[4]

Position	Percentage
Side (no dot)	34.9%
Side (dot)	30.2%
Razorback	22.4%
Trotter	8.8%
Snouter	3.0%
Leaning Jowler	0.61%

References

1. "Pass the Pigs - Rules". Retrieved 27 September 2014.
2. "Pass the Pigs - Hasbro (PDF)" (PDF). Retrieved 27 September 2014.
3. "Winning Moves Inc. Announces Acquisition of Top-Selling Game Brand PASS THE PIGS®" (Press release). Winning Moves. PR NewsWire. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
4. Kern, John C. (2006). "Pig Data and Bayesian Inference on Multinomial Probabilities". Journal of Statistics Education. American Statistical Association. 14 (3). doi:10.1080/10691898.2006.11910593.

External links

• Pass the Pigs at BoardGameGeek
• Another statistical analysis
• Pig Data and Bayesian Inference on Multinomial Probabilities