Math = Love: Greedy Pig Probability Game

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Greedy Pig Probability Game









  1. I've also used this in AP Stat to gather data for graphing, etc. The kids LOVE it!

  2. I must have absorbed this game at some point without realizing it ... I started reading and said to myself "hey, I play a version of that game with the same name even ...." I teach high school, I use two different dice such as a d20 and a d6. The d6 is a 'negative die' and the d20 is the 'positive die.' Start the game by rolling only the positive d20 and write the number on the board. Any student who wants that as his score stays seated and writes it on their paper; everyone else stands up. Then start rolling both dice and update the score after each roll, the score generally increases but can go down if the d6 shows a number greater than the d20. A student can sit down after each roll and record the current score from the board. If the dice cancel to zero, anyone standing must sit down and record a score of zero. Once you get to two people standing and one sits, the other can also sit or accept the results of one last roll before sitting. After three rounds, the player(s) with the top score get a small scoop of Skittles or something as a prize. Can usually squeeze in a few rounds and some discussion into a period - they'll then sometimes ask to play more with "extra time." Occasionally, a class won't get into it as much for whatever reason, but in most the competition and evolution of strategies is interesting to watch.