High Rollers: When Only Even Numbers Remain – Game Strategy
Introduction
In the famous game show High Rollers, which aired from 1975-1980, hosted by Alex Trebek and then again from 1987-1988 hosted by Wink Martindale. The main objective of the game is to eliminate numbers 1 through 9 by rolling dice.
On the game show, there are two rounds*. On the main game, two opponents play against each other. The winner goes on to the Big Numbers where the winner tries to clear all the numbers.
* There were variants, but this was prevailing game modes.
For detailed information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rollers
Just Even Numbers Left: 2, 4, 6, and 8
From this point, only rolls with even sums are valid. The strategy changes depending on what round is being played.
In a two-player game: You either win by either rolling the last number off the board or getting your opponent to roll an unplayable number. As the game goes on, the chance of rolling an unplayable number increase.
In the Big Numbers bonus round: To win the big prize, typically a $ 10,000 cash jackpot, the only you win is to clear all the numbers.
Ways to roll even numbers:
2: 1,1
4: 1,3; 2,2; 3,1
6: 1,5; 2,4; 3,3; 4,2; 5,1
8: 2,6; 3,5; 4,4; 5,3; 6,2
10: 4,6; 5,5; 6,4
12: 6,6
If both dice has the same number, i.e. 2,2, it is considered a double and it wins the player an Insurance card, which counts as a free roll. At worst, rolling doubles acts as a “roll again”.
With a board consisting of the even numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8, the best way
Roll |
Main Game: Against an Opponent |
During the Big Numbers Bonus Round |
2 |
Only one move: remove the 2 |
Only one move: remove the 2 |
4 |
Only one move: remove the 4. 4 becomes an unplayable roll. |
Only one move: remove the 4. 4 becomes an unplayable roll. |
6 |
Remove the 2 and 4. This eliminates 2, 4, 10, and 12 as valid rolls, leaving only the 6 and 8. |
Remove the 6. This leaves 2, 4, and 8. All even rolls are still good. A roll of 6 can eliminate the 2 and 4 the next roll. |
8 |
Remove the 2 and 6. This eliminates the 2, 6, and 10, leaving only the 4, 8, and 12 (12 wins the game). |
Remove the 8. This leaves 2, 4, and 6. All even rolls are still good. A roll of 8 can eliminate the 2 and 6 the next roll. |
10 |
Remove the 4 and 6. This leaves 2, 8, and 10 as valid rolls on the next turn (10 wins the game). The chance of rolling a 2, 8, or 10 is 1/6 (≈ 16.7%). |
Remove 2 and 8. This leaves 4, 6, and 10 as valid rolls on the next turn (10 wins the game). The chance of rolling a 4, 6, or 10 is 2/9 (≈ 22.2%). |
12 |
Remove on 2, 4, and 6. This leaves only the 8. Chance of rolling 8 is 5/36 (≈ 13.9%). |
Remove the 4 and 8. This leaves the 2 and 6. A roll of 8 can eliminate both the 2 and 6 on the next roll. The chance of rolling a 2, 6, and 8 is 11/36 (≈ 30.6%). |
Source
“High Rollers” Wikipedia. Edited November 10, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rollers
Eddie
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