What is the Three Man drinking game?
Three Man is a dice drinking game with two dice and a role nobody wants: the Three Man, who drinks on every 3 that comes up. The fun is that anyone can end up with the title, and a double 3 can take it off your hands in a second.
You learn it in one round and all you need is two dice. It's pure luck, but very competitive: since you keep rolling as long as something happens, streaks build up and the whole table hangs on every roll.
Three Man rules, roll by roll
With two dice there are 21 different rolls if order doesn't matter, and the list on this page shows what happens on each one. Of those, 7 have a 3 or add up to 3 (the Three Man drinks), 3 add up to 7 or 9 with no 3 (the neighbors drink), 5 are doubles that let you hand out 2 sips and 6 don't trigger any rule.
The Three Man rules stack: a 3 and a 4 makes the Three Man drink for the 3 and the next player for the 7; a 3 and a 6, the Three Man and the previous player. The only exception is double 3s: they don't count as regular doubles; instead, they crown a new Three Man if someone else rolls them, or cost the Three Man 2 sips if they roll them.
And one rule worth remembering: as long as your roll triggers something, you roll again. Only when you roll something with no rule do the dice move on to the next player.
An easy 3 Man dice drinking game you can play online
Three Man is one of the easiest dice drinking games to set up: 2 to 12 people, two dice and games of 15 to 30 minutes, with rules you can explain while the drinks are being poured. That's why it's perfect for kicking off a pregame or hanging out after dinner with friends.
If you don't have dice handy, the Three Man online game on this page rolls them for you, free and with no download: it keeps track of turns, finds the first Three Man and tells you by name who drinks on every roll. One phone in the middle of the table is enough, and if you'd rather everyone follow along on their own, you can create a room.
Tips to keep the game flowing
Before you start, make the seating order clear: the 7 makes the next player drink and the 9 the previous one, and that's where most arguments happen. With the game on your phone there's no doubt, because every roll says by name who drinks.
Hand out doubles wisely: one sip each to two players spreads things out and keeps anyone from piling up too many. And since streaks can get long, keep the sips small (or water) and pass the turn if someone strings together too many rolls.
Variations and house rules
Like most dice drinking games, Three Man gets played differently from group to group, and it's normal for every table to have its own house rules. The ones on this page are the ones the game on the site follows; if you want to add any, agree on them before the first roll.
A few easy ideas: the Three Man wears a silly hat so nobody forgets who it is, swap the sips for dares or, if streaks get too long, cap everyone at three rolls in a row. If you like dares, Dare Dice has a different one on every side.
If you like Three Man, try Kings Cup to switch from dice to cards, Drinking Dice for another dice game or the 21 Drinking Game for something quick.