White elephant dice game, with the die on your phone.
A faster, louder white elephant for 6 to 20 people: instead of choosing to open or steal, you roll a die and do what it says. Roll the die below and pass the phone round, or use a real die with the table on the screen.
By the Gift DeskUpdated
How do you play the white elephant dice game?
Everyone brings a wrapped gift to a pile and sits in a circle. Take turns rolling one die and do what the roll says: open a gift from the pile, steal, swap with a neighbor or pass every gift left. When the pile is empty, start a five-minute timer and keep rolling. Whatever you hold when it rings is yours.
Roll the die
Round 2 timer
5:00
White elephant dice game: what each roll means
| Roll | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open a gift from the pile. Holding one already, or the pile is empty? Swap with anyone. |
| 2 | Steal an opened gift from anyone. Nothing open yet? Take one from the pile. |
| 3 | Swap gifts with the person on your left. |
| 4 | Swap gifts with the person on your right. |
| 5 | Everyone passes their gift one place to the left. |
| 6 | Your pick: steal a gift, or open one from the pile if your hands are empty. |
Round 1: roll until the pile is empty. Round 2: start a 5-minute timer and keep rolling. Free online die: giftruly.com/white-elephant/dice-game
- 6 to 20 players
- One die (or the one on this page)
- 20 to 30 minutes
- Round 2 on a 5-minute timer
- Printable dice table
How to play, step by step
- 1Everyone brings one wrapped gift to the pile. Sit in a circle.
- 2Take turns rolling and do what the table says. Nobody holds more than one gift: if you steal while holding one, they get yours in return.
- 3No gift yet and you roll a 3 or a 4? Take a wrapped gift from the pile and open it instead.
- 4When the pile is empty, start the timer and keep rolling. With nothing left to open, a 1 or a 6 means: swap with anyone.
- 5When time’s up, the gift in your hands is yours.
Variations
Every family plays it a little differently. These are the versions people ask about most; agree on one before the first roll.
Two dice
Roll two dice and use the total: doubles let you steal from anyone, a 7 swaps with anyone not sitting next to you, and everything else follows the table for the first die. More chaos, same length.
Pass the presents
Everyone starts holding a wrapped gift, so there’s no pile. Rolls only move gifts: left, right, swap with anyone. Nobody unwraps until the timer ends, which keeps the mystery to the last second.
More stealing
For a Dirty Santa crowd: make the 6 a steal too, so a third of the rolls take a gift. Gifts change hands constantly, and only the timer stops it.
For kids
No steals at all: a 1 or a 2 opens a gift, the rest pass left or right. Everyone always holds something, so nobody ends up empty-handed and upset.
How long it takes, and big groups
Round 1 lasts until the pile is empty: about ten minutes for ten people. Round 2 is as long as the timer, so the whole game takes 20 to 30 minutes whatever happens. With more than 20 people, put two dice in motion on opposite sides of the circle, or split into two circles with a die each.
Dice game or classic white elephant?
The classic game lets everyone choose: open or steal, and the steal limit decides when it ends. That’s more strategy and more drama, but it takes about a minute a person. The dice game takes the choice away, so it’s quicker, better for kids and big groups, and ends on time.
The classic white elephant rules, and a game that keeps score ›Gifts that do well in the dice game
Anything that’s fun to hold up while the die goes round: a blanket hoodie, a giant gummy bear, a game for the whole table. Ideas by budget in our white elephant gift guide.
Questions people ask
How do you play white elephant with dice?
Gifts go in a pile and players take turns rolling a die. In one common version, 1 opens a gift from the pile, 2 steals, 3 and 4 swap with a neighbor, 5 passes every gift left and 6 is your pick. When the pile is empty, a timer starts and you keep rolling until it rings.
What does each number mean in the white elephant dice game?
On our table: 1 open a gift from the pile (or swap with anyone once you hold one), 2 steal from anyone, 3 swap with the person on your left, 4 with the person on your right, 5 everyone passes left, 6 your pick of open or steal. Many groups change the faces; print the table so everyone plays the same ones.
How long does the white elephant dice game take?
About 20 to 30 minutes: ten or so for the first round, until the pile is empty, then however long you set the timer for the second. Five minutes is the usual.
Can you play the white elephant dice game with two dice?
Yes. A common version uses the total: doubles steal from anyone, a 7 swaps with anyone not next to you, and other rolls follow the table for the first die.
What if you roll a steal and no gifts are open?
Take a wrapped gift from the pile and open it instead. The same goes for a swap when you aren’t holding anything yet.
Is the dice game good for kids?
It’s the best version for kids: no decisions to agonize over, everyone gets a turn, and for young ones you can drop the steals so nobody loses a gift they just opened.