Ever sit down at a slot machine, feed in your money, and feel like the game is actively working against you? You watch the reels spin, hoping for that big combo, but it feels like you're just donating cash to the casino. If you're tired of slots with stingy paytables and confusing bonus rounds, there's a game that cuts straight to a simple, high-stakes proposition: the Anything But Six slot. This isn't your typical themed video slot; it's a pure dice game built into a slot cabinet, and its entire premise is in the name. Your only job is to avoid rolling a six.
The Brutal Simplicity of Dice Slots
While most modern slots dazzle you with free spins, cascading reels, and movie tie-ins, dice slots like Anything But Six strip everything back to the fundamentals of probability. You're not betting on cartoon characters or ancient gods; you're betting on the outcome of a virtual dice roll. The machine simulates rolling a single, standard six-sided die. You place a bet, hit spin, and the "reel" is a giant digital die tumbling before it lands on a number between one and six. If it lands on six, you lose your bet. If it lands on any other number—one, two, three, four, or five—you win. The win is typically paid at even money (1:1). That's the whole game. This stark simplicity is why it's found a cult following among players who want a break from complexity and a direct test of luck.
Understanding the Odds and the House Edge
The math is transparent, which is refreshing. A fair die has a 1 in 6 chance (about 16.67%) of landing on any given number. In Anything But Six, you win on five of the six possible outcomes. That gives you a 5/6 (about 83.33%) probability of winning on any single spin. So why does the casino make money? The payout. If the odds of winning are 5 to 1 *in your favor* (5 winning numbers vs. 1 losing number), a fair payout would be 5 to 1 on your bet. But the machine pays even money. This difference creates the house edge. On a $1 bet with a 1:1 payout, you'd expect to win $0.83 back on average over time (5/6 of your dollar). The house keeps the other $0.17, resulting in a theoretical house edge of roughly 16.67%. This is significantly higher than most modern video slots, which often have edges between 2% and 10%. You're trading a lower chance of winning on any single spin on a regular slot for a much higher chance of a small win on Anything But Six, but with a bigger long-term cost.
Where to Play Anything But Six Online in the US
You won't find the official "Anything But Six" branded game at most online casinos, as it's primarily a physical casino floor game. However, the core dice slot concept is alive and well under different names in the online library of several major US operators. Look for games titled "Dice," "Roll the Dice," or "Lucky Dice" in the table game or specialty games section. These digital versions function identically: bet, roll, win on anything but the chosen losing number (often a 1 or a 6). Top US casinos like BetMGM, DraftKings Casino, and FanDuel Casino carry these simple dice games alongside their massive slots catalogs. They offer a quick, no-frills alternative when you need a mental reset from bonus hunting.
Bonuses and Dice Games: A Tricky Pair
Be warned: playing dice games like Anything But Six with a casino bonus is often a bad move. Most online casinos assign these games a very low contribution percentage toward wagering requirements, if they count at all. A slot might contribute 100%, but a dice game might contribute only 10% or even 0%. This means if you wager $10 on a dice game with a 10% contribution, only $1 goes toward clearing your bonus playthrough. Furthermore, the high house edge can rapidly erode your bonus funds. It's smarter to use a welcome bonus like DraftKings' "$100 in Casino Credits" or BetMGM's "100% up to $1,000, 15x wager" on actual slots or table games with better odds and full contribution.
Strategy: There Isn't One (And That's the Point)
Searching for a winning strategy for Anything But Six is a fool's errand. Each roll is an independent event. The die has no memory. Just because a six hasn't appeared in ten rolls doesn't make it any more or less likely to appear on the eleventh. This is the gambler's fallacy in its purest form. The only "strategy" involves money management. Because the game has a high hit frequency (you win over 83% of spins), it can create a false sense of security and encourage you to bet bigger or play longer. Set a strict loss limit before you sit down. Decide on a bet size—say, 1% of your session bankroll—and stick to it. Enjoy the ride of frequent small wins, but understand that the 1-in-6 losing spin will come, and when it does, you lose your entire bet. The volatility is low (frequent small wins/losses), but the house edge is high, making it a bankroll grinder over time.
How It Compares to Other Casino Dice Games
Dice enthusiasts have other options, primarily craps. In craps, betting on the "pass line" has a house edge of only 1.41%, vastly better than Anything But Six's 16.67%. However, craps is a social, complex game with a steep learning curve. Anything But Six is the solitary, instant-gratification version. It's also distinct from Sic Bo, an Asian dice game where you bet on various combinations of three dice. Sic Bo offers more betting variety but can have even higher house edges on some wagers. Anything But Six sits in its own niche: the ultimate low-effort, high-frequency dice machine.
FAQ
What is the RTP (Return to Player) of Anything But Six?
The theoretical RTP for a standard Anything But Six machine paying even money is approximately 83.33%. This means for every $100 wagered, the game is programmed to return about $83.33 to players over an infinite number of spins. The remaining 16.67% is the house edge. This is a below-average RTP compared to most video slots, which commonly range from 88% to 96%.
Can I play Anything But Six for free online?
Yes, but not the exact branded game. Many social casino apps and free-play game websites offer generic "dice roller" or "beat the dice" games that function identically. You can also often find dice games in the "demo" or "practice" mode of real-money online casinos like Borgata Online or Caesars Palace Online. This lets you get a feel for the rapid pace and payout frequency without risking cash.
Is Anything But Six a good game for beginners?
It's a double-edged sword. It's excellent for beginners because the rules are instantly understandable—avoid one number. There are no paylines, bet multipliers, or bonus rounds to learn. However, it's potentially dangerous because the high win frequency can mask its high house edge. A beginner might think they've found a "winning" machine due to frequent small payouts, not realizing the game is designed to slowly but steadily drain their bankroll faster than many other casino games.
Are there any variations of the Anything But Six game?
Absolutely. The core concept—avoid one number on a die—is sometimes flipped or expanded. You might find "Anything But Ace" where you lose on a roll of one. Some electronic table game terminals offer a version where you pick the losing number yourself, though the payout adjusts accordingly (e.g., choosing to avoid a 2 might pay less than even money because it's less likely to roll). Rarely, you'll see a two-dice version where you lose on a specific total, like a seven.
What's the biggest bet you can make on Anything But Six?
In physical casinos, maximum bets vary by property and machine denomination. On a standard $1 machine, the max bet might be $10 or $25 per spin. On high-limit casino floors, you might find dedicated dice slots with minimum bets of $5 or $25 and maximums reaching $500 or even $1,000 per roll. Online, in dice games at places like FanDuel Casino, bet limits are usually lower, often with a max bet between $50 and $200 per roll to manage the operator's risk on such a volatile-payout game.