Ludo Tips and Tricks: 9 Ways to Win More Games

Ludo looks like pure luck (it's a dice game, after all), but anyone who has played a few hundred games knows the same players keep winning. Good Ludo is about choices: which token to move, when to hunt and when to hide. Here are the rules that matter and nine tips that will lift your win rate.

Quick rules refresher

• 2 to 4 players, each with 4 tokens of one colour.
• Roll a 6 to bring a token out of the yard onto your start square.
• A 6 gives you another roll. In most rules, three sixes in a row cancels your turn.
• Landing exactly on an opponent's token captures it: it goes back to its yard and needs another 6 to come out.
• Safe squares (usually marked with a star, plus every start square) can't be captured on.
• Tokens enter your home column after a full lap; you need the exact number to finish.
• First player to bring all four tokens home wins.

House rules vary (some let you leave the yard on a 1, some require a capture before going home), so check the settings before you play. Wikipedia's Ludo article lists the common variants.

9 tips to win more Ludo games

1. Get two tokens out early

A single token on the board gives you no choices. With two or more out, you can always pick the move that's safest or most aggressive.

2. Use sixes for new tokens, not just distance

Early in the game, a 6 is usually best spent opening a new token. Moving an existing token six squares is rarely worth giving up a new piece on the board.

3. Count the danger zone

An opponent can reach you with one roll if they're 1 to 6 squares behind you. Before every move, check which tokens are sitting in that range and move them first.

4. Park on safe squares

Stars and start squares are your shelter. If you have a choice between moving 3 squares to a safe spot and 5 squares into the open, take the safe spot.

5. Chase when the odds are good

If an opponent's token is exactly 1 to 6 squares ahead, you have a real chance of hitting it on your next roll. A capture near their home column hurts them most, because they lose almost a full lap.

6. Don't sit just outside an opponent's yard

Their start square is where fresh tokens appear. Sitting right in front of it invites an instant capture the moment they roll a 6.

7. Spread risk across tokens

Keep your tokens in different parts of the board. It's much harder for opponents to threaten all of them at once.

8. Rush the last stretch

Once a token has entered your home column it's completely safe, so push lead tokens in quickly and let the rest of the board fight.

9. Play against a tough bot

The fastest way to improve is to lose to someone better. Practising against strong computer players teaches you what a good move looks like.

Practise offline

Board Adda: Ludo Carrom Chess has Ludo with smart computer players, plus carrom, chess and ten more classics, all offline and free. When you're ready for something different, try our carrom guide for beginners.

FAQ

Is Ludo a game of luck or skill?

Both. The dice decide what you can do, but you decide which token moves, and over many games those choices add up to a big advantage.

Do you need a 6 to start in Ludo?

In the standard rules, yes: you need a 6 to bring a token out of the yard. Some house rules also allow a 1.

What happens if you roll three sixes in a row?

In most Ludo rules your turn ends and the third six doesn't count.

Can I play Ludo offline against the computer?

Yes. Board Adda includes Ludo against computer players with no internet needed.

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