Balanced Dice – Facts and Fables

  • Balanced Dice – Do they really exist?

    Are (Handmade or Premade) Dice Balanced?

    One of the main questions dice makers get asked is if their dice are balanced.

    Balanced or Not?


    Other questions inlcude:

    • Does the inclusions in your dice make the dice unbalanced?
    • Can I still roll fair with these dice?
    • Are these dice playable in Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) or in any other tabletop (role playing) game?

    Are Dice Balanced?

    The simple answer to the question: Are dice balanced? is NO
    Even your Chessex, MDG, Koplow, PolyHero, Q Workshop and many more dice are not REALLY balanced.

    BUT this does not mean that your dice are only for aesthetic purposes.
    All the popular and premade (factory) dice are playable, but so are MINE (and many other dice made by hand)
    I myself will make sure to playtest your dice before sending them out to you so you will have a good and fair game!
    If you have any doubt wheter a dice makers dice are balanced, just send them a message.
    If any of my dice are not balanced, I will be sure to include this in the selling description.

    My Promises: Fair (Balanced) Dice

    My dice, on the whole website, so including the premade (factory) dice ánd the handmade dice, I make myself, fulfill these statements:

    • The dice are balanced enough for casual play, for example in a game of Dungeons and Dragons.
    • They cannot be used for something that needs casino grade dice (see below for more information on that).
    • None of the inclusions are heavy enough to make a difference for their balance.
    • The shape of the dice is more important than what is inside of them.
    • The handmade dice are MORE bubble free than most premade (factory) dice.
    • These dice are not loaded dice (see below for more information) and therefore are balanced.
    • Due to rolling conditions, if you roll your dice and not swipe them across the table, your dice will always roll random.

    Casino Dice

    The ONLY dice that are balanced are casino dice.

    These dice are made in hermetically sealed chambers to stop any air from getting into the dice.
    Any dice not made in a hermetically sealed chamber will have some amount of air inside, and therfore will be “unbalanced”.
    HOWEVER due to rolling conditions, even these dice will always roll random.

    In casinos there are multiple resources put in play to make sure that the dice are balanced, and therefore cannot be cheated with.
    One of these recources is a special person, called the boxperson.
    The boxperson puts the dice up to the test before they can enter the casino.

    He begins with a visual inspection:

    • All opposite sides equal seven
    • Each die has the casino’s name, logo and a serial number
    • No visible defects (including nicks, extra pips, marks)
    • The depth of the pips

    Then he continous with various tools.
    He uses an electronic micrometer to measure each side of the die and determine if it is sized correctly.
    He inserts the die into a balancing caliper, which ensures all sides are weighted equally.
    A steel set square allows him to check that all corners and edges are square.
    Last but not least, a simple  will magnet reveal any added metal.

    EVEN after this careful inspection the dice are swapped every 15-20 minutes because the rolling conditions such as felted tables can cause the dice to consistently roll a number.

    Loaded Dice

    A loaded, weighted, cheat, or crooked die is one that has been tampered with so that it will land with a specific side facing upwards more or less often than a fair die would. There are several methods for creating loaded dice, including rounded faces, off-square faces, and weights. Casinos and gambling halls frequently use transparent dice as tampering is easier to detect than with opaque dice.

    As dice makers we do not “load” dice, we simply put stuff in that we think is acceptable and is not too heavy for dice to become unbalanced.

    EVEN loaded dice won’t ALWAYS roll what you want based on environmental conditions, but they are more likely to roll on a certain side.

    I hope this was useful information for you! Take a look at my website if you want to buy dice, from factory dice to handmade dice, and all the accessories that comes with them like dice trays, dice boxes, dice jewelry, and many more. If you want to leave a comment or a message you can do here, or on social media @verasartsanddice or e-mail me at verasartsanddice@gmail.com , looking forward to hearing from you! Have a great day! <3

    Thanks again to making it to the end and reading my blog! Good luck with all your dice journeys!

    Love Vera