Three Man

Three Man (a.k.a. Mr. Three, Hat Man) is a drinking game of skill and strategy, but essentially it's just two dice. The game can be played with a larger group (6-15) of people than other drinking games and is designed so as to not require a great deal of participation from the players not directly involved in the current dice roll.

Rules

The rules presented here are a generalization. As with many drinking games, such as beer pong, there is no "official" set of rules, and certain rules may vary from house to house.

Players begin the game taking turns in a rotation, normally clockwise, playing until their turn is expired. A player's turn begins by rolling two dice. After the initial three man has been chosen (usually a fresher), any time a player rolls a three on either die, or a total of (a 1 an a 2), the three man must take a drink. If the player rolls two threes, the three man takes two drinks.

If the player rolls a total of five, the player behind them (the person to their right when playing clockwise) has to take a drink, and if the player rolls a seven, the person ahead of them drinks.

If the player rolls doubles, there is a "roll off." In a roll off, the player who rolled doubles choses two other players and hands each one a die, which the players then roll at the same time. The player who rolls the lower number must "drink the difference" - for example, if one player rolls a five and the other rolls a one, the player who rolled the one must take 4 drinks (5-1=4 drinks).

In some variations, a player who rolled doubles (Player A) may also give them both to one single player (Player B), who then rolls both of the die to see what he or she is to drink. If player B rolls doubles, however, both of the die are returned to player A and he rolls. He then doubles what he rolls and takes that many drinks (A rolls doubles, gives to B. B rolls doubles and hands them back to A. A rolls 6+3=9, so he must drink 18 times).

If the player rolls any of these options, the player is granted another turn. Other rolls expire the turn and pass the dice to the next player.

If the player rolls one or both dice off the table, house rules vary. In some games, the player may simply take a drink for each die rolled off, or the player may become the three man. Many northeastern college towns evoke a "Sloppy Jalopy" rule. In this variation, anyone who rolls the dice off the table of play is considered the "Sloppy Jalopy" (often exclaimed in high volume in response to the players unwieldy roll) and automatically becomes the Three Man.

A more recent adjustment to the game allows players to create a new rule that all players must abide by, lest they drink more. This is only done after there are three successful rolls by a single player on a single run. Doubles, three man the hard way (1+2), 7 and 5 all count towards this. Rolling a basic 3 does not count. The most popular rule is the "Green Man" rule, in which all players must remember to take the imaginary plastic green soldier off their respective drinks prior to starting drinking. After the round of drinking is done, players must return the "Green Man" to his resting place. Failing to do so results in another drink.

One variation makes something happen on any roll of a 1 depending on the result of the other die. For instance, a 1 and a 1 is doubles, which allows for a roll-off or passing of dice. A 1 and a 2 turns the roller into the three man. A 1 and a 3 forces the 3 man to drink. A 1 with a 4, 5, or 6 have special rules which force the players to perform an action, with the last player to perform that action receiving one penalty drink. These action change from house to house, but one common variation has the players place a thumb on the table on a 1 and a 4, touch their nose on a 1 and a 5, and hold their earlobe on a 1 and a 6. Often these actions are done quietly with players trying to avoid letting the others in on what must be done until only one person is left who has not performed the required action. The quietness of the other players will often signal to those not paying complete attention that something must be done, resulting in a mad dash to avoid being last. An additional variation penalizes players for performing the wrong action, like touching their nose when they should grab their earlobe.

Objective

Since there is no defined winner, the objective of the game can vary between players: a player may find the objective to get as drunk as possible in the shortest period of time, or a player may find the objective to not have to drink as much as the other players. Because of this, games are generally played for a certain amount of time or until players start to leave and there is not a sufficient number of players to continue.

References

• The Best Drinking Games Book Ever. Carlton Books. 2002. ISBN 978-1858685601. 
• 3 man drinking game^{[dead link]} How to play 3 man and other drinking games.