Cachito Rules
The game of Cachito – also known as Perudo, Dudo and Cacho - is a popular pastime in South American countries such as Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Thanks to the internet, however, the game is finding its way to players from all around the world and thousands of people are discovering the fun that is to be had playing online Cachito. Initially, the game may seem a little complex but a closer look at the rules will show you that Cachito is quite simple to play.
Cachito is a game played with dice. As such, each player (traditionally up to six in a game) starts the game with five dice and a cup. Play begins by deciding who begins first (using ways such as throwing one die to see who gets the highest number or drawing lots, for instance). Once this has been decided, the player begins the game by shaking the dice in his cup and then turning it over onto flat surface such as a tabletop. The dice are kept concealed except for the player who peeks at his own dice.
The player then announces what dice he has, for example ‘five twos’. The next player in the game needs to choose between four options: to increase, pass, equalize or doubt. If he chooses the last two options, the round ends.
If, however, he chooses to increase, this means that he increases the number of dice – ie. six twos – or the die number – ie. five fours – or both. To pass in a game of Cachito, the player needs to either have five different or five equal dice. Another option is to have a full house. It is permissible to lie when passing although it is up to the next player to doubt the pass or not.
If a player chooses to equalize in a Cachito game, this means that essentially he is convinced that the announcement before was an exact guess. In this case, the player shows the dice and if the guess was right, the player can win a die from the table. However, if his guess was wrong, he loses a die and places it on the table.
In Cachito, players also have the option of doubting the previous announcement. In fact, another name for Cachito – Dudo – means “I doubt” in Spanish. After the dice are shown and if the guess is not correct, the previous player who made the announcement loses one die. However, if the guess is correct, the ‘doubter’ loses a dice.
In addition, there are special rules regarding the number one in a Cachito game, which essentially doubles as an Ace and acts as a ‘Joker’. These rules apply when increasing in the game.
Before playing the game, whether a quick of game of Cachito in a pub or online Cachito, it is important to familiarize yourself with the rules involved. Understanding the various moves in the game will go a long way in ensuring your success in the end.