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The Trouble board game rules fit in one breath: press the Pop-O-Matic bubble to roll the die, pop a 6 to move a peg out of Home, race all four pegs once around the board, and get them into your Finish line before anyone else. Land on an opponent’s peg and it goes back to its Home to start over. That’s the whole game, and the satisfying pop of the dome is half the reason kids ask for it again.
The quick answer: you need a 6 to move a peg from Home onto your Start space. A 6 also earns you another pop. Move pegs clockwise by the number you pop, bump any opponent you land on, and never land on your own peg. After one lap, each peg enters your Finish line by exact count. First player with all four pegs in Finish wins.
These rules follow Hasbro’s classic Pop-O-Matic Trouble rule sheet (the long-running Milton Bradley version). Newer boxes add a couple of special spaces, covered near the end.
What comes in the Trouble box?
Trouble is for 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up. The classic box has:
- A gameboard set into a plastic base. Around the edge runs the playing track. Each color has a Home (where pegs wait), a Start space (where they enter the track), and a short Finish line (where they end).
- The Pop-O-Matic: a clear plastic dome in the middle of the board with a die inside. Press it down and let go, and the die bounces and lands on a number.
- 16 pegs, four in each of four colors.
The Pop-O-Matic is the game’s famous trick. The die can’t roll off the table, get lost under the couch, or be “accidentally” set down on a 6.
Trouble board game rules: how do you set up?
- Each player picks a color and puts all four pegs in that color’s Home.
- If only two people are playing, each player may use two colors if they like.
- Everyone pops once. The highest number goes first, and play continues to the left.
That’s it. Trouble may be the fastest setup in the family game cupboard.
How to play Trouble: what happens on a turn?
A turn is one pop of the Pop-O-Matic and one move, if you have a legal move. Pegs always travel clockwise around the track. When you count spaces, count every space, empty or full. You can pass over other pegs, your own included.
If you can’t move any peg with the number you popped, your turn is over.
How do you get out of Home in Trouble?
You need a 6. A peg can only leave Home and step onto your Start space when you pop a 6. Any other number can only move pegs that are already on the track.
On your very first turn, you get one pop. If it isn’t a 6, you can’t move anything, and you wait for your next turn to try again. Early turns can be a lot of waiting, which is why it pays to bring out pegs whenever you can.
Two details matter:
- If your own peg is sitting on your Start space, you can’t bring a new peg out on that 6. You have to use the 6 to move a peg already on the track.
- If an opponent’s peg is on your Start space when you pop a 6 and bring a peg out, their peg is bumped back to its Home.
What does a 6 do in Trouble?
A 6 does two jobs:
- It is the only number that gets a peg out. With a 6, you can either move a new peg from Home to Start, or move a peg already in play forward six spaces.
- It earns a free turn. After you use a 6, pop again and move again.
The classic rule sheet doesn’t put a cap on this, so a run of 6s means a run of extra turns. If long streaks feel unfair at your table, you could agree on a house rule, such as a third 6 in a row ending the turn. That isn’t in the official rules, so settle it before the first pop.
What happens when you land on someone in Trouble?
You bump them. If your peg ends its move on a space that holds an opponent’s peg, their peg goes back to its Home and has to start all over again, which means they need another 6 just to get it back on the track. Your peg takes the space.
This is where the name comes from. A peg two spaces ahead of an opponent is in trouble, and everyone at the table knows it.
You can never land on your own peg. If the only move a number allows would put one of your pegs on top of another, you’ll have to move a different peg, or lose the move if no other peg can go.
How does the Finish line work in Trouble?
Each peg goes around the board exactly once. When it gets back near its own color, it turns off the main track and into your Finish line, a short row of spaces in your color.
The Finish line rules from the classic sheet:
- Exact count only. A peg can enter Finish only if the number you pop is exactly enough to land on one of its spaces. If the number is too big, that peg can’t move.
- No second lap. A peg can’t go around the board more than once.
- Finish is safe. Only your own pegs can enter your Finish line, so no one can bump a peg once it’s in.
- You can still shuffle forward. Pegs inside Finish can move farther in, following the arrows, by exact count.
- No landing on your own pegs here, either. Plan the order your pegs go in, so the first one in moves to the deepest space.
That last point is the main bit of thinking in the endgame. If your first peg stops on the nearest Finish space, it can block the others from getting in.
How do you win Trouble?
The first player to move all four pegs once around the board and into their Finish line wins. The classic rules say the game can keep going to decide second and third place, which is a nice option when a younger player wants to finish.
What’s different in newer Trouble boxes?
Hasbro’s current Trouble (item A5064) keeps the same race, the same Pop-O-Matic, and the same four pegs per player. Hasbro’s description adds Double Trouble and Warp spaces on the board, which give extra powers when you land on them. Some newer rule sheets also change details like who goes first and how the Finish line works.
Use the rule sheet that came in your box for those spaces. If you’ve lost it, Hasbro posts instructions for each edition on its instructions site. And settle any edition questions before the first pop, not halfway through the game. Our guide to family game night rules has a fair, fast way to decide.
What are the best Trouble strategy tips?
Trouble is mostly luck. You can’t choose your number, but you can choose which peg moves, and that choice adds up.
1. Bring pegs out on every 6 you can
A peg in Home does nothing until a 6 shows up. More pegs on the track means more choices on every pop, and more ways to bump. Early in the game, a 6 is usually best spent on a new peg.
2. Don’t sit just ahead of an opponent
A peg one to six spaces in front of an opponent can be hit on their next pop. When you have a choice, move the peg that’s in danger, or move past the danger zone entirely.
3. Clear your Start space
A peg parked on your own Start blocks you from bringing out new pegs. Move it off early so your next 6 isn’t wasted.
4. Fill Finish from the back
Move your first peg deep into the Finish line so the next ones have room. A peg stuck in the front space can leave you waiting for numbers that never come.
5. Bump the leader
With kids at the table, aim your bumps at whoever is ahead. It keeps the game close and spreads the sting around. If someone takes it hard, see our guide to teaching kids to lose gracefully.
Where did Trouble come from?
Trouble came to America in 1965. It was designed by the Kohner brothers and later made by Milton Bradley, which is now part of Hasbro. The game is a cousin of Ludo and Parcheesi, which go back to the Indian game pachisi, and of the older game Frustration. The Pop-O-Matic dome is what made it its own thing.
If your family likes Trouble, it has a close relative in Sorry!, which swaps the die for a deck of cards and adds slides and swaps. And when the kids are ready for games with more choices, our list of board games for 5-year-olds and our best family board games are the next step.
FAQ
Do you need a 6 to get out in Trouble?
Yes. In the classic rules, a peg can only move from Home to your Start space when you pop a 6. Every other number moves pegs already on the track.
Do you get another turn on a 6 in Trouble?
Yes. Any time you pop a 6, you take your move and then pop again. The classic rules don’t limit how many times in a row this can happen.
Can you land on your own peg in Trouble?
No. You can pass over your own pegs, but you can’t end a move on a space one of them already holds.
Do you need an exact roll to finish in Trouble?
In the classic rules, yes. A peg only enters the Finish line, or moves within it, by the exact number needed. Some newer editions change this, so check your box’s rule sheet.
How many people can play Trouble?
Two to four. With only two players, each person can run two colors for a longer, more tactical game.
Pop the dome tonight
Trouble asks almost nothing of new players, and that’s its gift: a five-year-old and a grandparent can both play it on the first try. For more ways to bring the family to the table, read our family game night ideas, and pick up Ludarium Letters just below.
The game is the reason. The people are the point.
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