Black-Pot is played on a board of 109 squares (11x11 with the corners removed) on which players take turns to add tokens of their color, with the object of forming five tokens in a row.
Each square has a number on it and on a player's turn they roll three dice then use the numbers on the dice singly or in combination to determine which squares they may occupy. For example if a player rolls 3–4–6, they may occupy a 13 (3+4+6), or an 18 (3x4+6), or a 12 (3x4) and a 6, or a 7 (3+4) and a 6, or a 3 and a 4 and a 6, or various other combinations.
When a five-in-a-row has been made, the five tokens are removed from the board and the player scores a varying number of points depending on the numbers used in the row — numbers that are more difficult to make score more points and a large bonus is awarded for a row which uses multiple "Black Pot" numbers, which can be made only using all three dice (such as 13, 17, 21).
This game is similar to the publishers' earlier game X-O, but the board is smaller and the scoring is different.