Dumpling Roulette: The Complete Guide
You are Mochi, a little hamster, and you wake up somewhere warm, soft and steamy: inside a bamboo steamer. The lid lifts, and a round cat in a tall white hat leans in, smiling a little too politely. "Finish this steamer, and you can go." On the chalkboard behind the Chef, tonight's special is drawn in chalk: a bun with hamster ears.
At every table, you sit across from a rival with one steamer of dumplings between you. The Chef tells you both how many dumplings are fiery hot and how many are plain, but not the order. On your turn you choose between two moves:
- Eat one. A plain one: "Mmm…", and it is still your turn. A hot one: you breathe fire and lose a scallion, and the turn passes.
- Feed one across. If it is hot, your rival loses a scallion. Hot or not, the turn passes to them.
The scallions on the table are your lives. Whoever runs out first gets wrapped into a bun by the Chef and popped into the steamer.
Dumpling Roulette is an original browser game made for orangeroulette.com. A table takes about half a minute to a minute, and a full run of six tables takes a casual player about 7 minutes, replays included. It runs in any modern browser on phone or desktop, needs no download or account, and is available in English, Español, Русский, Português (Brasil), Italiano and 中文. There are no guns, no money, no chips and no betting. Every character is an animal, the spice is cartoon fire and smoking ears, and losing only means being wrapped in dough with your face and ears peeking out. As the game puts it: cartoon spice only, nobody gets eaten, just wrapped up for a while.
The Rules in Full
- One steamer of dumplings sits between you and your rival. When the lid comes off, everyone sees how many are hot and how many are plain. The order is random and secret.
- On your turn, eat one yourself or feed one to your rival. Eating a plain one keeps your turn, so you can eat again or feed. Eating a hot one costs you a scallion and passes the turn.
- Feeding always passes the turn. If the dumpling you fed was hot, your rival loses a scallion.
- Lose all your scallions and you lose the table. Each side starts with the same number: 2 scallions at the first two tables, 3 at the rest.
- Once every hot dumpling in the steamer is gone, the Chef clears it, plain leftovers and all, and serves a new one. Whoever is due to move next keeps going.
- Every steamer burns somebody. If chopsticks take away the last hot dumpling left in the steamer, the Chef slips another hot one into a random spot, and everyone sees it happen.
- Everything is out in the open: you see every bite your rival takes, every tool they hold and everything a tool reveals. Only the order is a secret, and the computer rivals never peek.
What's in a steamer
Every new steamer is one of eight kinds, picked at random with equal chances. A steamer holds 3 to 8 dumplings, and there is always at least one hot one. The last column is simply the share of hot dumplings, which is the chance that the very first bite is hot.
| Hot | Plain | Dumplings | Chance the first one is hot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 in 3 (about 33%) |
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 in 4 (25%) |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 in 2 (50%) |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 in 5 (40%) |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 in 2 (50%) |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 in 3 (about 33%) |
| 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 in 7 (about 43%) |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 in 2 (50%) |
What you see on the table
- The chalkboard. Red dots are hot dumplings, white dots are plain ones. In Normal mode, eaten ones get crossed out, so the board always shows what is left.
- The scallions. Each side's lives are shown as scallions on the table. When someone gets burned, a scallion drops.
- The tools. Small icons under each name show what both sides are holding, and your own tools appear as buttons in the row just above Eat and Feed.
- The top bar. Six little steamers stand for the six tables: the lit one is the table you are at, and a checkmark means you beat it. In Hard mode, two little hamster faces show your tries.
- The Chef. At every table the Chef is there: serving steamers, dealing tools, commenting when someone gets burned, and sneering as they slip in a new hot dumpling.
The first time you play, three short tips appear when it is your turn: eating versus feeding, the chalkboard (after the first bite) and the scallions (after someone gets burned). Each tool has its own tip the first time you get it. The game also checks with you before a risky bite: the first three times you try to eat when half or more of what is left is hot, it asks "Eat it yourself?" and offers to feed instead.
The Five Tools
From the second table on, every new steamer deals each side one tool, drawn at random from that table's set. You can hold up to two; if your hands are full, you get nothing that round. Using a tool does not end your turn.
| Tool | What it does | When you can use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sniff | Peek at the next dumpling. Everyone smells it, your rival too. | When nobody knows yet what the next one is |
| Chopsticks | Take the next dumpling away without eating it. Everyone sees what it was, and it is still your turn. | Any time on your turn |
| Chili oil | Make the next dumpling hot for sure. Everyone sees what filling it had before. | When the next one is not already known to be hot |
| Vinegar | Dip the next bite: if it is hot, it costs two scallions instead of one, whether you eat it or feed it. | Then you must eat or feed right away |
| Pepper | Sprinkle the next bite: if that bite passes the turn, the other side sneezes, skips a turn, and you go again. | Then you must eat or feed right away |
Vinegar and pepper are condiments. Once you dip or sprinkle, you can only eat, feed or add the other condiment. If the bite turns out plain, the condiment is wasted, and since eating a plain one never passes the turn, pepper does nothing there either. Pepper also works on a hot bite you eat yourself: you lose a scallion, but your rival sneezes and you keep the turn.
The Run: Six Tables
A run is six tables in a row, and each one adds a new tool. Moving second is a small disadvantage, so from the second table on a coin decides who starts, and the second player begins with one or two tools already in hand. The game's solver picked those tools table by table to make going first as close to an even match as possible.
| Table | Rival | New tool | Scallions each | Second player starts with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chestnut the hedgehog | None, plain steamers | 2 | You always go first |
| 2 | Noodle the otter | Chopsticks | 2 | Chopsticks |
| 3 | Wasabi the raccoon | Sniff | 3 | Sniff and chopsticks |
| 4 | Tofu the sloth | Chili oil | 3 | Two sniffs |
| 5 | Ginger the fox | Vinegar and pepper | 3 | Chopsticks and chili oil |
| 6 | The Chef | All five tools | 3 | Chopsticks and chili oil |
The first time you open the game, a short opening scene plays (waking up, the lid lifting, the chalkboard), and one tap sits you straight down at table 1 in Normal mode. From the second table on, an intro card shows your rival, the new tool, how many scallions each side has and what the second player starts with.
The Six Rivals and How to Beat Them
The win rates below come from the game's exact solver. "Casual" is a model player who only looks at the steamer in front of them: they feed when half or more of what is left is hot, sniff when they can, add chili oil before feeding, use vinegar and pepper only on a dumpling they know is hot, and never use chopsticks. "Skilled" plays the solver's best move but taps something random 5% of the time.
1. Chestnut · Hedgehog · Table 1
A round little hedgehog who would rather keep eating than pass anything across. Chestnut only feeds once two thirds of the steamer is hot, and taps at random one time in ten.
No tools here, and that makes this table special: without tools, feeding is never worse than eating. The solver checked every position, and there is not a single one where eating is strictly better. So the best plan at table 1 is simply to keep feeding. A player who does that beats Chestnut 88.7% of the time; the casual model wins 70.4%.
2. Noodle · Otter · Table 2
A nervous otter who holds the chopsticks a little too tight. Noodle feeds once slightly more than half the steamer is hot, but only dares to use chopsticks when two thirds of it is hot, and also taps at random one time in ten.
Chopsticks arrive here. Use them when the next bite looks too dangerous, then keep feeding. The gap between skilled and casual play is the widest of the early tables: 82.1% against 61.2%.
3. Wasabi · Raccoon · Table 3
Quick paws, quicker nose. Wasabi sniffs whenever it holds a sniff and takes the next dumpling away whenever half or more of the steamer is hot. From here on each side has 3 scallions.
Remember that a sniff is public. When Wasabi sniffs a plain one and eats it, the steamer just got hotter for whoever moves next. When it sniffs a hot one, it will feed it to you, so a sniff in your own hand is best kept for the moment you are truly unsure. Skilled 72.3%, casual 54.1%.
4. Tofu · Sloth · Table 4
Takes forever to pick a dumpling and always adds chili oil first. Tofu sniffs first, takes the next one away when half or more is hot, and oils every dumpling it is about to feed you.
Tofu plays the tools well, and the casual model happens to use sniff and chili oil the same way, so this is the table where skill matters least: skilled 60.8%, casual 50.3%. Watch Tofu's hand. If it holds chili oil, a hot dumpling is coming your way on its turn, so think about what you leave behind on yours.
5. Ginger · Fox · Table 5
The longest in this kitchen, and knows most of the Chef's tricks. Ginger plays the solver's best move, but taps at random a quarter of the time. All five tools are in play from here: vinegar and pepper join the set.
The casual model wins only 40.5% here, but skilled play still takes 60.5%, so there is a lot to learn: when to dip vinegar on a bite you are about to feed, and when pepper buys you a second feed in a row.
6. The Chef · Cat · Table 6
A round cat in a tall white hat who never says why you're here. At the last table the Chef sits down personally, with all five tools, and plays almost perfectly, slipping only 3% of the time.
This is a fair fight and not much more: even a player who knows the Chef's every habit wins 52.1%, a skilled player 48.8%, a casual one 28.0%. Count carefully, keep track of both hands, and do not waste chili oil.
Normal and Hard: Three Endings
- Normal. Lose a table and you simply try it again with a fresh steamer. Beat the Chef at table 6 and the back door opens: "Full? Then off you go." Behind you, a new steamer lid starts to rattle.
- Hard. You get two tries for the whole run, shown as two little hamster faces in the top bar. Each lost table turns one into a little bun. The chalkboard no longer crosses anything out, so you have to count what has been eaten yourself; the line just above the buttons still shows how the steamer was served, for example "Served: hot 3 · plain 4".
- The true ending. Clear Hard mode and the Chef lifts the tall white hat. Underneath sits an old hamster, the last one to win. The hat comes down on your head: "Your kitchen now."
- On the menu. Run out of tries in Hard mode and the chalkboard gets a new circle tonight. Today's special: you.
Your run is saved in your browser, so you can close the page and press Continue later. In Normal mode, leaving in the middle of a table costs nothing: you come back to the same table with a fresh steamer. In Hard mode, going back to the door mid-table asks you to confirm and counts as a lost table, and closing the page mid-table counts as a loss the next time you press Continue.
The solver's numbers for a whole run: a skilled player clears Hard mode about 27% of the time and a casual one about 5%. In Normal mode a casual player loses about 7 tables on the way to the end, a skilled one about 3.
Two Players on One Device
Pick "Two players" at the door to play against a friend on the same screen. Player 1 is Mochi; Player 2 picks a look from the five animal rivals. The rules are the Chef's table: all five tools and 3 scallions each. A coin decides who starts, and whoever goes second begins with chopsticks and chili oil.
The side whose turn it is lights up and the other dims, and a banner says whose turn is next, so you can pass the device back and forth. The Chef still serves the steamers and slips in hot ones from the corner. Two-player games are not saved and show no tips, and they never touch your saved run.
Strategy Tips
When in doubt, feed
This is the one rule worth learning first. A plain dumpling you eat keeps your turn, but the next bite is now hotter, and it is still you who has to face it. A plain dumpling you feed hands that hotter steamer to your rival. Without tools, feeding is never worse than eating, and even with tools, eating is strictly the better move in only a small share of decisions, mostly right after a sniff shows a plain one. In the solver's tests at the five-tool tables, feeding as soon as a third of the steamer is hot won about 4 points more often than waiting until half of it is hot.
Half hot or more? Don't eat it
If half or more of what is left is hot, do not eat it yourself. When every dumpling left is hot, the game says it plainly: feed one.
Sniff when you are unsure
A sniff tells everyone what the next dumpling is. If it is plain, eat it: you stay on your turn and the steamer gets hotter for your rival. If it is hot, feed it. Save sniffs for the moments when you genuinely cannot decide; sniffing a steamer that is almost all hot tells you little you did not know.
Chili oil, then feed
Chili oil is the most valuable tool in the game. Oil the next dumpling and feed it across: that is a guaranteed hit. In the solver's tests, a player who never uses chili oil wins 6.8 points less often at the five-tool tables. Add vinegar to that oiled bite and it costs your rival two scallions at once.
Vinegar and pepper: when to gamble
If you only use condiments on dumplings you know are hot, they barely help. The solver found that dipping or sprinkling whenever you are about to feed wins about 4.5 points more often than waiting for certainty. The skill is choosing when the gamble is worth it: for example, vinegar when two scallions would finish your rival, or pepper when you would love to feed twice in a row.
Chopsticks change the odds
When the next dumpling looks too dangerous, take it away. Everyone sees what it was, so the chalkboard and the odds update for both sides. But if you take away the last hot one, the Chef slips in another, so chopsticks never empty a steamer of danger.
Watch your rival's hand
Both sides' tools are on show. If your rival holds chili oil, assume a hot dumpling is coming your way on their next turn. If they hold pepper, a feed from them may be followed by another. Plan your bite with their next move in mind, not just the odds of the next dumpling.
Hard mode advice
- Count every bite. The chalkboard will not cross anything out for you.
- Do not throw away the first tables. Chestnut and Noodle are the easiest rivals, and every try you keep is one more chance against Ginger and the Chef.
How Fair Is It?
Every table is solved exactly: because everything except the order is public, the game can work out the true chance of winning for any position and any way of playing.
- Going first barely matters. With the second player's starting tools, the first player wins between 48.7% and 51.8% at every table where a coin decides who starts. At table 1 you always go first, a small edge for newcomers.
- Skill really counts. At every table, the skilled model wins 11 to 21 percentage points more often than the casual one.
- There is no magic one-liner. At the five-tool tables, even the best simple rule of thumb wins about 19 points less often than skilled play. When to sniff, when to oil, what your rival holds and how many scallions are left all change whether you should eat or feed.
Where the Idea Comes From
- Buckshot Roulette. Dumpling Roulette shares its skeleton: two players face each other, everyone knows how many shells are live, and on your turn you shoot yourself (a blank keeps your turn) or your opponent, with items added round by round. Here the shotgun becomes a steamer and being knocked out becomes being wrapped into a bun. One deliberate difference: Buckshot's magnifying glass shows only you the next shell, while a sniff here is public, which keeps every position open and makes your rival's grin after a sniff tell you something.
- Orange Roulette. The game this site is named after: cute and cruel at the same time, with suspense from the very first move.
- Our other originals, Fridge Roulette, Fate Deck, Lazy Susan Roulette and Watermelon Roulette. Same site, same conventions: short tables, a run of six rivals, Normal and Hard modes and the same vinyl-toy art style. Mochi, the hamster you play, is the same hamster as in Watermelon Roulette.
- Dumplings everywhere. Gyoza, pierogi, momo, ravioli: almost every kitchen in the world has a dumpling, which is why the game is simply called Dumpling Roulette. The bamboo steamer is the one touch from a Chinese kitchen.
Controls and Settings
- Mouse or touch: tap "Eat one" or "Feed them", and tap a tool to use it.
- Keyboard: A to eat, D to feed, 1 and 2 to use the first or second tool in your hand. On the opening screen, Enter or Space sits you down; Esc skips the opening scene and closes dialogs.
- Sound: the speaker button at the top right cycles through music and effects, effects only, and off. The background music follows the table: the likelier the next dumpling is hot, the faster and denser it gets, ending in a heartbeat.
- Language: the globe button at the top right switches between the six languages. On this page the game opens in English, unless you picked another language in the game before; your choice is remembered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dumpling Roulette free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.
How long does a game take?
A single table takes about half a minute to a minute. A full run of six tables takes a casual player about 7 minutes, including tables they have to replay.
Is it a gambling game?
No. There is no money, no chips and no betting, and no guns either. The "roulette" is a steamer of dumplings where you know how many are hot but not which ones.
Does anyone actually get eaten?
No. The spice is cartoon fire and smoking ears, and whoever loses a table is wrapped in dough with their face and ears peeking out, looking very sorry for themselves. Nobody gets eaten.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The game was designed for phones held upright first and works just as well on a desktop or laptop. The window on this page is sized to fit without scrolling.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in your browser on that device. An unfinished run waits behind the Continue button at the door. Clearing your browser data deletes it.
Which languages can I play in?
English, Español, Русский, Português (Brasil), Italiano and 中文. Switch any time with the globe button at the top right of the game.
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