Mankind has been playing numbered cubes since before recorded history, and throughout the centuries, hundreds of games with dice were created. In Ancient Egypt, dice games were played before 3000 BC and up to the 2nd century AD, and even twenty-sided dice, or icosahedrons, were used. Different excavations in Middle Eastern settlements related to the Bronze Age unearthed a variety of game sets containing dice made from animal bones, with some findings dating back to 3100 BC. Other games involving dice are also mentioned in ancient Indian, Buddhist and biblical texts.
In ancient Greece, there was a game of skill played with dice that evolved into what we know today as knucklebones, or jacks. In the Roman Empire, gamblers used dice to play different games, in what was known as aleam ludere (to play at dice). There were two sizes of Roman dice: tali, which was a large die inscribed with 1, 3, 4 and 6 on four sides, and tesserae, a smaller die with all sides numbered 1 to 6.
Today, dice are used mostly as random number generators in a plethora of games, including tabletop games, board games, role-playing games, games of chance, and, of course, dice games. Whether we’re playing at a casino or at home with our friends, dice are a big part of our gaming lives.
However, despite being based on the same object, dice games can be really different from each other, varying a lot from region to region, influenced by local history and culture, and even by the environment. In this article, we present some of the most popular dice games in the world, and a few of their many intricacies.
Craps
Craps is certainly one of the most popular table games in the world today, being played at casinos in Asia, Europe and the United States. Based on an English game called Hazard, which may date back to the Crusades, Craps was originally a street game played in colonial Louisiana, and it was introduced by a young gambler, son of wealthy landowners, who learned Hazard in England, simplified its rules, and taught it to the local underclass.
Players bet on the outcome of dice throws – a player is designated the “shooter” to throw two dice – and there are different types of bets available. Playing Craps at a traditional casino can be really hard and intimidating to novice players, due to its many possible bets and outcomes. However, the game is offered by several online gaming operators, and playing online Craps is much easier, since most games feature a list of bets, screen guides and visual aids to help players get a better understanding of the game. Usually, these websites offer tables with different bet limits and payouts.
Sic bo
Sic bo, also known as tai sai, dai siu, or hi-lo, is a traditional Chinese game played with three dice. Sic bo means “precious dice”, and tai sai and dai siu mean “big or small”. Its origins are somewhat obscure, but it’s known to be over thousands years old, and an ancient variant was played by warriors during their relaxation period.
Just like Craps, Sic bo is also a casino game, and it’s very popular in Asia, especially in Macau, where the game is offered in almost every casino. In the United States, it was introduced by Chinese immigrants by the start of the 20th century, and since 2002, it can be found at casinos in the United Kingdom as well.
In Sic bo, players lay their wagers on different areas of a table divided into scoring boxes. Bets are made on different dice combinations, and the bets available vary from one casino to another. The dice are kept in a small chest that is shaken by the dealer before being opened to reveal the outcome. Sic bo is strictly a game of chance and there’s no strategy involved.
Dudo
Dudo, also known as cacho, perudo, or pico, is a popular game in South America, played with five dice and a dice cup. It is thought to have originated in Spain and then taken to America by conquistadors and taught to the Incas. Dudo is a part of the family of dice games known as Liar’s Dice.
Each player starts the game with five dice and a cup that is used to shake and conceal the dice from the other players. After shaking the cup at the start of rounds, each player must guess how many dice on the table, including other players’ dice, are showing a certain number. The player who loses the round loses one die, and the last player to still have dice is the winner.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
