Dice are probably the oldest gambling instruments in the world. Chatto thinks that man acquired the passion for gambling as soon as he could distinguish odd from even, or a short straw from a shorter. Simple gambling instruments were probably very early articles of manufacture, and Chatto says that it is not unlikely that after a simple dinner of mutton some enterprising gamester may have taken the small bones from between the shank and the foot, and after burning spots in them to distinguish one from the other, put them into a cow’s horn and shaken them up, afterward rolling them upon the ground. From some such beginning Astragali was developed, a game which Dr. Thomas Hyde thinks was known at the time of the Deluge. Later on, other instruments were used in connection with dice, and so the earliest forms of Backgammon were developed.
Dice are still the favourite implements for deciding any matters of pure chance, such as raffling off a horse or a gold watch; but the rules governing such lotteries are but imperfectly understood by people in general. There are also a number of smaller matters, such as the payment for refreshments or cigars, which are settled by thousands of persons every day, simply by throwing dice. The various methods of throwing, and the rules governing all such games are as follows:—
THE DICE. Although dice may be of any size, the standard pattern are half an inch square, of ivory or bone, with black spots one tenth of an inch in diameter. The opposite sides of the die always equal seven, and if the die is placed upon the table with the ace uppermost and the deuce nearest you, the four will be on the left and the three on the right. The positions of the three and four are sometimes reversed to enable sharpers to distinguish fair dice from those which have been doctored.
At the beginning of any dice game, it is quite unnecessary to examine the dice to be used, because they are always fair. Crooked dice are rung in during the game, and the player should make it a point to examine the dice frequently if he has any suspicions. First see that each die has all six figures upon it, for some dice are dispatchers, made with double numbers, so as to secure higher throws than the natural average. Double fives are great favourites with backgammon sharps. The next thing is to place the dice together in pairs, to be sure that they are exactly the same height each way. If dice are not square they can be made to roll over and over on the same faces. The faces should then be tested to see that they are not convex, even in the slightest degree. Shaped dice are usually flat on the ace and six faces, especially in crap shooting. Each die should be held between the thumb and forefinger at its longest diameter, to see if it has any tendency to swing on a pivot, for if it does it is loaded. Even if the dice are transparent, it is no guarantee that they are not loaded in the spots. Loaded ivory dice soon get discoloured, and the presence of any darkness in the corners is usually a sign of the presence of mercury. It is a mistake to suppose that loaded dice will always throw high or low; all they will do is to beat averages. Finally, the dice should be tested with a magnet, as they are sometimes made to work in connection with a battery concealed under the table.
DICE BOXES. Although the dice may be perfectly fair, the box may be “crooked.” A fair box may be of leather, perfectly smooth inside, or it may be of bone, ivory or wood, with the interior “screwed” or grooved. If the upper edge of the inside presents a sloping flat surface, slightly roughened with sand paper, it will be just as well to refuse to allow such a box to be used, as your adversary is probably an expert at securing, which is a method of holding one of the dice securely against this upper edge while the others are shaken and rattled about in the usual manner. A person who is securing dice can be detected by the manner in which he holds the box, keeping his fingers, instead of his palm, over the mouth. When he turns the box face downward on the table, he will still have his fingers under it, and will withdraw them in regular order, the second and third fingers being first separated.
THROWING DICE. There are three methods of throwing dice: The first is to shake them in the box with the palm over the top, and then to shift the hold to the sides, completely exposing the mouth. The box is then turned mouth downward on the table, leaving all the dice completely covered. The box must be lifted by the person who is recording the throws, in a raffle, for instance, after the spectators have had time to assure themselves that all the dice are covered. If the caster has his fingers over the mouth of the box when he turns it over, or lifts the box himself, the throw is foul.
The second method is known as rolling, or the long gallery, and is generally used in poker dice and such games. After the box has been shaken, the caster holds it by the side, and gives it a twist and a push, which causes the dice to pour out, and roll along the table.
The third method is called shooting, and is always employed in craps. No box is used, the dice being held in the hand and rolled along the table or the ground. The crap shooter is obliged to shake the dice in his hand to show that he is not holding them with certain faces together, which is a common way of preventing or getting certain throws, especially with shaped dice.
Whichever method is employed, each die must lie flat upon one of its own faces after the throw, neither resting upon nor cocked against any other die or any obstruction upon the table or the ground. If any of the dice are cocked, all of them must be taken up and thrown again.