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Showing results for tags 'six sided dice'.

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  1. Not very many of us today need any introduction to dice. It has been a fabric of entertainment all our lives, from the boardgames we play with our family and friends to the casino games we enjoy as adults. The existence of these classic six-sided cubes is often taken for granted. Little do we realise that it has a rich history and has been used in many more ways than one could ever imagine. In this article, we seek to get to the bare bones of the origins of the dice and trace how dice-based games have evolved over the centuries. Hopefully the next time you look at that tiny little ‘implement of random outcome’, you will have a new appreciation for the rich culture and history that brought it to this point. A Die By Any Other Name A dice is simply a multi-sided cube or polyhedron that traditionally has equal sides. It is thrown to provide an outcome, which is most believed to be 100% random. The most common form of dice is six-sided, where the numbers 1 and 6 lie in opposite positions, 2 and 5 the same, and 3 and 4 the same. The cubes have been formed to provide random outcomes each time you roll it. This is handy when you want to determine outcomes in games or take a chance on something. Around the world, families have spent countless hours playing Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, or any number of board games which use 6 sided die as the determining factor in whether you the are victor or the loser. As adults, we move from family fun to gambling fun with casino games like Craps which focus on dice rolls to determine who wins and who loses. There are also many other forms of dice used in the world today, including thirty-sided die, one hundred-sided die, and more. Avid fans of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) will be familiar with the excitement and disappoint of having these multi-sided dice randomly determine the fate of your character and your compatriots. Astrologers use twelve-sided die related to the zodiac to help them in their occultic practices, while 20 sided variations are used for cleromancy. These are just a small list of uses found today, but the history of the dice comes with far more depth and versatility than even all of these. Divining the Fate of the Nations While the creator of the first set of dice is lost in time scientist have found examples of a variety of dice like objects throughout history. What is astounding is the similarity in form and function of these ancient-dice, some of which are thought to be up to 8000 years old! These early dice were carved from fruit pips, shells, and even stone. More recently, pre the industrial age, dice were carved from more the easily accessible and malleable bones of hoofed animals which the Greeks called ‘astragali’. These bones were rough cubes with two rounded sides which ensure that only four sides could lie flat. However, even these rounded surfaces were eventually ground flat creating the six-sided die we know so well today. Early iterations of dice were not used for entertainment, but for religious rites such as divination and fortune-telling. Ancient shaman believed that by throwing of sticks, cubes and rocks containing runic carvings the would be able to foretell the will of the gods for a given scenario. Rather than believing that the outcome of these rites was based on random luck, it was believed that supernatural powers would use them to communicate their desires. “The dice of Zeus always fall luckily.” ~ Sophocles, ancient Greek tragedian It is for this reason that many Romans would call out the goddess Fortuna’s name before throwing the commonly used twenty-sided dice. By invoking her name prior to a roll, they hoped to catch her attention and that this would, in turn, see her bless them with a favourable outcome. The mention of dice being used to determine one’s fate is not limited to pagan texts. The Israelites followed a tradition which relied on the use of the Urim and the Thummim in divining the will of God for his chosen people. Later in the Christian Bible, we see a reference to the Roman soldiers casting lots (rolling dice) to decide who would lay claim to his clothes. Hail Caesar, Hail Dice Rolls We also see a lot more being shared with the world by the advancement of Rome than military strategies and cultural understanding. With their push for global dominance, their soldiers took their pastimes and beliefs with them wherever they went – and this meant the spread of dice, for fun and divination. It is easy to see how the transition from spiritual to gambling took place, especially when you consider the fact that luck and the blessing of the gods went hand-in-hand for our less educated forebears. While dice retained their importance in Asia, America, Africa, and Europe for religious rites, there is a marked rise in its use in entertainment in the same regions. In China, a variety of dice games led to the creation of dominoes. In Europe, a game called Hazard which was developed in the Dark Ages would eventually become the classic casino game Craps. The middle ages saw the rise of specialised dice schools across Western Europe where students were taught to gamble professionally. These schools caught the attention of the Catholic church which did their best to eradicate dice games, however, as is always the case with prohibition players did their best to beat the system. in this case, they began crafting smaller dice which could be easily hidden from inspectors. Place Your Bet & Roll the Bones Many of the modern casino dice games have evolved from ancient gaming forms over the centuries, but one thing that can be said for today’s gameplay is that it is far more commercialised. As such, it comes with flash and pizzazz and is generally well-regulated to provide safety for all players involved. Here are some examples of popular dice-based casino games: Craps comes from European descent, as previously mentioned. It involves the throwing of 2 dice. Bets are placed on the table prior to your dice throw, and you attempt to match the throw with your predetermined guess of the outcome. This form of the game is tremendously popular at American casinos. Sic-Bo, also known as Hi-Lo, is probably more commonly played by the Asian market but is very popular at online casinos around the world. There are several betting options on offer to players, the main ones being Big, Small, Odd, and Even. If you bet for a Big/Hi result, you will need to throw a value of between 11 and 17 with the dies, while Small/Low is a value of 4 to 10. Odd and even speak for themselves. Lightning Dice is a live casino game offered by Evolution Gaming. The croupier will release dice down a maze gauntlet. Once the dice come out the bottom, the results will be compared with your guesses and pay accordingly. Cheaters Never Prosper Dice gambling comes with a long history of cheating. While the ancient gurus relied on the gods for their dice outcomes, certain less scrupulous characters would take that power into their own hands by weighting the dice. This practice never lost traction and modern casinos have had to place strict protocols in place to ensure that dies cannot be exchanged during play by would-be cheaters. Some casinos have encoded their dies with small serial numbers, while others have opted for installing state of the art equipment to weigh the dice on each and every throw. Fortunately, online gambling does not suffer these same ill fates. Virtual dice cannot be swapped. These games make use of a computerised RNG system to determine the outcomes. At well-licensed casinos, this software is audited regularly to make sure that each result is genuinely random. Let the Dice Fall Where They May There is a certain satisfaction settling in to play a game of Craps or Lightning Dice and knowing that we’re sharing in a love affair with chance that far transcends us and stretches back into the very beginning of mankind’s history. If you would like to celebrate the origins of dice in a safe and secure environment, be sure to sign-up with a licensed Gambler’s Pick casino partner, and let that six-sided cube offer you the opportunity of great entertainment, today!
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