Dice games are the oldest and one of the simplest games that perhaps suit all ages. The dice games involved in gambling are one of the most exciting and popular ones. Dice games have been played since centuries. So old is there origin that the historians do not know the inventor for sure. However, from whatever is available it can be safely said that dice games originated in different cultures around the same time. Illustrations of the games have been found on Egyptian tombs and the ancient Greeks also played the games.
In fact the Chinese dominoes are considered a variation of the ancient dice games. Apart from being a source of entertainment these games were used in the past for other major purposes like for determining future rulers, predicting future events and dividing property. 'Cleromancy' is the name given to the activity of casting die or small objects in order to predict the future. The initial dice was made up of pebbles, fruit stones, human or animal bones, sea shells etc.
Today, dice games form a part of the gambling excitement. While the common man uses standard dice, casinos use casino dice. The standard die is cubical in size with dots punctured on each side, counting one to seven. The numbers of the opposite side add up to seven. The standard dice has rounded edges to make it roll easily. The casino dice is more perfect primarily because its money that is involved! The hole punctured are filled with another substance to make each side weigh equal. the casino dice has an equal chance on landing on either side. Other kinds of dice are crooked dice, loaded dice, polyhedral dice.
The most exciting of the dice games played in casinos is 'craps'. Craps can either be 'street' crap or 'bank 'crap. However, generally, this games involves shooting die to gat a seven or an eleven which is considered an automatic win and is called 'craps'. Another game that is played using three die is Grand Hazard. The underlying concept of the game is betting on the outcome of the roll of die.
Shooting of the dice is integral part of some dice games. The activity decides one's fate in the game. In craps, the player with the dice shoots the dice to a blackboard. The dice hits the blackboard and fall back. The side on which the dice falls is plain luck. However, some players use 'rhythm rolling' to control the outcome. By this technique, the player holds and rolls the dice in a manner to get the desired numbers. But this technique requires skill and practice.
Another manner is rolling the dice. Rolling the dice, however, can be manipulated. The player can hold on the dice and throw in a calculative manner to get a desired number. However, the players usually cannot manipulate in the casinos under heavy surveillance.
