Bầu cua cá cọp (lit. 'gourd crab fish tiger'; alsoBầu cua tôm cá orLắc bầu cua) is a Vietnamesegambling game using threedice.[1][2] The game is often played atVietnamese New Year.
Instead of showing one to six pips, the sides of the dice have pictures of afish; aprawn; acrab; acock; acalabash; and astag (or atiger). Players place wagers on a board that has the six pictures, betting on which pictures will appear. If one die corresponds with a bet, the bettor receives the same amount as their bet. If two dice correspond with a bet, the bettor receives two times their money. If three dice correspond with a bet, the bettor receives three times their money, if one were to place 3đồng on fish, and the dealer rolls 1 fish, 1 crab and 1 stag, then the bettor would receive 3 đồng while keeping the 3 đồng they had bet. Any money not rewarded for the round is kept in a central pool managed by the dealer, who rolls the dice.
Bầu cua cá cọp is essentially the Vietnamese original version ofHoo Hey How (Fish-Prawn-Crab) played in China, and Klah Klok/Kla Klouk which is theCambodian version,[3] and the dice gameCrown and Anchor adopted byBritish sailors, orchuck-a-luck played in America.
