Bầu cua cá cọp

Bau Cua Ca Cop

The game bầu cua cá cọp (bầu cua cá cọp "squash-crab-fish-tiger") is a Vietnamese gambling game using three dice.^[1][2]

The six sides of the die, instead of showing one to six pips, have pictures of a fish, a prawn, a crab, a rooster, a calabash gourd, and a stag. 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 better receives the same amount as their bet. If two dice correspond with a bet, the better receives two times their money. If three dice correspond with a bet, the better receives three times their money. For instance, if one were to place $3 on fish, and the dealer rolls 2 fish and one stag, then the better would receive $6.

Bau cua tom ca is essentially the Vietnamese variation of Hoo Hey How (Fish-Prawn-Crab) played in China, the dice game Crown and Anchor played by British sailors, or chuck-a-luck played in America. Bau cua tom ca is often played at Tết (Vietnamese New Year).

References

1. Robert B. Jones, Sanh Thông Huỳnh - Introduction to spoken Vietnamese 1957 "play Squash-crab-fish-tiger. lớn chơi bầu cua cá cọp. "
2. Toan Ánh - Nếp cũ hội hè đình đám Volume 1 1991 "Ngoài thú xem hát ra, trẻ em còn giải trí bằng lối đánh bầu cua cá cọp (môn cờ bạc này đến nay vẫn còn thịnh hành). Người lớn có máu đỏ đen thì tha hồ mà cờ bạc làm cho bao nhiêu người phải mang nợ đến đổi phải vong gia thất thổ."