Sea Dice

Sea Dice - Fish Prawn Crab gry (Hoo Hej Jak)

Fish Prawn Crab is a popular game in Asia using three dice. All six sides of the dice have pictures of a fish, a prawn, a crab, a rooster, a calabash gourd and a stag. Players place wagers on which side of the dice to appear. Sic Bo, also known as tai siu is a game of Ancient Chinese origin and played with three dice. Both of these games are especially popular during the Chinese New Year/Vietnamese Tet.

The game Bầu Cua Tôm Cá (bầu cua tôm cá "gourd-crab-shrimp-fish") is a Vietnamese gambling game using three dice.

The six sides of the dice, 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 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. For instance, if one were to place $3 on fish, and the dealer rolls 2 fish and 1 stag, then the bettor would receive $6 while keeping the $3 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 Tôm Cá 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).