Home » Poker » The number of dots on a dice. Instructions for making a dice and its faces

The number of dots on a dice. Instructions for making a dice and its faces

Instructions

Choose the material to make the cube based on the tools and skills you have.

Make an accurate cube with a side of about ten millimeters from the material you choose.

Remove chamfers measuring about 1 mm by 45 degrees from the sides and then from the corners of the cube. Polish the product if necessary.

Label the faces of the cube with numbers. The points required for this can be made in the form of recesses by drilling them with a micro-drill, or applied with paint, or obtained in a combined way by first making recesses and then filling them with paint. Apply six dots on the top edge (two rows of three dots each);
Apply one dot (in the middle) to the bottom edge;
Place four dots on the left side (two rows of two dots each);
Place three dots on the right side (diagonally);
Apply five dots to the front face (four in the form of a 2 by 2 matrix and one in the middle);
Place two dots on the back face (diagonally). You can check whether the number designations are correctly distributed along the faces of the cube by adding the numbers on opposite faces: for each of their combinations, the sum should be equal to seven.

Cover all faces of the cube, except the one on which it will lie when dry, with colorless varnish. Let it dry, then turn the product over so that this side is on top. Apply varnish to it too, and then let it dry as well.

Get a virtual dice. To do this, take your mobile phone and install the BASIC language interpreter on it, downloading it from the corresponding website. Having launched the interpreter, enter the following program:
10 A%=MOD(RND(0),4)+3
20 IF A%=0 THEN GOTO 10
30 PRINT A%
40 ENDWhenever you run the RUN command, this program will generate a random number in the range from 1 to 6.

To check the accuracy of the cube, use it to obtain several tens, then count how many times each of them appears. For a precision-made die, the probabilities of each roll should be close.

Although the popularity of board games is quite low these days, do not forget the order in which they are played. At the beginning, all players' tokens are placed on the starting square. Players take turns throwing the dice. Having received a random number, the player moves his chip forward by the corresponding number of cells. If the cell on which the result ends up contains an instruction (skip the next move, repeat the move, move to the specified location playing field and the like), this instruction should be followed. The first player to reach the finishing cell of the field wins.

Sources:

dice

Gambling bones used as a generator random numbers in backgammon, in board games, in poker, monopoly and other games, as well as in fortune telling and predicting the future. Gambling bones can be varied in shape and material (plastic, wood, metal, paper).

You will need

A sheet of paper, cardboard, ruler, pencil, marker, glue.

Instructions

Development diagram bones(cube) is easy to do. Since the cube consists of six faces of equal size - squares, we will draw them. First, we draw 4 squares that have common sides, located in the same row. Next, to the second of the drawn squares we add 2 more squares on the sides. Before cutting out the diagram, you need to draw edges along the outside of the squares, so that you can then use them to glue the cube together.

To prepare, carefully cut out the template and bend the paper along the dotted lines (these will be the edges of the cube).

Then, for the strength of the cube, we prepare a frame of thin cardboard, also according to a template in accordance with the size of the cube. We will insert this frame inside the cube. Based on practical experience, it is advisable to make the frame template one millimeter smaller than the size of the cube template.

Now we insert the finished frame inside the cube template and paste it over. The cube is ready!

Another version of the game bones(cube) is notable for the fact that it is convenient to take with you on the road, since it can be folded and stored flat. You can cut out this cube on a printer, stick it on cardboard and make a cube similar to the first option (see above).

Many games use dice, especially board games. And in this article I would like to tell you everything about dice: myths where they were mentioned, why they are called “dice” and interesting facts.

Dice (dice), one of the most popular and used sources of randomness in board games. They are also called “dice”. In Central Asia and the Caucasus they are called zary. All types of cubes are designated, for example, by the letter “d” (dice), or the letter “k” (cube). After them the number of sides is written: 4, 8, 10, 12. For example: d4, d8, k4, k8, k12 and so on. You may come across the name d% - “percentage cube”. It represents two dice with ten sides. It is understood that one of them will determine the number of tens in the game, and the other will determine the number of units, so that a number up to a hundred is obtained.

Dice are divided into 2 types:

irregularly shaped (multifaceted),
dice with different symbols that help increase the number of final results, excluding numbers from 1 to 6.

IN gambling ah can be used dice with names:

tetrahedron (4 faces),
cube (6 faces),
octahedron (8 faces),
dodecahedron (12 faces),
icosahedron (20 faces),
zoccihedron (100 faces), etc.

The zoccihedron dice was created by Lou Zocchi, the date of creation is currently unknown. But, to get numbers from 1 to 100, it is most convenient to use two cubes with 10 sides.

History of dice

Dice were created for entertainment long ago. People liked games with them, and therefore, having survived to this day, it has changed little.

The oldest dice, found in a Sumerian city during excavations of the king’s tomb, were dated back to 3 thousand years BC. They were made from a stone called lapis lazuli. They had the shape of a pyramid with 4 sides, two corners of which were decorated with special decorations of those times.
In Chinese and Egyptian burials in XX – VI centuries BC., the dice found are almost identical to our modern ones. Dots in the form of a stylized “bird’s eye” were most often depicted on their edges.
Gambling dice from the Hellenistic period, with 20 sides, are now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The date of these finds is considered 2nd century BC – 4th century AD
Dice and a set for playing backgammon, found about 5,200 years ago in Iran during excavations in the city of Shanri-Sukhte, are almost no different from today.
Excavations of the Indian civilization that existed in XX centuries BC, indicate the South Asian origin of the game's dice.
Based on Greek traditions, the bones were created by Palamedes for soldiers awaiting the battle of Troy, so that they would not get bored in a tedious environment. These games of chance were the most popular form of gaming in Greece, especially among the upper echelons of society. Not a single royal feast was held without these traditional dice.
This was also very common in Rome. interesting game, especially at the heyday of this empire. After all, the Romans were passionate players, it was very addictive. Although they liked this game, it was prohibited, but this did not stop the Romans. The ban was lifted only during Saturnalia, at that moment all the Romans celebrated the festival of Saturn. Cheating did not appear in our time. In Rome there were professional sharpers who deliberately made the dice heavier for their own use, to win. Several of these bones, which are well preserved, are kept in museums.
Objects resembling dice with similar symbols were quite often found in the area and in the Roman Empire itself, but the specific application and rules of this game are still shrouded in mystery.
In Byzantium, in XI, an art was invented that predicted the future with the help of these ordinary bones.
In the Middle Ages, games with such dice became a favorite pastime, especially for knights. Also in the Middle Ages there were schools and guilds where future players studied and practiced. People, Landsknechts, began to acquire a not very good reputation as the most scandalous players, this was immediately after the fall of feudalism. Their cubes were decorated with elaborate carvings depicting people or animals.
In the new France, the game of chance with dice was played by knights and ladies, who were not stopped by the reappearing laws prohibiting many things, including the return of the prohibitions of St. Louis in 1254-56.

Why are they called “bones”?

Their name corresponds to the material of their creation. Previously, dice for games were made from animal bones, most often from lamb bones. For example, they took the joint of the leg of an animal above the hoof part, then they called it “grandmothers”. They used bones because they were considered one of the strongest and most durable materials.

If they were made of wood, they quickly became unusable, cracked, and wore out. Dice made from ram bones as an attribute in the home were considered a symbol of wealth. The poor, unable to create from bones, but loving to play, tried to recreate animal bones from other various materials, even using fruit seeds.

In later times, elephant tusks were used to create bones. And rich people could afford dice made from semi-precious stones, such as onyx, agate or amber.

Currently, it is no longer possible to accurately determine the date of appearance of the first cubes and their author. History is filled with a huge number of hoaxes on this topic, because many inventors ascribed this primacy to themselves. However, the dice found by archaeologists, which has virtually no differences from the modern one, dotted all the i’s. This event occurred during excavations of the ancient Iranian city of Shahri-Sukhte, which existed more than five thousand years ago. The cube also included a board for playing backgammon, which indicates the popularity of this hobby in those days.

Origin

Before these events, scientists had differing opinions about where the die was invented. Indeed, in the later historical works of India and Greece there are references to the invention of the game of dice by specific people who, as it turned out, only presented a curiosity to the public. For example, representatives of Hellas stated that Palamedes gave cubes to bored soldiers who whiled away the time at the siege of Troy. The ethnic group of India referred to the disdainful recommendations of the Buddha, who argued that a self-respecting person would not plunge himself into the abyss of excitement and throw dice.

Local traditions

In the community of Kievan Rus, this game has undergone some transformations. The result was the game of "grandmother" - entertainment for children and women, which was aimed at developing dexterity. The dice in this case consisted of vertebrae into which lead could be poured if necessary. Old Russian cubes largely inherited their ancestors, from their shape to their use.

Confession

In subsequent periods of history, the popularity of bones only increased. Everyone who could afford it played them. Indeed, in a fit of excitement, it was possible not only to lose property, but also a spouse or even one’s own freedom, because during the times of slavery such an outcome was more than obvious.

The Germans, Byzantines, and later the Landsknechts were known as the most zealous players who deified this process of competing with fortune and, in order to attract her attention, decorated the bones with skillful carvings. Cubes were made from valuable wood, bone and even metal. Already in those troubled times, the first cheaters began to appear, wanting to make money at the expense of naive simpletons. In order for victory to always remain on their side, they made one side of the cube heavier, as a result of which the die acquired a displacement relative to its center of gravity and the chance of some of its faces appearing was much higher. Also, starting from the eleventh century, the art of fortune telling with the help of similar-looking chips spread from the Eastern Roman Empire. It has become comparable in popularity to the traditional methods adopted earlier.

In the Middle Ages, numerous attempts were made to legislatively restrict cubes, but they all encountered silent resistance from society and were only declarative in nature. As you can see, all these attempts failed, because dice are still used in the gambling industry.

Modern Application

Now standard cubes are the same design that was used previously. However, for use in casinos, a certain standard was needed that would exclude fraud. Therefore, it was decided to unify all small and large dice and accept only those whose sides are 16 millimeters in diameter. At the same time, as a result of checking the probability of occurrence of certain combinations, it was found that when drilling points on the surface of the cube, its center of gravity shifts. Therefore, modern dice are marked with color, which does not lead to distortions in the functioning of the source of chance. Methods were also approved for marking the faces of a cube, the total sum of the three sides of which is always equal to 7. When applying digital marks from 1 to 3 clockwise relative to the angle, these chips are called right, if vice versa - left.

Random number generator

It is because of all these processes that a completely balanced die, the probability of each side falling out not exceeding 1/6, symbolizes blind luck and allows you to completely trust it. The results of the dice roll are random, since this process is accompanied by many uncertain factors, from the position of the player's hand to his position or the energy of his movements. In a sense, this process can be called a random number generator, but their values will always be within certain limits. However, if there are doubts about the die, they can be easily dispelled - the die is thrown twice, and the results obtained very rarely coincide. After all, the chips have rounded corners, which allows them to roll along the table surface with minimal resistance. Therefore, cubes are very widely used in modern world, starting with gambling and ending with Monopoly or its analogues.

It may seem that it is quite difficult to make a perfectly even dice with your own hands, especially when you consider that dice faces must be perfectly equal to each other. After all, only then can dice play be considered truly fair and unbiased. But the difficulty of creating this gaming accessory is slightly exaggerated. We offer a method for making dice that is easy and fast.

Instructions for making a dice and its faces.

1. Select the material from which we will make the cube.

2. We make from this material the most accurate cube with sides of 1 cm.

3. We chamfer up to 1 mm from the sides and corners of the cube. At the same time, set the file at 45 degrees. Then it is advisable to polish the product.

4. We put numbers on each face of the resulting cube. The number points can be made either using a microdrill, or marked with paint, or even by first drilling holes and painting the recesses of the holes with paint.

Numerical designations are applied in the following order:

put six points on the top edge (three points on each side);
on the opposite, which has become the bottom, edge we apply one point (in the center);
on the left we put four dots (in the corners);
on the right we apply three (diagonally);
We put five points on the front (one, as in the case of a unit, in the center, four more, as in the case of a four, in the corners);
there should be two on the back (in opposite corners).

We check the correctness of the numbers. The sum of the numbers on opposite sides of the cube must be seven.

5. Cover our cube with colorless varnish, leaving one side untouched. The dice will lie on this face until the other faces dry. Then we turn it over and cover it too.

6. It is advisable to download the virtual dice program. And to do this, we take a mobile phone and install the BASIC computer language interpreter on it. It can be downloaded from many sites without any problems. Launch the installed interpreter and enter:

10 A%=MOD (RND (0),4)+3
20 IF A%=0 THEN GOTO 10
30 PRINT A%40 END

Now every time you start using the RUN command this program will generate random numbers from 1 to 6.

7. To check if they are even dice faces, we use it to obtain six dozen random numbers, and then count how many times each of them occurs. If the sides of the die are even, then the probabilities of each number on the die should be almost equal.

8. Nowadays board games not in use. But still, do not forget the order in which they are carried out. We draw a map with the paths of the game, or maybe we have a store-bought one lying around somewhere. Then each player places his chip in the starting field, and the game begins. We throw the dice in a circle, one after another. Each player has the right to move his piece exactly as many spaces as the dice he threw showed him. Next we follow the instructions. If you hit the “skip move” space, then rest for the next round, throw “repeat move” again in a row, and so on. The winner is the one who doesn’t lose his nerve and whose chip, in the end, reaches the finish line first.

As soon as dice games appeared, there were immediately people who wanted to win in any way. I'm not talking about threats to the opponent in the game, but only about cheating dice, i.e. specially processed dice, which, when thrown, gives the combination of indices (sum of numbers) required by the sharpie. What did cheaters resort to in the Middle Ages, and what is still preserved in the arsenal of modern dishonest players?

I'll start with general description, what is a dice and what is a regular or fair die! A regular die is a six-sided cube, sometimes with rounded edges. There are games that use dice with a different number of sides, but for now we will only talk about dice. So, modern dice can be divided into two types: perfect for casinos and imperfect for home game. But in both cases, the basic rules for fair play are observed:

The faces of the cube must be equal in size - that’s why a cube is a cube!
The die must be centered, i.e. faces have an equal chance of appearing
each face contains its own index (points) with a value from 1 to 6
the sum of opposite faces is seven:
1 vs 6
2 vs 5
3 vs 4

To avoid fraud, modern casinos use clear, smooth-cut acrylic dice, with their own series and casino brand, which ensure fair play.

And now, without haste, let’s talk about how cheaters push fate. We will not talk now about the technique of controlled throwing - a cheating technique when dice thrown in a special way give the desired result with almost one hundred percent probability. Now about making special bones, mechanically modified to suit your needs, i.e. Sharpies or Loaded Dice. Of course, no one will make dice that will produce an unfavorable combination - the sum of the numbers on the sides.

Sharpie dice change the result of the roll

How more money bet in a game of dice, the greater the chance that someone will have a desire to change the course of the game in their favor by influencing the throw. Of course, the use of cheating dice can also be found in games with small bets, but still big game is more likely to attract cheaters and scammers.

The first mention of sharp dice (in English it sounds like Crooked Dice) refers to Ancient World. In archaeological excavations in the East, the Middle East and South America, specimens of dice are found that are clearly related to cheaters. There are even references to unfair dice games in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, dating back to the twentieth century BC.

The rules of the game of dice set their own profitable and unfavorable combinations of indices. Changing the correct dice changes the course of the game in favor of whoever is using such cheating dice.

substitution of dice

Sharpie dice in skillful hands are a benefit for their owner. By replacing fair dice with cheating ones during the game, such a player can gain an advantage in the game of up to 99.9 percent. The procedure for replacing cubes is as follows. Holding his dice secretly in his hand, the sharper takes the dice from the table to throw, and now holding them in his hand, throws out his dice. There may be options when the correct dice do not remain in the hand, but are thrown into the lap. Of course, at the end of the game, the fake dice are removed from the game by the sharper.

change in cubic bone shape

There are several options here. First of all, a change in cubic shape. Imagine how the roll of a dice might be affected if at least one of the faces was beveled at a slightly different angle. What if the die is not a cube at all? But it’s not difficult to pull this off either. Literally grinding off a couple of millimeters changes the cube into a rectangular parallipiped, where a wider edge has a greater chance of falling out. Another possibility is also possible: one of the faces is convex, which actually excludes it from the combination.

Such cheating dice, mechanically modified, were widely used in the game of craps, where the combination of “seven” or “eleven” is profitable already on the first point. The imperceptible substitution of casino dice for their “needed” dice allowed the cheaters to win. What can we say about cheaters! At the dawn of the gaming business, gambling establishments themselves often resorted to cheating tricks, replacing the dice with ones where these same 7 and 11 did not fall out. Stickman very cleverly introduced and removed such incorrect dice in craps, changing the casino advantage in his favor.

I want to tell you that a concave edge, creating a vacuum effect, can also affect the throw, especially if the throw is made on a rough surface.

Mechanical changes in the faces of the cube, sometimes completely invisible to the eye, can also affect the outcome of the game. The standard beveled edge angle is 45 degrees. Changing the bevel of several faces to sixty changes the cast. A sharper than standard edge angle also affects the throw. Of course, when thrown, the dice will tend to land on a sharper angle.

I found this set for sale on the Internet. It is proposed to make dice with a shift in the center of gravity, and you can choose which face to “remove” from the throw, i.e. make heavier.

displacement of the cube's center of gravity

Another physical change to the dice that affects the outcome is adding weight to one of the faces of the die. As you understand, it is not the form that changes, but the content. Yes, yes! Literally, content. The die was drilled on the desired face and filled with a weighting agent. The hole was then skillfully sealed with bone material. And then it’s a matter of technology. The roll was more likely to throw the indices needed for the dice game, since the die lands on a harder side. Modern dice are usually made of plastic, which, when heated, “drains” under the influence of gravity. Now, if you heat a die in the oven and, most importantly, pull it out in time, the heated edge will change its density and become heavier. Such dice are called “baked” dice.

The second option for changing the center of gravity is to leave a void under the face of the cube. The required face is made hollow, i.e. the edge becomes lighter and its index appears more often in the throw, since, again, the opposite edge is heavier and the die falls on it.

mercury dice

A trick with dice, bordering on the impact on the health of the person remaking the dice. Mercury tends to roll around; it does not fill the entire space. The essence of the sharpie transfer dice with mercury is as follows. The cube is drilled from one side to the other. Next, the hollow part is filled with mercury, but not in in full. The hole made is sealed. When playing, a certain skill in throwing is required, calculated on the fact that the heavy mercury will not have time to roll from one side to the other. A sliding throw is preferred, i.e. when the bone does not tumble, but slides along the thrown surface. However, such a throw already belongs to the category of fraudulent, however, mercury gives a greater probability of falling out on the side that was set by the hand of the thrower.

convex indices

These are perhaps the most easily identifiable changes to the dice. The side of the cube with convex indices causes the cube to roll to the desired side. Although this is not such an effective change, such cheating dice still occur.

elastic sharpie dice

We are not talking about rubber dice. Rather, there are problems of terminology; in my opinion, the most successful and descriptive name for this type of sharp dice has been chosen. But I will explain the essence in detail. A certain edge or edges are ground down and replaced with the same appearance material, but different in elasticity. When thrown, the replaced face tends to bounce and roll to the other face.

sticky dice

These sharpie dice are made on the principle of elastic dice, but only the material that replaces one of the faces is sticky. Or the edge is coated with a special compound. Under certain conditions (for example, a player blows on the dice before throwing), the properties of the material change, and when the cube comes into contact with the table surface, it literally sticks with the required (or rather, unnecessary) edge.

smooth dice

Again, we are not talking about a perfectly smooth dice on all sides. Only one of the edges will be polished to perfection, while the other sides will be rough. The difference is so insignificant that it is difficult to feel. But this is enough so that, with a skillful throw from a sharpie, such a bone will stop on the smoother side.

Pay attention to the packaging inscription “Loaded Dice”, and below (translated into Russian) “Guaranteed roll of 7 or 11”. The prominent sides of these transparent acrylic cubes show two sixes on the left dice and three fives on the right. These cheating dice are also available for sale in online stores.

distorted bone markings

The category of these dice belongs to the category of fraud, designed for the inattention of players. The sum of the numbers on opposite fair dice is seven. Indexes from one to six. Double dice have a different indexing, in which the loss of certain sums of numbers is not possible in principle. Of course, such dice will not have an index greater than six. But two dice with indices on the sides 1-1-3-3-5-5 will never roll a seven. Whereas two dice with indices 2-2-5-5-6-6 are guaranteed to give you 7 or 11.

There is another option for changing the marking: all faces of the sharpie die will have the same index. But such dice are used very rarely, since only a drunk player can fail to notice all six sixes.

magnetic sharpie dice

Here we will talk about a more elaborate fraud. Again, mechanical inclusions in the edge of the dice, but now metal, allow you to get the desired result when using a certain surface. What is a specific surface? This is a special table that, with the help of switched-on electromagnetic radiation, stops such a sharpie's dice in the throw required by the sharper. Or in the throw required for the gaming establishment. If another player rolls the dice, the magnet can be turned off. Here, of course, there is a percentage of luck of the player who does not resort to cheating. However, magnetic sharp dice are an almost 100% success rate in the game.

attention! it can be dangerous to health

Any sensible player, and we count ourselves among such reasonable players, will never resort to dishonest tricks and tricks. People! Dice games do not even have the bluffing element of poker. Play fairly, relying on fate. And if you really want to use cheating dice in a game, then do it with friends who will laugh with you at a successful draw. Absolutely do not use cheating dice when playing with strangers. Dangerous to health, at least!

how to avoid foul play

If the dice are not made of clear acrylic, how can you check whether the center of gravity is shifted? It's simple. Dip the dice into the water several times. You can use a glass of juice, clear, of course. If, every time you throw into the water, the dice shows you the same index, then the dice is a cheater with a displaced center of gravity. The weighted edge will tip down every time, and if the edge is hollow, it will end up on top (the bone will not even be completely immersed in the liquid). In principle, the weighted edge can be felt by touch. But I have never succeeded. But water helps. No no! Don’t think that every dice game I play requires testing the dice for “fairness.” I prefer playing with friends.

This, in fact, is the The first and most important rule is how to avoid unfair play. Don't play with strangers. But also with yours - play, but check. That’s why I continue to teach how to recognize cheating dice.

Take a pair of dice in your hands and check one by one how the edges of the cubes touch. This is necessary to determine whether the faces are equal, whether there are convex or concave surfaces, whether the edges are cut to an obtuse angle. Convex edges can be detected by placing the die against a flat table surface. Press the bones down with each side at a time, making sure they don't roll.

Now let’s check the indices on the edges. Are all six available? 1-2-3-4-5-6. And the sum of the faces. At the beginning of the article, I mentioned that regular dice have a sum of opposite sides equal to seven. Sharpie dice, designed for the player’s inattention, are perhaps one of the most common.

You can feel the replaced face of a cube with another material. Run your fingernail along each edge to make sure they are made from the same material.

By simply feeling the edges of the dice, the indices are checked for convexity. Ideally, the indices should not protrude above the surface of the side of the cube.

There is a belief among players that blowing on the dice before throwing may be a sign to test the dice for the stickiness of the material. Perhaps one of the edges is painted with a substance that, when heated (the player's breath), becomes viscous and begins to stick to other surfaces.

In any case, it doesn’t hurt to check the sides of the bones for smoothness or roughness. The smoother side will fall down when thrown.