Crypto Casino
Torrent Gear
How the dice started and the first games with a chance
Introduction: Playing with randomness before maths
Man began to play with chance long before formulas and probability theory. First - as with the "voice of fate" in rites and fortune-telling; then - as with entertainment and a way to resolve disputes; even later - as with the basis of bets and competitions. The history of dice is the story of how society tamed chance by learning to set rules, record results, and distinguish between "fair throw" and deception.
Astragans: the first "bone"
What is astragan. It is a small joint bone of ungulates (usually sheep/goats) that has four stable landing positions. She was thrown in rituals and for small games: the "good edge" was considered the sign of the gods, and later - the "win."
Transition from sign to game. From fortune-telling - there is only one step to leisure: it is enough to agree which line is "better" and start keeping score. So the first "mini-lotteries" and children's fun arose, and then - adult bets "on small" (food, drink, jewelry).
From Astragans to Cubes: Material and Shape
Materials. Wood, bone, horn, clay, stone, later - bronze and glass. The choice was dictated by accessibility and task: for a temple ritual - more elegant, for a tavern - simpler.
Why exactly the cube. The cube provides symmetry and the expected equal probability of faces (if it is geometrically even). This makes the result "compelling" and minimizes controversy.
Face layout. Early signs are notches, dots, symbols. Gradually, the "language of the dots" - the pips - took hold. The pair "1-6" and "2-5" was located the opposite, "3-4" - too: it is easier to check the kit and notice the substitution.
Where and how "woke" games chance
Mesopotamia and Egypt. Lots in rites, astragans and early "pyramidal" bones; table races with special cages ("lucky" stop effect).
India. Multilateral bones and lots in epic plots; parallel development of games, where risk is intertwined with the social code of honor.
China. Lot, domino with combinatorics of "two bones," "sheet" card games; gradually - urban forms of leisure with internal rules.
Greece and Rome. Astragans/cubes as part of feasts and taverns; racing and strategy boards; legal pendulums between prohibition and tolerance.
From divination to betting: the sociology of transition
1. Rite: "ask fate" - lot as a sacred act.
2. Arbitration: to resolve the dispute by "fair chance" - who starts, who gets a rare resource.
3. Leisure: throws for fun, score, friendly competition.
4. Excitement: fixed rules, rate, bank and witness.
This path in different regions passed in different ways, but the logic is the same: as soon as a stable rule and repeatability arise, a bet appears, albeit symbolic at first.
The birth of "fair play"
Witnesses and publicity. Throws were made in plain sight, sometimes from a special chute/bowl, so as not to "twist" the trajectory.
Inventory standards. Smooth faces, uniform pip size, symmetry check. In many cities, the owners of the establishments pronounced the rules in advance and took a "commission" - an early format of "house edge."
Punishments for cheating. "Loaded" bones (lead inside), sawn edges, sticky palms - all this generated checks, confiscations and reputational sanctions. Society was trained to distinguish chance from fraud.
Domino and the "logic of two cubes"
The key step is to fix all the sums of the two bones (2-12) and their frequencies. Chinese tradition has turned this into plates with pairs of "pips" - dominoes where each bone "tells" what amounts are possible. So chance got visual combinatorics, and the game got the basis for selection strategies.
Simple mechanics who survived millennia
Racing board + lot: move the chip to the dropped number, special cells - bonus/penalty.
Knocking out/surrounding: case determines the move, tactics - exchange of luck for positional advantage.
First move/priority: the lot distributes the right to start - "quick justice" without a quarrel.
Mini-bank: symbolic bets make the game "tangible," but not destructive - hence its mass character.
Psychology of early players
Cognitive traps. The illusion of series, "hot" and "cold" numbers; belief in the "hand," good luck rituals.
Social glue. Throws are a reason to get together, joke, make a small bet, strengthen ties in the community.
Risk training. Microrisk was accustomed to limiting losses; the idea of a "rate limit" and "fair chance" gradually became the norm.
When the "mathematics" of randomness appeared
Long before the formulas, people knew the practice: frequent sums of two bones fell out "as if more often" - and indeed, 7 occurs more often than 2 or 12. This empirical knowledge was expressed in the rules: "the seven is strong," "special cells are rare." Later, such observations prepared the cultural basis for probability theory: first - counting cases, then - calculating chances.
Fighting the "curve cube"
Suspicious signs. Unequal pips, different depth of points, bubbles inside the glass, shifted center of gravity.
Fair throw protocol. Throw on the table, from the tower/bowl, on a flat surface; checking the cube in water (buoyancy sometimes gave out "cargo").
Social sanctions. Excommunication from the game, fine to the owner, seizure of inventory. The reputation of the institution became a valuable asset.
Evolution calendar (simplified)
Astragan stage: lot in rites, "playing for the sake of a sign."
Early cubes: wooden/bone, notches instead of pips; the rules are still local.
Pips standardization: opposite sums 1-6, 2-5, 3-4; emergence of "sets."
Combinatorics: dominoes, games of "two dice," awareness of "frequent" amounts.
Public rules: witnesses, bank, commission; protocols of honesty are emerging.
Chance formulas: empiricist turns into a count of cases - a bridge to future probability.
Geography of contribution
Crescent (Mesopotamia-Levant-Egypt): astraganas, lot, early bones; table races with "successful cells."
India: multifaceted bones, ritual and household risk; early texts on the effects of gambling debts.
China: pairs of bones → dominoes; urban gambling formats, card "sheets," early "supervision and fees."
Mediterranean: symposia, taverns, terms; alea as the language of everyday chance; development of "commission" and anti-counterfeiting.
Myths and neatness
"Bones came up with one people." Incorrect: parallel inventions in different regions, sometimes with the exchange of ideas through trade.
"Used to only play for religion." Divination was important, but domestic leisure and betting arose very early.
"Fair Play - Invention of the New Age." Already ancient communities knew the standards, checks and throwing protocols.
"All games are about profit." For a long time, the bet was symbolic: value - in communication and ritual measures.
Glossary
Astragan is an articular bone, an early "lot" with four stable positions.
Pips - marking points on the faces of the cube.
Domino - plates with pairs of "pips"; visual combinatorics of two bones.
House edge ("commission") - the advantage of the institution due to the rules/collection.
Fair throw - a ritual/procedure that excludes manipulation of the result.
Takeaway: When chance became culture
Dice were born at the intersection of rite and life and survived thanks to simplicity, repeatability and social benefits. They taught people to negotiate rules, value honesty and limit risk. From astragans and cubes, dominoes, card and board games grew, and later the entire entertainment industry and the mathematical language of probability. The history of bones is the story of how chance evolved from the "voice of the gods" to an understandable and manageable element of culture.