Chuck-a-luck


Chuck-a-luck, also known as birdcage, is a game of chance played with three dice. It is derived from grand hazard and both can be considered a variant of sic bo, which is a popular casino game, although chuck-a-luck is more of a carnival game than a true casino game. The game is sometimes used as a fundraiser for charity.

Rules

Chuck-a-luck is played with three standard dice that are kept in a device shaped somewhat like an hourglass that resembles a wire-frame bird cage and pivots about its centre. The dealer rotates the cage end over end, with the dice landing on the bottom.
Wagers are placed based on possible combinations that can appear on the three dice. The possible wagers are usually fewer than the wagers that are possible in sic bo and, in that sense, chuck-a-luck can be considered to be a simpler game. In the simplest variant, betters place stakes on a board labelled 1–6. They receive a 1:1 payout if the number bet on appears once, a 2:1 payout if the number appears twice, and a 3:1 payout if the number is rolled all 3 times. In this respect, the basic game resembles Crown and anchor, but with numbered dice instead of symbols.
Additional wagers that are commonly seen, and their associated odds, are set out in the table below.
TypeWagerOdds
Single Die BetA specific number will appear1 die, 1 to 1; 2 dice, 2 to 1; 3 dice, 10 to 1
Any Triple Any of the triples will appear30 to 1
Big The total score will be 11 or higher with the exception of a triple1 to 1
Small The total score will be 10 or lower with the exception of a triple1 to 1
Field The total score will be outside the range of 8 to 12 1 to 1

House advantage or edge

Chuck-a-luck is a game of chance. On average, the players are expected to lose more than they win. The casino's advantage is greater than most other casino games and can be much greater.
For example, there are 216 possible outcomes for a single throw of three dice. For a specific number:
At odds of 1 to 1, 2 to 1 and 10 to 1 respectively for each of these types of outcome, the expected loss as a percentage of the stake wagered is:
1 - × 2 + × 3 + = 4.6%
At worse odds of 1 to 1, 2 to 1 and 3 to 1, the expected loss as a percentage of the stake wagered is:
1 - × 2 + × 3 + = 7.9%
If the odds are adjusted to 1 to 1, 3 to 1 and 5 to 1 respectively, the expected loss as a percentage is:
1 - × 2 + × 4 + = 0%
However, commercially organised gambling games always have a house advantage which acts as a fee for the privilege of being allowed to play the game, so the last scenario does not represent real practice.

Variants

There is a reference to chuck-a-luck in the Abbott and Costello film Hold That Ghost.
In Fritz Lang's 1952 film, Rancho Notorious, chuck-a-luck is the name of the ranch run by Altar Keane where outlaws hide from the law. Chuck-a-luck is featured in the lyrics to the theme song and in some plot points.
The game is played by Lazar in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.
The game is played by Freddie Rumsen in Mad Men Season 2 Episode 9: Six-Month Leave.
In Dragonfly in Amber the character Claire Randall describes the activity inside of an inn as having several soldiers playing chuck-a-luck on the floor along with a dog sleeping by the fire and smelling strongly of hops.