Crown and Anchor is a simple dice game, traditionally played for gambling purposes by sailors in the Royal Navy as well as those in the British merchant and fishing fleets.
History
The game originated in the 18th century. It is still popular in the Channel Islands and Bermuda, but is strictly controlled and may be played legally only on certain occasions, such as the Channel Islands' agricultural shows or annual Liberation Day celebrations or Bermuda's annual Cup Match cricket game. Three special dice are used in Crown and Anchor. The dice are equal in size and shape to standard dice, but instead of one through six pips, they are marked with six symbols: crown, anchor, diamond, spade, club and heart.
Rules of play
The game is played between a player and a banker. A canvas or felt mat marked with the six symbols is used for play. The player places bets on one or more symbols. He then throws the three dice. If there is a bet on any symbol which comes up on one or more of the dice, in addition to returning the stake the banker pays the player the amount of his stake for each die showing that symbol: even money if one, 2:1 if two, and 3:1 if three. If the symbol doesn't come up, the player loses his bet. The expected return of a $1 wager on a particular symbol is calculated as follows:
The chance of the symbol coming up on none of the dice is 5/6 × 5/6 × 5/6, which is 125/216. The player loses $1 in this case.
The chance of the symbol coming up on all three dice is 1/6 × 1/6 × 1/6, which is 1/216. The player wins back the $1 plus $3 more.
The chance of the symbol coming up on two of three dice is C x 1/6 × 1/6 × 5/6, which is 15/216. The player wins back the $1 plus $2 more.
The chance of the symbol coming up on one of three dice is C × 1/6 × 5/6 × 5/6, which is 75/216. The player wins back the $1 plus $1 more.
In total, the expected return of a $1 wager is + + + )/216, or /216, which is /216 ≈ -$0.078704. Put another way, for every $1.00 wagered, a player can expect to receive back $0.921296. Thus, the banker has a substantial edge. In a game at a festival or casino, the house will be banker. In a game among friends, each person serves as banker in turn.
Variations
A similar version of the game is played in Nepal, called "Langur Burja". There is a similar Flemish version called Anker en Zon, in which a sun symbol replaces the crown. The French version again uses the sun, and is called Ancre, Pique, et Soleil. A similar game played in China called Hoo Hey How and Vietnam called or Bầu cua cá cọp.
Cultural references
Crown and Anchor is one of the dice games played in the British detective series Foyle's War, episode 15, "Casualties of War."
The game is mentioned in Terry Pratchett's book Dodger.
The game plays a significant part in Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel Came a Hot Friday, which suggests that the game was popular in New Zealand at the time.
The game is mentioned in “Thieves of the Wood” in Episode 2 of Season 1 on Netflix.
When his battery gets to North Africa the game is mentioned numerous times throughout Spike Milligan's War Memoirs as they play it on the down time between action.
