Cee-lo
Three-dice gambling game with Chinese origins and American urban popularity.
Cee-lo is a dice game whose origins are not clear, with some of the earliest documentation coming from 1893 when Stewart Culin reported it as the most popular dice game among Chinese-American laborers.[1] The game flourished in Harlem during the 1970s and 80s and remains prominent in New York City neighborhoods such as Harlem, Brownsville, Crown Heights, South Bronx, and Washington Heights.[2] According to a 2003 Associated Press article cited by CBS News, the dice game known as see-low was described as a current fad in inner-city schools, with children as young as preteens playing it for money.[3][4]
Quick Facts
- Subtitle
- Dice game using three dice
- Random chance
- complete
- Materials
- 3×six-sided dice
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
Before any dice are thrown, the banker's initial stake is determined and covered by bets placed by other players.[5] Once a banker is chosen, that person contributes an initial amount called the bank or center bet.[6] Beginning with the person seated to the banker's left and moving clockwise, each participant may cover any part of the bank they wish, continuing until the full amount is matched.[6] If the bank is not fully covered after all players have had a turn, the banker removes the unmatched portion.[6]
After all wagers are placed, the banker then throws the dice.[7] The roll can result in one of four possibilities: an immediate win, an immediate loss, a set point, or a requirement to roll again.[7]
What the cited sources add
The Cool Tools account notes that the author carries 3 red dice in a back pocket to play Cee-lo with people they meet, and states that "like most betting games, Cee-lo has a rough reputation".[8] The CBS News article reports that a current fad at inner-city schools is see-low, a dice game played for money even by preteens.[4] According to the same source, rolling the dice five times without achieving a meaningful combination results in an automatic loss, and the same penalty applies if any die leaves the playing surface.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Culin, "Chinese Games with Dice and Dominos", Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 1893, p. 491–537; Maslin Nir, "Rolling the Dice on a Warm Night", The New York Times, 14 August 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Maslin Nir, "Rolling the Dice on a Warm Night", The New York Times, 14 August 2009; Maslin Nir, "Rolling the Dice on a Warm Night", The New York Times, 14 August 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Francie Grace, "Kids Gambling - And Losing", CBS News, 2003-07-14 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Francie Grace, "Kids Gambling - And Losing", CBS News, 2003-07-14. facts only, no text reused. cbsnews.com
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tulcea, "A book on Casino Craps, Other Dice Games & Gambling Systems", Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1981; Tulcea, "A book on Casino Craps, Other Dice Games & Gambling Systems", Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1981 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Frey, "Complete book of dice games", Sphere Books Limited, 1978 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cee-lo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morehead, "The New Complete Hoyle", Garden City Books, 1956, p. 536–537 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Krawczuk, "Plastic Dice in Bulk", Cool Tools, May 28, 2020. facts only, no text reused. kk.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cee-lo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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