Since ancient times, games where the result does not depend on players' skills but pure chance have been popular among ordinary people. Now they are called gambling. Let's look at it and find out what kind of games were popular in Russia and what they look like today.
Dice Games in Russia
One of the most popular casino games in Russia were dices. A small two-color duce was used for that. The resulting color combination determined winning. An experienced player was believed to throw a dice and get the right combination.
This game was popular in all population segments- peasants and nobles.
Knucklebones Game
As for teenagers, they had a popular game called knucklebones, or dibs. It was made from the bovine bone. One of the bones was filled with lead and used as a cue ball. Each player bet a few bucks.
Knocked knucklebone was passed to the person who hit it and was regarded as a prize. But at the fair, it was often played for money.
Russian Egg Games
Another original game was the egg fight. We know two varieties of this game.
- In the first one, a raw egg was rolled down the chute, with the enemy egg at the end.
- The second one uses boiled eggs. But they fought hand in hand. In our time, this game is nothing more than positive emotions.
At that time, hens were fed especially so their eggs were more equipped with calcium, and the shells were much stronger.
Other Gambling Games
Leading Russian conversation about gambling has no fisticuffs. It was born in the days of Kievan Rus and remained practically unchanged until the early twentieth century.
This game was popular among peasants and nobles. Competing in fisticuffs for money was beneath their dignity. But some nobles often made bets on one of the contenders.
First Card Games in Russia
Card games came to Russia from Western Europe at the end of the sixteenth century. At first, they were treated very loyally as a new form of entertainment. But, later, cards were in disgrace. The reason was the fact that some managed to lose all their possessions.
But despite all the restrictions, later cards returned. Under different monarchs, there were various rules. But anyway, the card perfectly came to our days. And, in my opinion, they will not disappear from our lives.
Also, there are so many forgotten games that our ancestors played. Many of them have come to us in only a name, and information about the rules has not survived.
Gambling is not only one of the way of entertainment.
It's part of our culture, and studying the history of entire nations without it is possible.