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Eight Faces (八面, Mandarin bā miàn, Hokkien peh bīn)Given as “Pek Bin” in older English sources, such as Gambling Games of Malaya (p. 125), and in legislation based upon that work (see below). is (or was) a simple staking game played with a special eight-sided teetotum (陀螺, Mandarin tuóluó, Hokkien tolo). It is also called 小花会 (Mandarin xiǎohuāhuì, ‘small Huāhuì’), as it uses a subset of characters from the Huāhuì (花會) lottery game.B
The description below is mostly based upon Gambling Games of Malaya, which describes it as popular in Malaysia with “Chinese ladies”. In Malay the game is called pebin.C[p. 53]
The game is also described in the memoirs of Chinese revolutionary Zheng Chaolin (郑超麟, 1901–1998), who says that it was played at roadside gambling stalls during the five days after the Chinese New Year (and in practice until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day), when gambling was not prohibited.B
As of 2021, the game remains explicitly illegal in Malaysia,D Singapore,E and Brunei.F[p. 21]
Equipment
The special die has eight sides, each marked with the name of a character from the Huāhuì (花會) lottery game, and they are divided alternately into two different colours. If the teetotum is made out of a dark material (such as buffalo horn), the characters are inlaid with red and white; if a light material (ivory, bone) is used then they are red and blue/black. These colours are not necessary for the play of the game but make it easier to match the result.
| Name | Mandarin | Hokkien | Older Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 太平 | Tài Píng | Thài Pêng | Tai or Thai Peng |
| 月寶/月宝 | Yuè Bǎo | Goa̍t Pó | Yuet Po or Guat Poh |
| 合同 | Hé Tóng | Ha̍p Tông | Hup Thong or Hap Tong |
| 有利 | Yǒu Lì | Iú Lī | Yeow Lay or Yu Li |
| 吉品 | Jí Pǐn | Kiat Phín | Kat Pang or Kiat Pin |
| 上招 | Shàng Zhāo | Siōng Chiau | Siong Chow or Siang Chiow |
| 日山 | Rì Shān | Ji̍t San | Yat Sun or Jit San |
| 音會/音会 | Yīn Huì | Im Hōe | Im Huay |
The staking board is drawn on a piece of paper or cloth, and has eight cells, one for each result, along with several circles and quarter-circles:
The staking layout, after Gambling Games of Malaya (p. 124).
© George Pollard 🅭🅯🄏🄎
Rules
The game is a gambling game played with one player at a time acting as the banker (莊, Hokkien chong, Mandarin zhuāng). The game can be run by a syndicate with a fixed banker, or in a friendly game the banker can rotate on a time interval (e.g. every 15 or 30 minutes).
Each round, the top is spun on a plateThis plate was often placed on a bed of rice inside a larger bowl, to deaden the noise. and covered with a bowl. While the top remains covered, players place their bets on the staking board, then the banker reveals the top and the bets are collected.
There are four kinds of bets that can be placed:
- A bet on one result
- These bets are placed inside one of the eight cells; if the chosen character comes up then the bet pays out 6∶1. If any other result comes up the bet is lost.
- A bet on two results
- These bets are placed on the lines dividing the cells; if either of the adjacent characters comes up then the bet pays out 2.8∶1. If any other result comes up the bet is lost. In Zheng Chaolin’s version, this bet pays 3∶1.
- A bet on four results
- These bets are placed on the circles between four cells; if any of the four characters comes up then the bet pays out 1∶1. If any other result comes up the bet is lost.
- A corner bet
- These bets are placed in the quarter-circles in the corner of the board; if the adjacent character comes up then the bet pays out 1∶1. However, the bet is only lost if either of the nearer two cells in the opposite colour comes up; in all other cases the bet remains, and may be taken back by the player. For example, if the player places their bet next to 太平 at the top-left, it is only lost if 月宝 or 上招 come out.
Analysis
The house edges on the bets are as follows:
- A bet on one result
- Pays 6∶1, real odds 7∶1. House edge is 12.5%.
- A bet on two results
- Pays 2.8∶1, real odds 3∶1. House edge is 5%. If it pays 3∶1 as in Zheng Chaolin’s version, then the bet is fair, which is probably why it was changed!
- A bet on four results
- Pays 1∶1, which are the fair odds, unusual for a gambling game.
- A corner bet
- This wins on one option and loses on two, paying 1∶1; the house edge is 12.5%.
References
Dobree, C. T. (). Gambling Games of Malaya. The Caxton Press: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
郑, 超麟 [Zhèng Chāo-Lín] (). 郑超麟回忆录 volume 1: ‘1900–1919’. 现代史料编刊社.
Hamilton, A. W. (). ‘Chinese Loan-Words in Malay’. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society vol. 2, : pages 48–56.
Anonymous (). ‘Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Revised 1983)’ [archived]. Commonwealth Legal Information Institute.
Anonymous (). ‘Games of Chance and Skill’ [archived]. Singapore Statutes Online.
Anonymous (). ‘Chapter 28: Common Gaming Houses’. In Laws of Brunei: Revised Edition 2019.