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Under Seven or Over Seven is a simple dice game that used to be played in England as an (illegal) attraction at race courses or fairs.A
It is sometimes simply known as “Unders and Overs”.B The earliest mention I have found of it in newspapers is from 1803.C
#Rules
The game is simple: it is usually played with a staking layout, upon which are two bets labelled ‘Under 7’ and ‘Over 7’, and two dice.
To play, the players stake their bets on the bet that they choose, and the proprietor then rolls the two dice. The winning bet is paid out at 1∶1. If the proprietor rolls 7, then both bets lose. If paid out at 1∶1 then both bets are equivalent and have a high house edge of 16.67%.
An under/over seven staking layout, from Catalogue of Supplies for Saloon, Billiard Hall and Club Room Use (p. 19).
© George Pollard 🅭🅯🄏🄎
In some versions of the game, there is also a bet labelled ‘7’, which wins and pays out 3∶1 or 4∶1 if the proprietor rolls 7. The house edge on this bet at a 4∶1B payout is the same as the other bets; at 3∶1E[p. 246] it is a huge 33.33%.
In the past, staking layouts were sometimes labelled “O.S.”, “U.S.”, and “S.”, perhaps to make the game less obvious to police.F Another labelling scheme is simply “O”, “U”, and “7”.GH
#References
Anonymous (). ‘Old Bailey: Public Office, Bow-Street’. The Morning Chronicle (14,649), : page 3. London.
Department of Racing, Gaming & Liquor: Goverment of Western Australia (publisher) (). ‘Rules for Playing Unders and Overs’ [archived]. Department of Racing, Gaming & Liquor: Goverment of Western Australia.
Anonymous (). ‘Sussex Assizes, March 30: The King v. Darly’. The Morning Post (10,762), : page 3. London.
Kernan Manufacturing Co. (publisher) (). Catalogue of Supplies for Saloon, Billiard Hall and Club Room Use. Kernan Manufacturing Co.: Chicago, IL, USA.
Maskelyne, John Nevil (). Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of The Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and Skill. Longmans, Green, and Co.: London & New York.
Anonymous (). ‘Marlborough’. The Press vol. 6 (632), : page 2. Christchurch, New Zealand.
Anonymous (). ‘Bristol Police Court — Gambling Near The Zoological Gardens’ [archived]. Daily Bristol Times and Mirror vol. 96 (5,096), : page 3. Bristol, Avon, England.
Foster, Robert Frederick (). Foster’s Complete Hoyle (3rd edition). Frederick A. Stokes Company: New York.