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Under Seven Over Seven

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.‘Old Bailey: Public Office, Bow-Street’ (1816).

It is sometimes simply known as “Unders and Overs”.Department of Racing, Gaming & Liquor: Government of Western Australia, ‘Rules for Playing Unders and Overs’ (2022). The earliest mention I have found of it in newspapers is from 1803.‘Sussex Assizes, March 30: The King v. Darly’ (1803).

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%.

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An under/over seven staking layout, from Catalogue of Supplies for Saloon, Billiard Hall and Club Room Use (19).

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∶1Department of Racing, Gaming & Liquor: Government of Western Australia, ‘Rules for Playing Unders and Overs’. payout is the same as the other bets; at 3∶1John Nevil Maskelyne, Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of The Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and Skill (1894), 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.‘Marlborough’ (1864). Another labelling scheme was simply “O”, “U”, and “7”.‘Bristol Police Court — Gambling Near The Zoological Gardens’ (1867); Robert Frederick Foster, Foster’s Complete Hoyle (1897).

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