Evens or Odds?
Cho-Han, or Cho-Han Bakuchi, is a traditional gambling game in Japan. The game is remarkably simple, using only two standard six-sided dice and a bamboo cup/bowl for the dealer to roll the dice. The cup/bowl contains the dice and is placed face down, hiding the results from everyone. In this moment, players place their bets on the floor, either for Cho
(Evens) or Han
(Odds). The dealer removes the cup to reveal the dice and the winners collect their payouts.
While this was considered to have originated as a drinking game, Cho-Han evolved as a gambling game that can be associated with Japan's fearsome Yakuza. Depending on the rules, the dealer sometimes acts as the House
collecting and distributing all the money while taking a percentage, OR the money is split among those who won (in this case, there needs to be an even number of players betting on Cho or Han). The game has a deep history in Japanese culture, and can be seen in many manga, anime, video games, and Japanese dramas, including popular anime like Samurai Champloo
and Gintama
.
