How to play Hoo Hey How
Hoo Hey How is a dice game for 2-8 players. A round usually takes 5-15 minutes, and the recommended age is 18+.
Rules for Hoo Hey How: Bet on one of six symbols, let the banker roll three dice, and get paid for every die that matches your pick. Hoo Hey How is also known as Fish-Prawn-Crab.
Setup
Hoo Hey How is a Chinese betting game for two or more players. You need three dice, chips or counters, and a sheet of paper with six fields to bet on. The traditional version uses symbol dice showing a fish, a prawn, a crab, a coin, a gourd and a rooster, but ordinary dice do the job just as well. Let each number stand for a symbol, for example 1 for the fish, 2 for the gourd, 3 for the prawn, 4 for the crab, 5 for the coin and 6 for the rooster. With ordinary dice you can simply label the fields 1 to 6.
One player takes the role of banker. Everyone else plays against the bank.
How to play
The players place their stakes on one or more fields. Once every bet is down, the banker rolls the three dice. The traditional way is to shake them under a bowl or plate that is only lifted when all the stakes are in place, so nothing can be moved once the dice are visible.
Payouts
The banker settles with each player according to how many dice show the symbol they bet on:
- One die: the stake back plus the same amount
- Two dice: the stake back plus twice as much
- Three dice: the stake back plus three times as much
If none of the dice show your symbol, the bank keeps your stake.
Winning
Hoo Hey How is traditionally played for money, with the bank as a clear favourite over time. At home, play with chips or points and let the banker role move around the table, for example after every fifth round. That evens out the advantage, and the winner is whoever has the most left when you decide to stop.
Variants
The name Hoo Hey How comes from Chinese and means fish, prawn, crab, which is why the game is also called Fish-Prawn-Crab. Vietnam has a close relative named Bầu cua cá cọp, with slightly different symbols on the dice. Western games built on the same idea are Crown and Anchor and Chuck-a-Luck, which use card suits and plain numbers instead of animals.
Is Hoo Hey How the same as Sic Bo?
No, but they are related. Both are Chinese games where a banker throws three dice. Sic Bo uses ordinary dice and offers a long list of bet types, while Hoo Hey How is only about which symbols turn up. That makes Hoo Hey How much quicker to teach.
Similar games
Cee-lo (alias Four-Five-Six, 4-5-6 or Three Dice Game)
Roll three dice until you hit 4-5-6, triples or a point, and try to beat the banker's result.
Zanzibar
Three dice, three rolls and a strict ranking where 1-2-3 beats everything. The loser pays the winner in chips.
Poker Dice (alias Indian Dice)
Roll five dice up to three times and build the best poker hand at the table, no cards required.