A lucky roll in Wisconsin can still score you a free, ice-cold PBR.
I first learned about bar dice when I popped into a tavern in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, for a quick lunch and a beverage a few years ago. While I was eating my hamburger, a rangy-looking man strolled in and asked the bartender, “Can I have the dice?” without saying anything. He began shaking when she handed him a leather cup.
Gaming and barrooms have a long history together, dating back to the early days of public houses. However, it is unclear how Wisconsin began to acquire and develop its unique customs. The popularity of bar dice in Wisconsin can be traced back to the end of Prohibition, according to Jim Draeger, a Wisconsin bar historian, although the game’s roots are unknown. Bar dice, on the other hand, is as much a part of Wisconsin saloon culture as over-the-top Bloody Mary garnishes and Brandy Old-Fashioned.
“If you walk into any pub around here, they’ll have them,” says Bob MacDonald, whose family has operated the Bayside Tavern in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, for almost 40 years.
The dice are always five, and they’re kept in a soft, spherical cup made of leather or synthetic leather. The expensive material isn’t there to make the bar look nice; it’s there to protect the bar from wear and tear. When a player shakes the cup, they smack it down with a loud smack, which is hard on the cup as well as the bar surface.
“Banging the cup against the bar with manly power generates a violent sound, like a cowboy boot striking the side of a stalled pickup, and can be one of life’s harshest shocks to the neurological system,” Copley News Service reported in 1973. The cushioned cup absorbs the shock.
The main purpose of every session is to see who can buy the next round, and you can play either your fellow barflies or the bartender. There are a variety of games to choose from, with the most requiring three shakes of the cup per person. Ship, Captain, Crew is a game in which you strive to collect a ship (a “six”), captain (“five”), and crew (“four”) in that sequence, with your score being the sum of the two remaining dice. Threes is a popular game in Green Bay, according to Draeger, in which a “three” counts as zero and the player with the lowest score wins. Then there’s the 7-14-21 hardcore. Only the dice that come up with the number “one” are counted. The drink is named by the player who rolls the seventh “one.”
The most typical game played against the bar is the Shake of the Day, which is either for a pot of money accumulated during the day or for the drink being ordered. A bartender named Sam offered me a quick lesson on a recent visit to Sister Bay Bowl in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. “There are some basic rules that everyone follow,” she explained. “For starters, you never place the dice in the cup to hand on to the next guy.” The dice are always passed outside the cup. It’s a matter of etiquette.”
The object of the game is to achieve the maximum score possible in three shakes or fewer. You must first roll a “one,” often known as a “ace,” to begin the game. An ace is sometimes known as a wild card. You should aim for five “sixes,” the highest possible roll, which is known as “56” (see what I did there?). Which brings us to another point: bar dice have their own dialect. A “34” is made up of three “fours,” a “45” is made up of four “fives,” and so on. Depending on the situation, a defeat is a “horse on you” or “horse on me.” “A horse a piece” refers to a tie that will be determined in a third round.
Because Sam and I each had a horse, we advanced to the third round, which I won with a “46,” ensuring my free, ice-cold PBR. But, on the other hand, I didn’t have much competition. To avoid alienating customers, bartenders “act nice,” as Sam stated.
It can be difficult to keep track of everything. “Unfortunately, bar dice is not a game that can be taught,” a disgruntled Green Bay Press-Gazette columnist observed in 1976. You must pay great attention and learn to imitate the pros’ demeanor.”
There have even been attempts to outlaw the practice on several occasions, including recent legislation approved in Minnesota and Montana. This kind of crusading is frowned upon in Wisconsin. When the proprietors of three Milwaukee clubs tried to restrict bar dice on a Monday in 2016, there was such a backlash from customers that the rule was overturned by Wednesday.
Draeger points to an obvious reason why bar dice has such a stronghold on Cheese heads as opposed to Hoosiers or Buckeyes. He points out that “we have more bars than any other state,” and adds, “and it gets chilly here.” You’ll have to find a way to spend the time.
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