Makao, Macao or Böse Neun is a simple

dice game Dice games are games that use or incorporate one or more dice as their sole or central component, usually as a random device. The following are games which largely, if not entirely, depend on dice: Collectible dice games Patterned after the su ...

for any number of players using a single

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

and a dice cup. It is a game in which the players must reach a specified score without exceeding it, in that way it resembles other dice games like Über 12 ist tot ("Over 12 is Dead") or Fünfzehn ("Fifteen") as well as the

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

s of

Siebzehn und Vier Twenty-one, formerly known as vingt-un in Britain, France and America, is the name given to a family of popular card games of the gambling family, the progenitor of which is recorded in Spain in the early 17th century. The family includes the casi ...

and

Black Jack Blackjack is a popular casino-gambling card game. Black Jack or Blackjack may also refer to: Places Australia * Black Jack, Queensland, a locality in Queensland * Black Jack, a civil parish of Pottinger County, New South Wales * Black Jack H ...

. It is derived from the eponymous card game of

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, which itself is a possible predecessor of the popular gambling game of

Baccara Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos (born 7 February 1951) and María Mendiola (4 April 1952 – 11 September 2021). The duo rapidly achieved international success with their debut single "Yes Sir, I Ca ...

. Like its eponymous cousin, its name comes from the city of

, the "Monte Carlo of the East". In game compendia that include dice, Macao or similar games are usually included in the rule booklets.

Playing

The game is played by each player in turn. Each player throws the die as often as desired and attempts to get as close to a score of nine with the sum of his throws. Each player who scores more points, is "dead" and drops out. The winner is the player who scores exactly nine or, if none do, the player who gets closest to a score of nine without exceeding it. The target score may be varied. In the game of Fifteen (''Fünfzehn'') the same rules are followed but the target is fifteen points. In Over Twelve is Dead (''Über 12 ist tot'') the target score is twelve and players must throw three times, after which they may risk a fourth throw if they wish. As in similar games the tactics and risk appetite of the players are deciding factors. The later players in a deal have the advantage of knowing the throws of the earlier players and can make their decision about further throws accordingly.

References

„Makao“ In: Erhard Gorys: ''Das Buch der Spiele.'' Manfred Pawlak Verlagsgesellschaft, Herrsching o. J.; p. 401. „Macao“ In: Claus Voigt, Helmut Steuer: ''Das große Humboldt Spielebuch.'' Schlütersche, 2004; p. 59.
Google Books
„Über 12 ist tot“ In: Erhard Gorys: ''Das Buch der Spiele.'' Manfred Pawlak Verlagsgesellschaft, Herrsching o. J.; p. 401. „Fünfzehn“ In: Robert E. Lembke: ''Das große Haus- und Familienbuch der Spiele.'' Lingen Verlag, Cologne o. J.; pp. p44–245. „Makao“ In: Friedrich Pruss: ''Würfelspiele.'' Falken Verlag, Niedernhausen 1998; p. 9. . „Böse Neun“ In: Friedrich Pruss: ''Würfelspiele.'' Falken Verlag, Niedernhausen 1998; p. 12. . (Pruss describes the game under two names with almost identical rules)

Literature

* „Makao“ In: Erhard Gorys: ''Das Buch der Spiele.'' Manfred Pawlak Verlagsgesellschaft, Herrsching o. J.; p. 401. * „Makao“ In: Friedrich Pruss: ''Würfelspiele.'' Falken Verlag, Niedernhausen 1998; p. 9. . * „Fünfzehn“ In: Robert E. Lembke: ''Das große Haus- und Familienbuch der Spiele.'' Lingen Verlag, Köln o. J.; p. 244–245. {{Dice games Dice games