Freelance
TravellerHi-Lo-In
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue.
Hi-Lo-In is a dice game often encountered aboard tramp traders; a form of the game with more complex betting can be encountered in casinos.
Play
Participating gamblers place bets on one or more of the allowed outcomes. The banker/croupier rolls three fair dice, two of one color and one of another contrasting color (traditionally white and red, respectively). The relationship of the red die to the white dice determines which bets win.
Bets
There are generally two forms of the game. The “Steward’s Game” is generally played in informal games, such as on tramp traders carrying passengers as a sideline, or in home or club “pick-up” games. The “Casino Game” is played where the game is a formal offering, such as in casinos, and may be found in other high-bankroll games.
The following bets are available in all games:
- Hi: The red die shows a number larger than the greater of the two white dice. Pays 3:1 in the Steward’s Game, or 8:3 in the Casino Game.
- Lo: The red die shows a number smaller than the lesser of the two white dice. Pays 3:1 in the Steward’s Game, or 8:3 in the Casino Game.
- In: The red die shows a number that is (strictly) between the numbers shown on the two white dice. Pays 4:1 in both Steward’s Game and Casino Game.
If the red die shows the same number as either of the white dice, the roll is considered a tie, and all bets are returned to the bettors in the Steward’s Game; in the Casino Game, house rules determine whether the bet is returned, or whether the bettor must “let it ride” for the next roll.
Casino Games allow “side bets” as described below, where the player must also bet on one of the above bets. Those marked with an asterisk (*) offer no “house edge”. The following bets are universally available:
- No Hi: Either of the white dice displays a 6. Pays 2:1.
- No Lo: Either of the white dice displays a 1. Pays 2:1.
- No In (sometimes called All Out): The white dice show either the same number, or adjacent numbers. Pays 3:2.
- *Doubles: The white dice show the same number. Pays 5:1.
- *Red Numbers (1-6): The red die shows the chosen number. Pays 5:1.
- Straight: The three dice show three consecutive numbers in any order. Pays 8:1.
- *Odd/Even: All three dice show odd/even numbers. Pays 7:1.
- *Skip-Straight: Dice show 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 in any order. Pays 17:1.
- *Skip-Straight Odd/Even: Dice show all three odd/even numbers. Pays 35:1.
Author’s note: This game was inspired by
the card game “High/Low/Man-In-The-Middle that appeared
in the Dumarest of Terra series of novels by E.C. Tubb. The
font used for the dice symbols in the betting mat is Dicier,
CC-BY 4.0, Speak the Sky