Pursuing Sheep

Known in Chinese as Kon Mín Yéung.  A Chinese gambling game played either for small stakes or usually something to eat.  This game is generally ignored by professional gamblers.  Played with six dice.

A throw of three 4s is known as wong p'ang fúi and relates to an old Chinese story.    The story goes that a girl and boy were betrothed to be married by their parents.  But the father died leaving the family in poverty.  The girl's brother sold her into prostitution.  She resented this and let it be known she would only yield herself to the man who could roll three 4s with the dice.  Wong p'ang fúi, the girl's true love, who had by now reached the rank kái ún, senior wrangler, at the province's examinations, presented himself to her.  And so she switched the dice for a set that were loaded.  He threw three 4s, she disclosed herself, and they were married.

Play:

Players first put up an agreed stake.  Each player in turn throws the dice until they roll three-of-a-kind.  Dice combinations rank as below.

6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 (Known as tái min yéung or "large sheep")
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (Any six-of-a-kind is known as min yéung kung or "rams")
4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4                  "                        "
3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3                  "                        "
2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2                  "                        "
1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1                  "                        "
#, #, #, 6, 6, 5 (Three-of-a-kind and 6, 6, 5 is known as min yéung ná or "ewes")
#, #, #, n1, n2, n3 (Rank as three-of-a-kind and the total of the remaining three dice.)

Any six-of-a-kind wins all stakes without further play. When a player rolls any three-of-a-kind the subsequent player rolls and wins the previous player's stake if his hand is ranked higher and loses his stake to him if lower.