h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Where a role equalling seven is considered good in craps, a role of two dice where they both come up as 1s is considered bad. The term for this is 'snake eyes,' since the single dots on each dice make it look like the pair of dice is looking back at you.

Some roleplaying games also have special penalties when a specially marked 'wild die' is rolled and comes up 1. Such a die may have a snake, dragon, or other figure carved in place of the traditional number 1. Other roleplaying games have special penalties when all of a large number of rolled dice come up 1s.

Another interesting term is 'pip.' Pips are the dots on the dice used to represent numbers. The side of a die representing the number six, for instance, has six 'pips' on it.

Because you never know which way a die will be facing after you roll it, pips are always placed in a symmetrical pattern where it is easy to distinguish one number from another. Other traditional games have copied the symmetrical patterns of dice pips, including poker cards and dominos.