Crown & Anchor
(Sweats)
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This is a gambling game, which has appeared in various formats. Essentialy it uses a board in either of the basic shapes above.

Written on it are numbers or symbols of crown and anchor - You also require a set of dice with matching symbols.

From the 17th Century the game has been played aboard ships, it originally used the numbers 1-6 and standard six sided die. The dice are always called called 'Sweats' and the board a sweatcloth.

Gradually from the end of the nineteenth century,(particularly during the Napoleonic war) the men of the Royal Navy changed the numbers into the symbols illustrated above and the game took on a new name of Crown and Anchor.
During the nineteenth century the game was thee most well known of any of the pub type of gambling games and this is evidenced by the profusion of pubs named after it.

In fact the name Crown and Anchor almost became symonios with the Royal Navy itself and from about 1850 until 1920 this was without any doubt the most well known game within the British Fleets

Initially it is speculated, that the game became popular, because it appeared to provide odds that were even and of course there were no complicated rules.

In fact (for basic bets) the odds as you would expect are tilted towards the banker at a rate of between 7 and 8 percent.

With ship sponsered gambling as detailed in the GAMES page, because of the odds, this game was sometimes chosen to lead those regular events. With the profits going into the sports or welfare fund. But with the introduction of Tombola in the middle late Victorian era, the game died out of use for this purpose and indeed it was strictly forbidden. However many schools operated boyh on board and immediately outside the dockyard gates, and it is well recorded that during World War 1 and 2 there was a dramatic revival.

In their book - 'We joined the Navy' - Traditions, Customs and Nomenclenture of the RN. Published Adam & Charles in 1943. Blackburn & Burgess noted the boom in the game in the Naval Ports. In particular they tell us -

"Just before the war the Fleet based at Portland, would be anchored in the roadstead and the Weymouth steamers would come alongside to take men ashore a 3d a head.
On board these steamers were active Crown & Anchor schools and many a sailor who boarded to go ashore, would return on board penniless without ever touching land."

Similarly at Rosyth - As you walked between the Canteen and the Dockyard, there were so many Crown and Anchor schools operating in the hedgerows, that they were known as Will O Wisps, because of the flickering lantern lights."

RULES (Crown & Anchor)
A fast gambling game in which any number of players, compete against a banker (The ships welfare fund.).

Equipment - A board, invariably painted onto a roll of canvas, Most any basic shape could be used but the rectangle was the most common.The board as shown above has six symbols which were replicated on the dice. Three of these dice, thrown from a cup or bucket. Counters

The Play - Counters would be purchased from the supervising staff by those who wish to bid. In some sitations there would often be more than one board in play but only ever one set of die.
The men place their counter or counters on the symbol of choice and the die (sweats) are thrown.

Payout - if you selected hearts with your counter then for each heart rolled on the die the payout is as follows -

0 Hearts - Banker wins
1 Heart - Evens
2 Heart - 2 x stake
3 Hearts - 3 x Stake

Similarly if you selected any other suit on the board.

GAME CHANTS
This is your chance to add those almost forgotten but well used chants, or tell me if you used them before the date given.

Running the Board
Anybody for the Old Stokers Friend - For a bit more	WW1 era	A Bankers Call to encourage Bets on the Spade
What About a bit the ladies crave for	C.WW1	Bankers call to encourage bets on the Hearts
Anybody for King Teddy's Old HighHat	cWW1	Bankers call to encourage bets on the Crown (King Edward VII)
Whoose for the Old Killick	c.WW1	Bankers call for the Anchor
Anymore for the second class Rate	c.WW1	Bankers Call