Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. How do you play Balut?
A.
Balut is a game played for fun in teams or as groups of players, where the objective is to accumulate the greatest number of points over 5 or more 'rounds' of play.
Click here to read 'HOW TO PLAY'...
- Q. Why is it called Balut?
A.
Considerable research has been undertaken in the past to establish the real roots of the game of Balut - one particular source dates the game to the time of the Roman Empire when Julius Caesar was heard to utter the immortal phrase 'Alea iacta est' or 'The die is cast'.
Click here to read 'HISTORY OF BALUT'...
- Q. Why are there two versions of Balut?
A.
Just as Rugby League and Rugby Union are the same game but different so both main versions of Balut (Singapore Town Club and International Balut Federation) came from the same foundation but grew up differently.
- Q. What is the maximum score in Balut?
- Q. Can anyone play Balut?
A.
Absolutely, in the British Club Bangkok we have players aged 10 and players aged 76. It helps if you can add up!
- Q. Do you have a history of the Game?
- Q. When is the Interport held?
A.
The Interport is usually the third weekend in November. In 2010 it will beheld from 19th to 21st November in the British Club Bangkok –
Click here to see the details
- Q. Who has won the Interport Competition?
A.
The Interport has been held annually since 1981 and has been won by the following Clubs/people:
Year Club
1981 Singapore Town Club
1982 Team from Western Australia
1983 Singapore Cricket Club
1984 Kowloon Bowling Green Club
1985 Team from Majorca - Spain
1986 Kowloon Bowling Green Club
1987 Kinabalu Yacht Club
1988 Singapore Town Club
1989 Kinabalu Yacht Club
1990 Royal Brunei Yacht Club
1991 Singapore Recreation Club
1992 The Sarawak Club
1993 Singapore Town Club
1994 Singapore Recreation Club
1995 Singapore Recreation Club
1996 National University of Singapore Society
1997 The British Club (Singapore)
1998 The Tanglin Club
1999 The Tanglin Club
2000 Singapore Recreation Club
2001 Singapore Cricket Club
2002 Royal Brunei Yacht Club
2003 National University of Singapore Society
2004 Kinabalu Yacht Club
2005 Singapore Town Club
2006 Manila Yacht Club
2007 Sabah Golf & Country Club
2008 Royal Brunei Yacht Club
2009 British Club Bangkok
- Q. Can I play in the Interport?
A.
If you can get together in a group of four players then yes you would be welcome to play at the Interport competition –
Click here to see the details
- Q. Why does the website show players names like 'Bowling Ball' and 'The Squire'?
A.
This is a tradition in the British Club Bangkok whereby players of most games and sports have a nickname – it is not compulsory but when you get given one it often sticks.
Privacy: For those of you who wish to obscure your identity, it is a good idea to use a nickname instead of your real name as real names are used for display on the website in teams and scores if no nickname exists.
- Q. What is Bar Balut?
A.
This is a more social version of the game, as the name suggests played in a bar, which has three additional rules …
- If you cock the dice three times in a row... You buy a round of drinks!
- If you throw a Balut in one throw... You buy a round of drinks!
- If you come last... You buy a round of drinks!
- Q. Where can I buy a Balut set and where can I get a Scoring Sheet?
A.
We are currently planning a
Balut Merchandise section where you will be able to buy all your Balut bits & pieces online.
In the meantime, if you want to start playing Balut, all you need is a dice shaker and five dice. If you want a scoring sheet, there is the layout for one here,
click to download. This is a PDF file and it should be A5 size when printed.
- Q. What are the rules of Balut?
- Q. What happens if I score 160 or more?
A.
If duly witnessed, then your duly signed scoresheet is either wall mounted on the Wall of Honour or placed in a similar auspicious place according to rules of the venue in which you are playing.
- Q. What happens if I score 40 or less?
A.
If duly witnessed, then your duly signed scoresheet is either wall mounted on the Wall of Shame or placed in a similar auspicious place according to rules of the venue in which you are playing.
- Q. Where can I play Balut in my town?
A.
As yet we do not have a comprehensive list of venues but here are some places that do play across SE Asia:
- Malaysia - Sabah Golf & Country Club, Sarawak Club
- The Philippines - Manila Yacht Club
- Singapore - Singapore Cricket Club, Singapore Recreation Club, Tanglin Club
- Thailand - British Club Bangkok, Det 5 Bar & Restaurant
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