In gambling, snake eyes is the outcome of rolling the dice in a game of craps and getting only one pip on each die. The pair of pips resembles a pair of eyes, which is appended to the term 'snake' because of the long-standing association of this word with treachery and betrayal. The dictionary of etymology traces that use of the term back to 1929.[1], although it may be traced all the way back to the ancient Roman dice games, where 'Dogs' represented two ones. In modern parlance, it refers to such a roll in any game involving dice. Image File history File links Snake_eyes_243x144. ... Gambling has had many different meanings depending on the cultural and historical context in which it is used. ... Typical role-playing dice, showing a variety of colors and styles. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Because this is the lowest possible roll, and will often be a loser in many dice games, the term has been employed in a more general usage as a reference to bad luck.