A Teetotum is a cube skewered on a spindle so that it spins like a top and lands on one of its sides giving out a random reading. Probably originating in Ancient Rome, it was used for gambling through the ages, and is the forerunner of Dreidel, Morgan's Revenge and Put & Take Game. It was later modified into a polygonal shape to either increase odds or function as multiple sides of a die. Since the church frowned upon tossing dice, the teetotum also became a random chance substitute used in Victorian Era board games.
Some variations of the rules in existance.
1)Players bet money on a numbered diagram, then would wait to see which of their numbers comes up, like a roulette.
2)Players agree on a set ante, then follow the lettered spinning top's instructions till somoene lands the top on "take all"
3)Two players spin the top and the person landing it on its highest or lowest value wins the pot
Variants of markings include
UK
H (Half)
P (Put)
T (Take)
N (Nothing)
Malta/ Italy
M (Mezzo)
P (Paga)
T (Tutto)
N (Niente)