What is Sic bo?
Sic bo, gambling game played with dice that is widely popular in Asia. During the 1980s and ’90s, it spread to American and European casinos, partially in an effort to appeal to gamblers from the East. The name sic bo means “dice pair” in Chinese. The game is closely related to grand hazard.
Sic bo is played with three dice on a table with a layout on which the players place their bets. The possible wagers include the total of the three dice, high and low dice, doubles and triples, all possible specific nonpair two-dice combinations (such as, for example, a 2 and a 5), and the single respective numbers. Bets are settled after each throw of the dice. In Western casinos the table is often electronically wired so that when the dealer has thrown the three dice in a sealed container, he enters the outcome, whereupon all winning areas of the layout light up. The mathematical advantage for the house varies considerably, from 3 percent to as high as 33 percent on the various bets.
Sic Bo Basic Rules
The basic gameplay of Sic Bo is extremely simple. Put simply, players bet upon the outcome of three dice rolled by the dealer. A board shows various different betting option, and a bet is placed by placing your betting token on the relevant segment(s) of the board.
Let’s take a look at the different betting options available when you play Sic Bo online.
Sic Bo Bet Types:
Big and Small Bets
When you place your bet on ‘Big’, you are hoping that the total of the three dice will total between and 11 and 17 points (note that rolling three sixes will not result in a win when placing this bet.
Placing a bet on ‘Small’ is a bet that the total of the three dice will be from 4 to 10. Again, rolling a triple one does not win the Small bet.
1/1
48.61%
2.78%*
Specific Triples Bet
A Specific Triple (or ‘Alls’) bet is one which the player wagers that a specific number will appear on all three dice rolled, for example, three sixes.
180/1
| 0.46% |
16.2%*
Any Triples Bet
‘Any Triples’ is a bet that any triple will be rolled, from three ones through to three sixes
| 30/1 |
2.8%
13.9%*
Doubles Bet
Betting ‘Specific Doubles’ when playing Sic Bo is a bet that at least two of the dice rolled will show a particular number.
| 10/1 |
7.41%
18.5%*
Dice Combination Bet
You can also bet on a ‘Dice Combination’, which is a bet that two chosen (different) numbers will appear when the dice are rolled, for example a two and a six.
| 6/1 |
| 2.8% |
13.9%*
Three Dice Total
One of the most popular Sic Bo bets is the ‘Three Dice Total’ wager, where the player tries to guess the exact total of the three dice. Statistically speaking some totals are much more likely to appear than others, as we will show in the table below, and the house edge ranges from 9.7% to 15.3% depending on which number you choose.
10 or 11 6 or 15
9 or 12 5 or 16
8 or 13 4 or 17
7 or 14
6/1 18/1 7/1 30/1 8/1 60/1 12/1 |
12.5% 4.6%
11.6% 2.8%
9.7% 1.4%
6.9%
12.5% 12%
7.4% 9.7%
12.5% 15.3%
9.7%
Single Dice Bet
For this bet the player chooses a specific number between one and six. The payout varies depending on whether your chosen number appears on one, two or all three dice, as per the table below. The house edge always stays the same, but there are huge differences in the probability of your chosen number showing up on one, two or three dice.
1
2
3
1/1
2/1
3/1
34.72%
6.94%
0.46%
7.9%
7.9%
7.9%
Additional Sic Bo Bets:
Here are some additional Sic Bo bets which are not available on all tables, but which you may find on selected Sic Bo games. Note that the following bets are not generally offered when playing Sic Bo online.
Odd and Even Bets
A bet on ‘Odd’ means that the player is hoping the total of the three dice will be an odd number. Note that if the three dice roll the same number (eg three fives) it is NOT counted as a winning ‘Odd’ bet.
Betting on ‘Even’ is a bet that the total score of the dice will be an even number, again with triples excluded.
1/1
48.61%
2.78%*
Four Number Combination
Of course only three dice are used when playing Sic Bo, so this bet is asking the player to choose three out of four numbers in given combinations. The four combos are: 1,2,3,4 – 2,3,4,5 – 2,3,5,6 – 3,4,5,6. The player selects one of these sets of numbers, and if any three of the four numbers picked show up then it is a win for the player.
7/1
11.1%
11.1%*
Three Single Number Combination
The player chooses any three numbers and wins if all three selected numbers appear when the dice are rolled.
30/1
2.8%
13.9%*
Specific Double and Single Number
The player selects a specific double (eg two 4s) and another specific number (eg 5), and wins if both come up. In this example, a player would win if the rolled dice finished on 4, 4, 5.
50/1
1.4%
29.2%*
Sic Bo Strategy
As a dice game, there are no tips or tricks that will enable you to influence the roll of those three dice. This game is not skill-based and relies entirely upon luck when it comes to determining the outcome of a game. As a player, the only real influence you can have over the game is when it comes to choosing your bets.
One option to choose would be to go with the bets which have the highest probability of success. As you can see from the tables above, your best chance of regularly claiming a win is thus by betting on Big, Small, Odd or Even, with their 48.61% success rate.
However, since the player is taking on the house at Sic Bo, let’s take a look at those bets with the lowest house edge. The house edge is the amount that statistically the casino will win if enough games are played (although bear in mind this could require millions of hands to be played out). The remainder is the ‘return to player’ and as a general rule, the higher the RTP the better the potential outcome for the casino player over the long term.
Big/Small 3 Dice Total: 9 or 12
Odd/Even Single Dice Bet
Dice Combination 3 Dice Total: 7 or 14
2.78% 7.4%
2.78% 7.9%
2.80% 9.7%
48.61% 11.6%
48.61% 34.72 – 0.46%
13.9% 6.9%
1/1 7/1
1/1 1/1 – 3/1
6/1 12/1
As you can see, the probability of success means that betting on Big/Small or Odd/Even gives the player the best chance of a win, but there are low house edges on a number of other single dice and combination bets. There are never any guarantees of success when playing a game of luck such as Sic Bo, but knowing the house edge and probabilities for each bet type will help you to make an informed decision when placing your next bet.
