The Traditional Chinese Dice Game Sic Bo – An Oldie but a Goodie. Sic Bo is a dice game, similar to Craps, hailing from the foreign distant shores of China, which will appeal to fans of both Craps and Roulette as it borrows elements from both games. It doesn’t have quite as much of the same following as the two aforementioned table games, but it can be just as entertaining! Sic Bo is a dice game that is very popular with Asian players, in fact, it is the second most popular game to Baccarat in casinos in Macau. The game originated in China and can now be seen in casinos across America and the United Kingdom. Sic Bo in Chinese means “Dice Pair” and is sometimes known as tai sai, dai siu, big and small, or Hi-Lo. Sic Bo is an ancient Chinese dice game still played in many southeast Asian countries, where it's known as big and small. Sic Bo is both exciting and easy to play, and offers players a wide variety of options. Payouts range from even money up to 150 to 1. A video tutorial by Livedealersicbo.com of how to play Sic Bo. Every Sic Bo bet explained, including odds and payouts.For more information, go to http://www. Sic Bo is a three-dice casino game that plays more or less like Craps or Chuck-a-Luck, but with a couple of adjustments. Learning to play this game takes an average reader a few minutes to understand the rules and layout, with its associated payoffs. This game is developed from an ancient Chinese dice game. Overview of the Game.

Rules and Strategies for
Sic Bo

We are quite used to the game of Craps, that uses two dice. It's challenging enough to find winning strategies with two dice, considering all dice combinations. How about an interesting game that uses three dice? The combinations would be much more intriguing, wouldn't they?

I'm referring to the game called 'Sic Bo', that uses three dice on a layout that is quite different than the Craps layout. Sic Bo has been recently popular in Casino of Montreal. Sic Bo is an ancient Chinese dice game still played in many southeast Asian countries, where it's known as big and small. Sic Bo is both exciting and easy to play, and offers players a wide variety of options. Payouts range from even money up to 150 to 1.

The betting options available at Sic Bo are formed by the various combinations obtained with three dice. These wagers and their payouts are reproduced on the gaming table. Players may wager on as many combinations as desired per game. The dice are shaken by dealer, by means of a vibrating platform under a round shape glass cover. After all bets have been made, the dealer activates the dice shaker. The outcome of each of the three dice appears on the display. At the same time, the spaces corresponding to the winning combinations light up on the table. The dealer then removes all losing bets from the table, such as in roulette, and proceeds to pay all winners.

There are 8 different ways you can bet.

1) You can bet on one number, which must appear on all three dice. This is called a Three of a Kind. Obviously, you have the least chances of hitting a winning bet, as there are 216 (6 X 6 X 6) dice combinations and only one of them can give you a 1,1,1 or 2,2,2 or 3,3,3 or 4,4,4 or 5,5,5 or 6,6,6. If you do win however, it pays 150 to 1. Considering your winning chances to be 1 out of 216, this gives the casino a huge advantage.

2) You can bet on one number, which must appear on two of the three dice. This is called a Two of a Kind, such as a 1,1 or 2,2 or 3,3 or 4,4 or 5,5, or 6,6. This pays 8 to 1, although your chances of winning is 5.82%, as there are 12 ways of making such a combination.

3) You can bet that the same number from 1 to 6 will appear on all three dice, such as either a 1,1,1 or 2,2,2 or 3,3,3 or 4,4,4 or 5,5,5 or 6,6,6. This is called Any Three of a Kind and it pays 24 to 1. You have 6 times more chances to win relative to the Three of a Kind. The probability is still 6 out of 216 or about 2.78%.

4) There is an area called Small, that pays even money, where you bet that the sum of the three dice will be equal to 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 excluding a Three of a Kind. That's why the 3 (3 ones) is not a winning bet, neither are the hardways 6 and 9, which provides the casino edge.

5) Similarly, there is an area called Big, that also pays even money, where you bet that the sum of the three dice will be equal to 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 excluding a Three of a Kind. That's why the 18 (3 sixes) is not a winning bet, neither are the hardways 12 and 15, which again provides the casino edge.

6) On the Sic Bo layout, there is a wide area with the numbers 4 to 17 written on them. Those numbers correspond to the sum of the three dice. So, you bet on a number from 4 to 17, which are the sum of all 3 dice and the payout table is as follows:

• If the sum is 4, winning bets are paid 50 to 1;

• If the sum is 5, winning bets are paid 30 to 1;

• If the sum is 6, winning bets are paid 18 to 1;

• If the sum is 7, winning bets are paid 12 to 1;

• If the sum is 8, winning bets are paid 8 to 1;

• If the sum is 9, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;

• If the sum is 10, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;

• If the sum is 11, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;

• If the sum is 12, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;

• If the sum is 13, winning bets are paid 8 to 1;

• If the sum is 14, winning bets are paid 12 to 1;

• If the sum is 15, winning bets are paid 18 to 1;

• If the sum is 16, winning bets are paid 30 to 1;

• If the sum is 17, winning bets are paid 50 to 1;

You can see the symmetrical pattern of payouts, depending on the dice combinations and their probability of appearance, always with an edge on the casino side, of course.

7) You can bet on two different numbers, which must appear on at least two of the three dice. This bet is called Duo, and it pays 5 to 1. The dice combinations you can bet on are: 1,2 or 1,3 or 1,4 or 1,5 or 1,6 or 2,3 or 2,4 or 2,5 or 2,6 or 3,4 or 3,5 or 3,6 or 4,5 or 4,6 or 5,6, as long as the two numbers are not the same.

8) And the last type of bet is called a simple One of a Kind, where you bet on a single number that must appear on one, two or all three dice. This is shown in the layout as the dice face 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6.

The payout table of this bet depends on the following:

• If the number you chose appears on one of the three dice, you are paid even;

• If the number you chose appears on two of the three dice, you are paid 2 to 1;

• If the number you chose appears on three of the three dice, you are paid 3 to 1.

The game is called Sic Bo, meaning Small Big, probably because of the type of bets that pay even - types 4 and 5 above, which could be attractive to bet using our even money bet strategies (Superior Roulette, Reward, etc.). What we need to determine is the percentage of the casino edge, in order to compare this type of bet to Baccarat or Roulette.

Taking the Small bet, we can see that half of all dice combinations will give us a 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10. If we exclude the Three of a Kind, we are excluding the 1,1,1, the 2,2,2 and the 3,3,3. Therefore, we are excluding 3 possibilities out of 108 (216/2). In other words our chances of winning is 105 out of 216 or 48.61%.

Comparing this to roulette, our chances of winning on even bets are 18 out of 37 or 48.64% on a single zero wheel and 18 out of 38 or 47.37% on a double zero wheel. So playing Sic Bo on even money bets such as Small Big is comparable to single zero roulette, the Three of a Kind decision acting as a zero.

So we can easily use any even bet strategy that we have developed for Roulette, that performs even better for single zero wheels.

The Traditional Chinese Dice Game

Sic Bo – An Oldie but a Goodie

Sic Bo is a dice game, similar to Craps, hailing from the foreign distant shores of China, which will appeal to fans of both Craps and Roulette as it borrows elements from both games. It doesn’t have quite as much of the same following as the two aforementioned table games, but it can be just as entertaining! The aim of the game is to bet on your prediction of the outcome of the roll of the dice. What’s unusual about Sic Bo is that it’s played with three dice which are shaken before thrown. But, before you let rip on those dice, here’s all there is to know about this fascinating ancient game.

Why play Sic Bo?

• Its gameplay is similar to Craps
• Having three dice adds excitement and makes it more interesting
• It’s a game of chance coupled with good payouts

The History of Sic Bo

The Chinese were the ones behind the invention of paper and playing cards over 1,900 years ago, but they found ways of entertaining themselves long before this. They took pleasure in games of chance that made use of painted stones, tiles and dice, many of which have stood the test of time and are still intact and played today, their rules unaltered for centuries. Sic Bo was one of these ancient games, which literally translates to “dice pair”, signifying that the game was very likely initially played using two dice instead of three. It also goes by the names Tai Sai and Dai Siu, which carry the meaning “Big Small” or “Hi-Lo”. The game originally comprised of throwing bricks with numbers painted on the sides. Eventually, those cumbersome instruments were ousted in favour of three lightweight six-sided dice. The addition of a third die adds excitement to the game and makes it more interesting. The game spread through to the US via Chinese manual labourers, who in the 19th century came over to America to build the transcontinental railroad. It was predominantly played by immigrants in railroad and mining camps for many years. Only after the second wave of Chinese immigrants in the 1940s did their gambling ways catch on with non-Oriental gamblers. In America, the game was changed up a little and became known as ‘Birdcage’ as the dice were shaken in a cage-like device before being rolled. In the UK, it emerged as ‘Grand Hazard’, the three-dice variation of Hazard, which is also the game Craps originated from. Another English version of the game was called Chuck-a-Luck. In spite of all these variations of the dice game emerging all over the world, the Chinese were resilient and kept to their original version of Sic Bo. It made its way onto Macau’s casino floor right next to the Roulette and Baccarat tables, and then onto the Las Vegas Strip where it eventually became a hit among non-Chinese visitors.

Playing Online Sic Bo

To play Sic Bo online, you’ll find three dice and a rather complex-looking Sic Bo table marked with a variety of betting options similar to a Roulette table. Fear not! For looks are deceptive here and the game is actually pretty straightforward. All you have to do is decide how much you’re willing to bet and which wager to bet on. There is no limit to a number of bets you can make per roll, so more the bets you make the more chances you have of winning. Keep your eyes open as the odds and table layout may vary from place to place.

The game starts with a placing of bets, you can bet as much or as little as you like. Next, the dice are rolled, and if the final outcome on the dice matches your bet, you win. One look at the busy layout gives the impression that there are a myriad of bets that can be made. Here is a list of some of the most frequent wagers in the game. The odds may vary from casino to casino, as the major casinos of Macau, Atlantic City and Australia each have compiled their own odds.

Small and Big Bets: These are the most common bets in Sic Bo. With a Small bet, you are expecting the total sum of the roll of the dice to range between 4 and 10. Whereas with a Big bet you are expecting a total between 11 and 17. The odds on these two bets pay even money (1 to 1) which means, that you don’t win much, although you have a good chance of winning. However, you can lose this bet if you roll a ‘triple’, that is when you hit the same number across all three dice. It is this reasoning that the numbers 3 and 18 aren’t included in these betting ranges. The house edge is 2.78%.

Odd and Even Bets: This bet is similar to the one made in Roulette wherein you can predict whether the total on the dice will be odd or even. If a triple is rolled, you lose. The house edge is also 2.78%.

Two-Dice Combination Bet: This is a wager on the outcome of any two of the three dice. For example, if you bet on 2 and 5, you win if one die lands on 2 and the other lands on 5, ignoring the number on the third die.

Single Die Bet: This bet is a prediction that at least one die will land on one particular number. This pays out even money. If two or even three dice land on your selected number you will win much more, 2 to 1 and 12 to 1 respectively (the latter of which differs from the Triple bet).

Specific Double Bet: In this wager, at least two of the dice must land on your chosen number to win. This bet pays 8 to 1.

Specific Triple Bet: This is a high payoff bet (the highest, in fact, with 150 to 1 odds) that all three dice will have the same number.

Any Triple Bet: This bet has better chances of success than the previous wager, as here you are betting on any triple on your dice and not a specific number. The odds of winning this bet are 24 to 1.

Total Sum: This is a very popular bet with a great payout on the total sum of the three dice. Below are the totals, gathered according to their payout odds. Remember that you can bet on as many totals as your heart desires.

Total of 4 or 17 – Payout odds of 50 to 1

Total of 5 or 16 – Payout odds of 18 to 1

Total of 6 or 15 – Payout odds of 14 to 1

Sic Bottles

Total of 7 or 14 – Payout odds of 12 to 1

Total of 8 or 13 – Payout odds of 8 to 1

Total of 9, 10, 11 or 12 – Payout odds of 6 to 1

Below are some other not so common three/four-number combinations bets which don’t have any names, so the first couple of letters of the alphabet will have to suffice.

ABC: Wherein you choose a three-number combination, for example, 2-3-4. If all three numbers are rolled, you’re paid 30 to 1. The house edge on this bet is 13.89% and the chances of winning are pretty slim at 2.78%.

DEF::This is another three-number combination using two unique numbers, wherein you must specify which number will appear on two of the three dice, ignoring the third number. For example, 4-4-6. This pays 50 to 1 with a very high house edge of 29.17%. The probability of winning 1.39%.

ABCD:This is a bet on a four-number combination which pays 7 to 1 if the roll matches three of your four numbers. For example, 1-2-3-4. The odds of winning this wager is 11.11% and the house edge is also 11.11%.

Beginners’ Tips

Being a game of pure chance, it is difficult to determine what your best moves are, but we’ll try anyway.

• The optimal bets to place and wager on are the Big/Small and Odd/Even as both of them feature a house advantage of approximately 2.78% and pay even money. The other bets, including the Triple bets, feature an advantage of up to 30%. However, if your goal is to have a good time and a chance to hit some really big payouts, you can go for it regardless.
• Combination wagers are also a safe bet as they have a low house edge of 2.77% and the odds of winning are 6 to 1. This means that you can win once in every seven bets.
• Regarding the odds on specified totals, the best values to bet on are the totals ranging between 7 and 14 as they have a pretty low house edge of 9.7%.
• The Triple bet is the riskiest wager you can make, so it’s good to steer clear of it. Experienced players know not to use it as the main bet so sometimes use it as a side/additional bet instead.
• The idea is to not place bets on wagers with slim odds and a high house edge. You may as well just hand over all your money to the croupier. For example, if you bet on a total of 5 to 16, the odds of landing these totals on the dice are 6 in 216. This bet pays 30 to 1, but the house edge is 13.9%. There are far more lucrative bets which can be made.

Variations of Sic Bo

Here are a couple of variations of the game which are identical in gameplay to Sic Bo. In spite of this, they have succumbed to the original format of the Asian game and are very difficult to come across online and in land-based casinos.

Grand Hazard, like Sic Bo, is also played using three dice. The dice are thrown with a cup or rolled down a chute containing a series of inclined planes that tumble the dice as they fall.

Chuck-a-Luck, also known as Sweat Cloth, Chuckerluck and Bird Cage, is the American version of Grand Hazard. It gets its name as the dice are kept in a cage-like device. The bets on this game tend to be single number wagers with an additional bet for any triple.

Hoo Hee How and Yee Hah Hi are two very alike games. The numbers on the dice are replaced with symbols and pictures. In the former, the die features symbols such as a fish, scorpion, goard, coin, crab and rooster. There are six bets you can make, one per symbol, which all pay between 1 to 1 and 3 to 1, depending on how often the symbol appears. This game has a house edge of 7.87%. In the latter, you have the same symbols, although each symbol represents a different colour. You can make bets on all three dice landing on the same colour. The odds on this bet are 7 to 1. A second bet that can be made is on two dice landing on a specific colour of your choice, which pays 3 to 1. You can even bet on one die landing on one specific colour which pays even money. The house edge is 11.11% across the board.

Playing Casino Sic Bo for Real Money

Until you’re familiar with the ins and outs of Sic Bo, it’s best to try out the game online for free, which you can do right here at the very top of this page. What’s great is that you don’t need to download any software whatsoever to give the game a roll. When you feel like you’re ready for a different, more exhilarating gaming experience, you can start yourself off with a small deposit into one of the top five casinos listed above where you’ll go head to head against the casino’s computer software to win real cash. You could even be fortunate enough to find a casino which offers live dealer games, however, they aren’t so common. Those casinos which feature this type of gameplay will likely have an Asian Gambling section, within which the live dealer Sic Bo game is found. Whether you decide to play for free or with real money, you can do so from the device of your choosing, from your laptop, tablet or mobile device. Gambling couldn’t be more accessible!

FAQ

Sic Bo

Is it easy to find and play Sic Bo online?

Sic Bo isn’t as popular as Craps and Roulette, but it still has quite a loyal following. It’s not guaranteed that you’ll find it in every online casino. There are a few casinos which offer live dealer games, particularly those that cater to Asian players as the table game is especially popular in Asia. Its payouts are just as good, if not better than some of the other tables game. With regards to land-based casinos, it is predominantly found in Macau (where it has the largest following of all), Atlantic City, and Australia.

Sic Bo Casino

Sic Book

Is there are a strategy for winning at Sic Bo?

There are no betting systems in Sic Bo. Devising a winning strategy for this table game is rather difficult as it depends on so many elements that are out of your control. Furthermore, as this is a game of chance, luck is a big factor in determining whether you win or lose. Being a game involving three dice, it’s impossible to confidently predict the outcome. That said, there are some methods which can be adopted by players. The Low-Risk Method is a defensive type of play designed for rooky players with a small bankroll. This strategy involves placing simple bets to slowly gather wins and limit your losses altogether. The Medium Risk Method is intended for players with a medium sized bankroll and are willing to place more complex wagers. In this strategy, the idea is to make small combination bets to increase your chances of winning. The third strategy is The High-Risk Method aimed at professionals and high-rollers with large bankrolls. The concept behind this strategy is to use all the money at your disposal to aim high and hit several bets at the same time – it’s been dubbed high-risk for a reason as you can win as well as lose substantial sums of money.

Sic Bo - Video Results