Sic Bo is an ancient Chinese game, involving the rolling of 3 dice and betting in different ways on the outcome of each roll. The literal meaning of sic bo is “precious dice” and it can also be found as tai sai, dai siu, big and small or hi-lo. The game is especially popular in Asia and widely played in casinos in Macau. It has found its way into the world of online casinos and has earned a lot of regular players during the recent years
Sic Bo Rules
Sic Bo is played on a complex looking table layout, but as a matter of fact, the game is very simple once you get your grip on it. The purpose of the game is to guess the outcome of a 3 dice roll. There are various possible bets, which we will clarify for you. Of course, a very important aspect of the game is that everything you need to know about it is actually laid out on the table layout. So once you get familiar with this one, you need no further reference.nce.
- At the top left and right corners of the table, you’ll see “Small” and “Big”. This is where you place a bet on the outcome of the dice roll total. “Small” corresponds to a total from 4 to 10, and “Big” is for a dice total from 11 to 17. Both of these bets have odds of 1:1. Take note that if a Triple comes up (all 3 dice have the same face value), you lose this bet, no matter what the total.
- At the bottom of the table, you’ll see the “Number Bets”. Here, you’re betting that a certain number will appear on any one of the 3 dice. You can pick any number you like, and the odds are different, depending on how many times your chosen number appears in the 3 dice combination. If you number appears once, the odds are 1:1, twice: 2:1, and a triple pays 3:1.
- Just above the Number Bets are the “Pair Bets”. Sic Bo odds for these bets are 5:1, no matter which “Pair” you bet on. Keep in mind that it’s not actually a true pair that you will be betting on. Those bets are placed at the top area of the table, and are discussed later. When you chose this bet, you are looking for a specific two-number combination to show up on the next roll. If both of the numbers you picked show up, you win.
- Next above the Pair Bets are the “Total Bets”. With these bets, you are looking for the total sum of all 3 dice. You can bet that any total from 4 to 17 will show up, and the Sic Bo odds for each total are a little different. Below, you will find a list of the odds for each respective 3 dice total:
- Total of 4 or 17 60 to 1
- Total of 5 or 16 30 to 1
- Total of 6 or 15 17 to 1
- Total of 7 or 14 12 to 1
- Total of 8 or 13 8 to 1
- Total of 9, 10, 11, or 12 6 to 1
- Now, we’re back up to the top of the Sic Bo table layout, and you can see in the center of the area at the top, between the Small and Big bets, there are betting areas for Doubles and Triples. With the Doubles, you are betting that you will see a particular double will appear within the 3 dice combination. For example, you might bet on Double Two, and you’d be hoping for at least two of the three dice to show up with 2’s on them, and the odds on this bet are 10:1.
- With the Triples Bet, there are two types to choose from. You may bet, simply, that any triple will come up, which is denoted by the area at the very center of the top portion of the table, and if there is any triple showing after a roll, you get Sic Bo odds of 30:1 for your bet. On the other hand, if you bet on a particular triple to show, your odds increase dramatically, to 180:1.
Players can place multiple bets at the same time for each roll of the dice. Now that you are familiar with this ancient Chinese game, you can try your luck at the tables of one of the numerous casinos you can find on our site.
History of Sic Bo
Sic Bo dates back to ancient China. Historically it is thought that the game was played with bricks, tumbled between two plates and an overturned bowl, which over time was adapted to the dice and cage shaker variant common in today's casino versions. The dice variation proved to be way more practical. The game has been played in Southeast Asia, Korea and China for centuries. North America didn't see Sic Bo until the 1900's when Chinese workers, that decided to immigrate to the US, brought the game with them. Later on it spread to Western Europe and via the Internet all over the world.