Sic Bo

Rules

Sic Bo uses three dice on a layout that is quite different than the Craps layout.  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 206, 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 206 or about 2.9%.

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 or 17, winning bets are paid 60 to 1; house advantage is 15.28%
  
  
• If the sum is 5 or 16, winning bets are paid 30 to 1; house advantage is 13.98%
  
  
• If the sum is 6 or 15, winning bets are paid 17 to 1; house advantage is 16.67%
  
  
• If the sum is 7 or 14, winning bets are paid 12 to 1; house advantage is 9.72%
  
  
• If the sum is 8 or 13, winning bets are paid 8 to 1; house advantage is 12.50%
  
  
• If the sum is 9 or 12, winning bets are paid 6 to 1; house advantage is 18.98%
  
  
• If the sum is 10 or 11, winning bets are paid 6 to 1; house advantage is 12.50%
  
  

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.
  

Sic Bo Strategy

There are seven different bets you can make at a sic bo table. First, players may wager on any one of the six dice sides (1 through 6). If that number comes up on any one of the dice, the sic bo player is paid even money. If two of the dice come up with the same number, the bet is paid off at 2-to-1. And if all three dice come up on that same number, the bet is paid at 3-to-1. The house edge on this number is 7.8%.

The next wager on the sic bo table is a combination of two numbers. If, for example, a 2-5 or a 3-6 come up on any two of the dice, the bet is paid off at 5-to-1, giving the house 16.6 percent advantage.

Bets can also be made on the total of all the dice. The sic bo player can bet on any specific total from 4 to 17. The payoff on this bet varies from 6-to-1 to 50-to-1, depending upon the total bet. The house edge can also vary between 9.7% to 47.2%.

The next sic bo bet is a wager of "small" or "big," which means that if you bet on small, you're wagering that the three dice will total between 4 and 10. Big bets win if the dice total between 11 and 17. However, you lose if any triple appears. That means if three twos or threes or any other three-of-a-kind comes up, you lose, even though the total might constitute a small or big win. But even with the catch thrown in, the big and small bets are the best at the sic bo table, giving the house a rather reasonable 2.7% edge.

You also can bet for any of the six triplets in sic bo, but the three-of-a-kind bet is among the worst on the sic bo table. If you bet, for instance, that three fours will come up, you'll get paid 150-to-1, but the true odds are 215-to-1, giving the casino a 30% advantage.

You could also bet for any triplet. You get paid 24-to-1 on this bet, but the true odds are 35-to-1. Which ends up another 30% house edge.

Good Luck!

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