Sic Bo Basics

Sic Bo name

The history of Sic Bo dates back to the game's origins in ancient China, the term Sic Bo meaning literally "dice pair", although to add an element of oriental intrigue into the equation the game is actually played with three dice! Sic Bo is, in essence, a simple dice game; 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.

Origin of sic bo game

The ancient game of Sic Bo is also as Tai Sai, "Lucky Dice" and as "Hi Lo" in the Philippines. In Macau the game is widely played under the name "Dai Siu", meaning "Big Small", referring to the most popular betting option. The game is also similar in concept to an English game called "Grand Hazard." Throughout the history of Sic Bo the game has been throughout Southeast Asia, Korea, China and increasingly, due in part to the movement of populations from those countries to the west during the nineteenth century, it has gained popularity in the West and is now played in many Western casinos.

Basics of Sic Bo

The Basics

Sic Bo is a game somewhat like roulette in that there are many places on the table to place bets. Three dice are used to determine the outcome of the betting. Once you have finished placing your bets click on the roll button.

Single Number Bets
The bottom row of the Sic Bo table has six betting areas. These are called single number bets. If one of the three dice comes up as one the numbers bet on (from 1-6), you get paid out at 1-1. If two numbers come up you get paid out at 2-1 and if three numbers come up you get paid out at 3-1. So if bet on the number 6 and you wagered $5.00 and 2 sixes came up you would win $10.00.

One Number Appears 1-1
Two Numbers Appear 2-1
Three Numbers Appear 3-1

Two Number Combinations 6-1
The two number combination bets consist of placing a wager on any 2 dice combinations. If you wager on a 6,4 combination and the result of the dice roll was 4,7,6, you would win at 6-1 odds. You can only win on one instance of the two-number combination, so 6,4,4 would only pay out once.

Three Number Totals
A three number total wager consists of combining the total shown on the resulting dice roll. Different totals have different odds. A result of 3 or 18 is always a loss. The payouts are as follows:

Three Number Totals (4-17)
4 or 17 50-1
5 or 16 25-1
6 or 15 15-1
7 or 14 10-1
8 or 13 6-1
9 or 12 5-1
10 or 11 5-1

Small or Big Wager
You can wager on whether the combined total of the dice roll will be either between 4-10 or 11-17. This wager pays out at 1-1 odds. All small or big wagers lose if the result of the dice is a triplet.

Triplet Bets
Triplets are when the resulting dice roll consists of all three dice containing the same digit. So if you wagered on three 6's and that was the dice result you would win at 150-1 odds. You can also wager on all six triplet bets at once, this is called "Any Triplet" and pays out at 25-1 odds.

Pair Bets 11-1
Pairs are when the resulting dice roll contains a pair of the same number. Whether you have two fives or three fives you still only win once and you win at odds of 11-1.