Sic Bo - Rules, Bets and Strategy

Do you like to play non-traditional gambling games? So we literally have a delicacy for you. Sic-Bo is an old Chinese game with dice, next to which traditional craps look like a children's game.

As such, the game confuses Chinese-speaking players right at the beginning. Sic Bo translates as "a pair of dice" (in the sense of two dice). However, this very old game is played with three dice. It can be assumed that it was originally played with only two dice or bricks.

Chinese bricklayers, who in their free time threw the described dice into the air and bet on how they would fall to the ground, invented the original Sic-Bo. As the game began to spread across China, bricks proved impractical as a gambling tool and were replaced by dice.

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Rules and Basic Bets of Sic Bo

At first glance, Sic Bo may seem like a very complex game, but once you understand the layout of the playing field, you will find that the game is quite easy. The dealer shoots three dice and you bet on the result. Here you can see the first difference between craps and Sic Bo. While playing craps, players shoot the dice. The development of the game is then very similar to, for example, roulette. Players place bets on the field and the dealer shoots the dice. Of course, that is not the only difference. The bets that a player can place are also completely different.

Bet on Total Sum

Betting on a specific sum is very easy and can be deduced from the name. The player simply bets on the final value of all three dice. The rule here is that if the same number falls on all three dice, bets on the total will lose. Therefore, bets can only be placed on values from 4 to 17. The sums of 3 and 18 are made up of triplets of the same numbers.

Despite their simplicity and relatively high payout ratios, which reach a rate of 60 to 1, these are not the most popular bets. They have a relatively high casino advantage, as you can see in the table below.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
4 or 17	1.39%	60 to 1	15.28%
5 or 16	2.78%	30 to 1	13.89%
6 or 15	4.63%	18 to 1	12.04%
7 or 14	6.94%	12 to 1	9.72%
8 or 13	9.72%	8 to 1	12.50%
9 or 12	11.57%	7 to 1	7.41%
10 or 11	12.50%	6 to 1	12.50%

Big and Small Bet

Small and Big bets are the most popular bets in Sic Bo. You can find them in the upper right and left corner and you can bet that the final sum will be either in the range from 4 to 10 (Small bet) or 11 to 17 (Big bet). As with the Total bet, if a triple falls, the player loses. As you can see, the numbers 3 and 18 are missing here as well.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
Small Bet	48.61%	1 to 1	2.78%
Big Bet	48.61%	1 to 1	2,78 %

Double Bet

In this case, the player wants the same number to fall on two of the 3 dice. A bet can only be placed on a specific double. So you can't bet on a situation where the double falls in general. However, it is possible to bet on more pairs. Again, if a triple falls, the player loses.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
Double	7.41%	10 to 1	18.52%

Triple Bet

Triple is a bet that the same number will fall on all three dice. In this case, moreover, it is already possible to place a bet on the situation that any triple will fall. Here we also find the bet with the highest payout ratio in the game Sic Bo. This is a bet on a specific trio and the payout is a 180 to 1 bet.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
Any three numbers	2.78%	30 to 1	13.89%
Specific three numbers	0.46%	180 to 1	16.20%

Bet on a Combination of Two Dice

In this case, you can bet that a combination of two numbers of your choice will appear on the three dice. For example, if you place chips on a combination of 1 and 2, you win with the result: 1, 4, 2, etc.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
Combination of two numbers	13.9%	6 to 1	2.78%

Bet on One Number

Here you try to guess which specific number will fall on one or more dice. The payout ratio for a single bet varies depending on how many dice the selected number falls on. The interesting thing about this bet is that if you make it and a triple with your number falls, the payout ratio is only 12 to 1 (sometimes even 3 to 1), which is much less than that of a triple bet.

Bet	Chances of Win	Payout	House Edge
Single	42.12%	1 to 1, 2 to 1, 12 to 1	3.70%

In different parts of the world, the payout ratios for individual bets may vary. In this case, the house edge will be different. It is true that the lower the payout ratio, the higher the house edge.

Strategy and Betting Systems for the Sic Bo

Lovers of "guaranteed" betting systems such as Martingale or Fibonacci may have noticed that these strategies are applicable to Sic Bo. Specifically for Small and Big bets, where the probability of winning is 48.6% and payouts 1 to 1. So practically the same numbers as for the even bets on roulette. Of course, these systems can be used, but it is mathematically proven that they really do go at a loss in casinos in the long run.

So the optimal strategy here will seem to be to play the bets with the lowest house edge. This will be a Small and Big bet with house edge 2.78%. Some casinos also offer tables with even or odd bets. If a player bets on an even and the sum of all three dice is even, he wins in a ratio of 1 to 1. If a triple or even falls, he loses. The probability of winning and house is the same for Small or Big Bets.