Sic Bo Rules

How a Round of Sic Bo Works

Before each round, the dealer or an electronic shaker places the three dice in a covered cup or chamber and shakes them. Players place chips on the table layout: on the total of the three dice, on single numbers, on doubles or triples, or on two-number combinations. When the dice settle, the result is revealed and every bet is settled according to the payout table of that particular game.

Totals and Proposition Bets

Beyond Small and Big, you can bet on a specific total between 4 and 17. Totals near the middle of the range come up more often, so the payouts rise as the total moves towards the extremes. Payout tables differ between games, so the figures below are one common version:

With these payouts, the house edge on the totals ranges from about 9.7% on 7 or 14 to about 19% on 9 or 12. None comes close to the 2.78% on Small and Big.

The other proposition bets work like this:

• Single number: you pick a number from 1 to 6. It pays 1 to 1 if the number appears on one die, 2 to 1 on two dice and 3 to 1 on all three. Of 216 outcomes, 75 pay 1 to 1, 15 pay 2 to 1 and one pays 3 to 1, which gives a house edge of 7.87%.
• Specific double: the chosen number must appear on at least two dice, which happens in 16 of 216 outcomes. At a payout of 10 to 1, the house edge is 18.52%.
• Two-dice combination: two different chosen numbers must both appear. This happens in 30 of 216 outcomes; at 5 to 1 the edge is 16.67%.
• Any triple: any of the six triples, 6 outcomes in 216. At 30 to 1 the edge is 13.89%.
• Specific triple: one exact triple, 1 outcome in 216. Payouts vary widely between tables, and the edge is high at any common payout.

Which Bets Give the Best Value

When you compare house edges, Small and Big are the best value in the game. A 60 to 1 payout on a total of 4 looks attractive, but it wins only 3 times in 216 rolls on average, and the price for that big payout is an edge more than five times higher. Sticking to Small and Big means your money usually lasts longer, because less of each stake goes to the house over time.

Even so, a lower edge is not an advantage. Over many rounds, every Sic Bo bet is expected to lose money, and no betting pattern or system changes the house edge. Always check the payout table of the specific game, as a lower payout on the same bet means a higher edge.