The Chinese gambling game Sic Bo has seen a resurgence in recent years. While it has always been popular in the casinos of Asia, online casinos now allowed players across the world to enjoy this unique game. Our social casino at McLuck.com is no exception, offering live lobbies where you can play Sic Bo in real-time.
To get started, you’ll need to know your playing options and how they change potential rewards. Below you’ll learn how to play the game, the different types of picks you can make, and odds for each of these.
Playing Sic Bo
First, we’ll start with a brief run through Sic Bo and how it’s played. Sic Bo is unique because it’s played using three dice, more than most other gambling games. As a player, your job is to predict the numbers on those dice once they are shaken.
The average Sic Bo table is decorated with the gaming options we’ve covered below. After players make their selections, the dealer shakes those three dice inside a container. Modern Sic Bo typically uses a transparent container with a vibrating bottom that launches the dice upwards. With that, the playing round is over, rewards are made, and a new round starts.
Big
One of the simplest picks you can make in Sic Bo is the Big, or 大. This predicts that the total score of the three dice combined will fall between 11 to 17. There’s an important caveat here – a triple with the same number doesn’t count.
The Big option is one of four Sic Bo picks that take you very close to 50% probability – specifically 48.61% or 37/35. It pays out 1:1, so if you wager 50 coins on a throw, you’ll get 50 coins back if you win.
Small
Opposite of going for Big, the Small pick or 小 predicts that the dice roll will score lower instead. Here a Small only wins if the sum of all three dice scores four to ten. Just like the big, triples don’t count toward a win.
The Small pick has the same probability as the Big – 48.61% or 37/35 if you prefer fractions. It pays out at a 1:1 ratio, so you can double your coins if you correctly guess how the dice land.
Even
An Even pick is exactly what it sounds like – you’re predicting if the total dice score is an even number ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. All numbers on the dice are either even or odd, so this carries the same 48.61% probability that the big/small picks do. Similarly, it doubles your money if you guess correctly but triples still don’t count.
Odd
As you may expect, going for ‘Odd’ is the opposite to picking ‘Even’. It predicts the total dice score ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9. That means its probability and odds are the exact same – 48.61% each way with a 1:1 ratio. If it’s a triple, you don’t win.
All Odds & Rewards
| Prediction | Probability | Win |
| Big | 48.61% | 1/1 |
| Small | 48.61% | 1/1 |
| Even | 48.61% | 1/1 |
| Odd | 48.61% | 1/1 |
| Any Triple | 2.8% | 30/1 |
| Specific Triple | 0.46% | 180/1 |
| Specific Double | 7.41% | 10/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 10 or 11 | 12.5% | 6/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 9 or 12 | 11.6% | 7/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 8 or 13 | 9.7% | 8/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 7 or 14 | 6.9% | 12/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 6 or 15 | 4.6% | 18/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 5 or 16 | 2.8% | 30/1 |
| 3 Dice Total: 4 or 17 | 1.4% | 60/1 |
| Single Dice Pick | 34.72% | 1/1 |
| Single Number x2 | 6.94% | 2/1 |
| Dice Combination x2 | 13.9% | 6/1 |
| Single Number x3 | 2.8% | 30/1 |
| Specific Double + Single | 1.4% | 50/1 |
| Four Number Combination | 11.1% | 7/1 |
Any Triples/Alls
All of the Sic Bo gaming options so far have come with an important caveat – they don’t work if the dice land a triple. This is where each dice shows the same number. The probability of that happening is 2.8%, or 30/1. For taking on those longer odds, the prize is much better with a 30:1 ratio. That means 50 coins on any triple can become 1,500.
Specific Triples/Alls
While you can go for a triple appearing, you can also be more precise and hope that a specific triple shows up. This means it isn’t enough for three numbers to appear, you want that – for example – three nines will land instead. Unsurprisingly, this is the lowest probability option on the board with 0.46%, or a shocking 180/1 odds. To balance that, it also has the highest potential win with a 180:1 ratio. Using our 50 coin example, the reward would be 9,000 coins.
Specific Doubles
There isn’t an option for any doubles, but you can predict if a specific double lands. If your chosen number is represented at least twice, you’ll win. The probability of that happening is 7.41%, or 25/2. However, the house edge on this puts it closer to 10/1 odds at most Sic Bo tables. With those odds, you can turn 50 coins into 500 if two identical numbers fall.
Three Dice Totals
The three dice total is where you predict the dice will form a specific number between 4 and 17. This can use any combination of numbers, so the odds depend on which number you’ve selected. Due to averages, a selection in the middle of the 4 to 17 range carry better odds.
10 or 11 – 12.5% probability – 6:1 reward.
9 or 12 – 11.6% probability – 7:1 reward.
8 or 13 – 9.7% probability – 8:1 reward.
7 or 14 – 6.9% probability – 12:1 reward.
6 or 15 – 4.6% probability – 18:1 reward.
5 or 16 – 2.8% probability – 30:1 reward.
4 or 17 – 1.4% probability – 60:1 reward.
Single Dice Picks
Single dice selections don’t care about the sum of the three dice. Instead, you want to see any number between one to six appear on at least one dice. If the number appears on more, you’ll get a better prize.
There’s a 34.72% probability your chosen number will appear on one dice, giving a 1:1 prize.
There’s a 6.94% probability your number will appear twice on the dice, with a 2:1 win ratio.
Lastly, there’s a rare 0.46% probability your number appears on all three dice, with a 3:1 win ratio.
Dice Combinations
From here, the playig options split into the many different combinations you can select. The simplest is just called the dice combination. This focuses on two dice, so you choose two different numbers and predict they’ll appear across them. Doing this gives you a 13.9% probability of winning, which would give a 6:1 prize.
Three Single Number Combinations
This combination pick has you choose three different numbers, predicting each of them will land across the three dice. This has a low 2.8% probability of happening but, if it does, then you can expect a 30:1 prize.
Specific Double & Single Combinations
This dice combination has you predict two numbers that’ll appear across two dice, like the standard combo choice. Then you predict a different number will show on the third die. This kind of prediction has a 1.4% probability of coming true, with a prize at 50:1 to 60:1 depending on the table’s house edge.
Four Number Combinations
Finally, the four number combination is where you predict that the three numbers follow a specific order. It’s called the four number combination because you’re aiming to land inside a combination of four numbers, but you can only get three of them. Those combinations are:
- 6, 5, 3, 2
- 6, 5, 4, 3
- 5, 4, 3, 2
- wa4, 3, 2, 1
Most of them count downwards, so if you go for 4, 3, 2, 1 and landed 4, 3, 2 or 3, 2, 1, you win. There’s an 11.1% probability of that happening, giving a 7:1 reward ratio.
With that, we’ve covered all the possible choices you can make at a Sic Bo table. Now that you know how the game works, you may want to put that knowledge to use. At McLuck.com, we have live Sic Bo lobbies where you can do just that, so consider checking them out.
