How to Play Sic Bo

Learning how to play Sic Bo will take the average reader no more than a few minutes to understand the rules and get an overview of the game and its associated payoffs. Although developed from an ancient Chinese dice game, today Sic Bo is played in countries all over the world, sometimes under the name Small and Big.

Sic Bo is found at many casinos in the United States, usually with a 46 or 50 bet layout. TCS John Huxley, based in London, is a worldwide gaming manufacturer, and their Sic Bo tables and layouts are found in many casinos. They provide electronic-aided layouts that read the dice and light-up the many winning bets for each shake of the dice. Their table layouts come in two styles, the traditional 50 bets as well as their SB-106 model with an additional 56 bets that include an odd and even bet, 4 dice combination bets and all 3-dice combinations.

Traditional Sic Bo is similar to Chuck-a-Luck and played on a gaming table with three dice. Bets are placed on one of the many bets on the layout before the dice are covered in a plastic cylinder and given a fair shake. When they are revealed, several of the wagering spots will be winners. Players are paid according to the odds listed on the layout.

Also like Chuck-a-Luck, the main bets on Sic Bo involve small numbers from 4-10, and big numbers from 11-17. Winning bets pay 1 to 1, or even money. The player wins when they choose small and the dice total is between 4 and 10. When the dice total 3 or 11-17, the player loses. This bet has a house edge of 2.78 percent. A bet on high wins when the dice total 11-17 and loses when the dice total 18 or 3-10. This bet has a house edge of 2.78.

Another simple bet on the Sic Bo layout is odd and even. Winning bets pay 1 to 1, or even money. The player loses any time a triple is shaken - all three dice the same. This bet has a house edge of 2.78 percent.

The other bets on Sic Bo carry a much larger house edge than the small - big and odd - even bets. These depend on the casino, but at Atlantic City casinos the odds range from approximately 8 percent to 19 percent. These bets are very similar to proposition bets at craps.

Players may bet on the total sum of all three dice, from 4 to 17. The payoffs depend on the casino, but generally run from 6 to 1 up to 50 to 1 for each of the 14 different bets.

Players may bet on any triple, usually at 30 to 1 odds, or choose a triple (111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666) at 180-1 odds.

Players may bet on a combination of two dice, such as 3 and 4, 1 and 3, etc. Winning bets pay 5 to 1. If the player chooses a matching pair of two dice (11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66) and the bet wins, the payoff is 10 to 1.

Players may also bet on a single number showing up on the dice. Choices are obviously 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, but the player is paid dependent on how many times the chosen number appears on the dice. If a player makes a wager on 3, and there is no 3 on any of the dice, the player loses. If a single 3 rolls, the player is paid 1 to 1. If two 3's roll, the player is paid 2 to 1. If three 3's roll, the player is paid 3 to 1.

When playing Sic Bo, keep in mind that the payoffs work a bit like Keno, in that the simple bets of odd - even and small - big have a small house advantage for a small payoff, but the higher payoff bets like triple 5's pays a large amount but the house edge is much higher. This means of course that if you keep to the small payoff bets you're likely to win more bets. If you only wager the high payoff bets you may place many bets without winning a single one.