Three dice, multiple bet types. Big/small, totals, triples, doubles.
Sic Bo (literally "precious dice" in Cantonese) is a 3-dice casino game popular in macau, vegas asian gaming pits, and increasingly in online casinos. The dealer rolls three dice in a sealed cup; the table has dozens of bet types covering totals, specific triples, doubles, big/small, and combinations.
It looks intimidating because the felt has 50+ different bet boxes, but most of them are sucker bets with 18-29% house edge. The only bets worth making are Big (11-17 not triple, ~2.78% edge) and Small (4-10 not triple, ~2.78% edge).
Triples pay 180:1 but hit 1 in 216 — house edge ~30%. Specific number combinations and doubles are similar traps. The game is fun to watch but mathematically punishing for the casual bettor.
| Big (11-17, no triple) | 1:1 (2.78% edge) |
| Small (4-10, no triple) | 1:1 (2.78% edge) |
| Specific double (e.g. two 4s) | 10:1 (18.5% edge) |
| Any triple | 30:1 (13.9% edge) |
| Specific triple (e.g. three 4s) | 180:1 (16.2% edge) |
| Total = 4 or 17 | 60:1 (15.3% edge) |
| Total = 9, 10, 11, 12 | 6:1 (12.5% edge) |
Stick to Big/Small. Everything else is a higher-edge bet that the casino dresses up to look exciting. Sic Bo is essentially a 3-dice version of craps with worse odds.
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Sic Bo (Chinese for "precious dice") is a three-dice game with dozens of possible bets ranging from 1:1 even-money totals to 180:1 specific triples. House edges range from 2.78% on the best bets to 30%+ on the worst. Like Roulette in its variety, Sic Bo demands attention to bet selection — pick the wrong bets and the math is brutal.
The dealer shakes three dice in a covered shaker; bets are placed on the felt covering many possible outcomes; the dice are revealed and winning bets paid. Common bet types: Big (total 11-17, loses on any triple) and Small (4-10, loses on triples) — both pay 1:1; Specific Triple (e.g., three 4s) pays 180:1; Any Triple pays 30:1; Single Die (your number appears 0-3 times) pays 1:1, 2:1, or 3:1; Two-Dice Combo, Total bets (4 through 17 at varying payouts).
Stick to Big/Small (1.39% edge) and Specific Total bets at 9-12 (~3-7% edge). Avoid Specific Triple at 180:1 (16.2% edge), Any Triple at 30:1 (13.9% edge), and most "Any" / "Combo" bets. The optimal-EV bet on the layout is Big or Small. Like roulette, "trend" betting based on past results is gambler's fallacy.
Big/Small math: 108 ways to roll Small (4-10) without triples + 108 Big (11-17) without triples + 6 triples (loses both Big and Small) out of 216 total outcomes. P(Big win) = P(Small win) = 108/216 = 50% gross, minus the triple-exclusion = ~48.6% per side; at 1:1 payout, expected return = 48.6% × 2 = 0.972, a 2.78% house edge. Specific Triple: 1/216 hit rate × 181 payout = 0.838, a 16.2% edge.
Sic Bo originated in ancient China and was traditionally played with three dice in a shaker. Macau casinos featured it prominently; Western casinos adopted it in the 20th century to attract Asian high rollers. The name literally means "precious dice."
| Bet | Payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Big (11-17, no triple) | 1:1 | 2.78% edge |
| Small (4-10, no triple) | 1:1 | 2.78% edge |
| Any Triple | 30:1 | ~13.9% edge |
| Specific Triple | 180:1 | ~16.2% edge — worst common bet |
| Total of 10 or 11 | 6:1 | ~12.5% edge |
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