To play sic bo, you place chips on the betting layout, the dealer or game software rolls three dice, and every bet that matches the result is paid while the rest are collected. There are no cards, no hands and no choices to make once the dice are rolling. The decisions that matter are which bets you pick and at which table: big, small, odd and even cost 2.78% of each stake over the long run, while most other bets on a standard layout cost between 8% and 19%.
Every figure in this guide is worked out from the 216 possible results of three dice. For head-to-head bet selection, see our sic bo strategy guide. For tables with non-standard payouts, see sic bo variants.
What is the game of sic bo?
Sic bo is a Chinese dice game in which players bet on the result of a single roll of three dice. It is also known as tai sai or dai siu, both meaning "big small," and as hi-lo. The English pub games chuck-a-luck and grand hazard are close relatives.
It is a fixture of Asian casino floors and is widely available online as a software game and as a live-dealer stream. The whole game fits in one sentence: bet, roll, settle.
What sic bo has and lacks, compared with other table games:
- No player decisions after betting. You cannot hit, stand, draw or press a bet once the dice are rolling.
- One roll per round. Every bet settles on the same three dice. Nothing carries over the way a craps point does.
- Fixed payouts. Each bet pays a posted multiple of your stake. The table does not take a commission.
- Independent rolls. A dice roll has no memory. The last 20 results do not change the next one.
How to play sic bo: one round, step by step
A sic bo round follows the same sequence at a casino table, a live stream or an online game.
- Check the limits and the paytable. The table minimum, maximum and payout for each bet are printed on the layout or shown in the game's information panel. Payouts differ between games, so read them before your first bet.
- Place chips before betting closes. You can back one bet or several. At live tables a countdown timer shows how long betting stays open.
- The dice are rolled. At land-based and live tables the dealer shakes three dice in a covered shaker, usually a clear dome or an automatic shaker. In software games, a random number generator produces the three results.
- The result is shown. The three faces and their total are displayed, and many games light up the winning areas of the layout.
- Bets are settled. Winning bets are paid at the posted rate and keep the original stake. Losing bets are collected.
- The next round opens. You can leave chips in place, move them or remove them.
Worked example: three bets, two rolls
Say you stake $10 on Small, $5 on Total 9 (paying 6:1) and $5 on the single number 4 (paying 1:1 for one match, 2:1 for two, 3:1 for three).
Roll 2-3-4, total 9:
- Small wins because 9 falls in the 4–10 range: +$10
- Total 9 wins at 6:1: +$30
- Single number 4 appears once, paying 1:1: +$5
- Net result: +$45
- Small loses on both the total and the triple rule: −$10
- Total 9 loses: −$5
- Single number 4 appears three times, paying 3:1: +$15
- Net result: $0
The 216 dice outcomes behind every sic bo bet
Three six-sided dice produce 6 × 6 × 6 = 216 equally likely results when each die is counted separately. So 1-2-3 and 3-2-1 are different outcomes. Every payout on the layout can be priced by counting how many of the 216 results win it.
| Total | Ways to roll it | Chance per roll |
|---|---|---|
| 3 or 18 | 1 each | 0.46% |
| 4 or 17 | 3 each | 1.39% |
| 5 or 16 | 6 each | 2.78% |
| 6 or 15 | 10 each | 4.63% |
| 7 or 14 | 15 each | 6.94% |
| 8 or 13 | 21 each | 9.72% |
| 9 or 12 | 25 each | 11.57% |
| 10 or 11 | 27 each | 12.50% |
Counts are our own enumeration of all 216 ordered three-dice outcomes. Each row covers two totals that mirror each other, so 4 and 17 each have three ways. Totals include any triple that makes them, such as 3-3-3 for 9.
Four counts come up again and again on the layout:
- Any specific triple (for example 5-5-5): 1 way in 216
- Any of the six triples: 6 ways in 216, or 2.78%
- A specific number on at least two dice: 16 ways in 216
- A specific number on at least one die: 91 ways in 216, or 42.1%
Why big and small lose when a triple rolls
Big and small each look like a coin flip, and they are not. Small wins on totals 4 to 10, Big on 11 to 17, and both lose on any triple, even when the total falls inside the range.
Count Small's outcomes:
- Totals 4 to 10 cover 107 of the 216 results.
- Two of those are triples, 2-2-2 (total 6) and 3-3-3 (total 9), and both lose.
- That leaves 105 winning outcomes and 111 losing ones.
Sic bo bets on the layout, explained
A standard sic bo layout groups its bets into seven families. The names below are the common English labels. Some games use Chinese terms or slightly different wording.
- Small and Big. Small wins on a total of 4–10, Big on 11–17, and both lose on any triple. Both pay 1:1. Example: 1-4-5 (total 10) wins Small.
- Odd and Even. These bet on the total being odd or even, lose on any triple, and pay 1:1. Not every table offers them. Example: 2-3-6 (total 11) wins Odd.
- Total (sum) bets. These bet on the exact total of the three dice, from 4 to 17. Payouts range from 6:1 on the common totals to 60:1 on 4 and 17. Example: Total 7 wins on 1-2-4, 1-1-5, 2-2-3 and every other arrangement adding to 7.
- Single number (one die). You pick a face from 1 to 6. The bet pays 1:1 if it shows on one die, 2:1 on two and 3:1 on all three on a common paytable, and loses if the number does not appear.
- Two-dice combination (domino). You pick two different numbers, such as 2 and 5. The bet wins if both appear anywhere in the roll and usually pays 5:1. Each layout carries 15 of these pairs.
- Specific double. You pick a number, and the bet wins if at least two dice show it. A common payout is 10:1. A roll of 6-6-6 also wins a specific-double bet on 6 under standard rules.
- Any triple and specific triple. Any triple wins if all three dice match, whatever the number, and commonly pays 30:1. A specific triple names the number, such as 4-4-4, and commonly pays 180:1.
"To 1" versus "for 1" on the paytable
Most sic bo layouts quote payouts as "to 1," meaning you get your winnings plus your stake back. A few online games quote "for 1," which includes the stake in the figure. 6 for 1 equals 5 to 1. Read the wording before comparing two tables, or a worse payout can look like a better one.
Sic bo payout and house-edge table
The table below prices every standard bet on a common paytable. House edge is the share of each stake the casino keeps over the long run. At 2.78% that is about $2.78 per $100 wagered, not per $100 you bring to the table.
| Bet | Wins on | Common payout | Winning outcomes (of 216) | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small / Big | Total 4–10 / 11–17, no triple | 1:1 | 105 | 2.78% |
| Odd / Even | Odd / even total, no triple | 1:1 | 105 | 2.78% |
| Single number | Number on 1, 2 or 3 dice | 1:1 / 2:1 / 3:1 | 91 | 7.87% |
| Total 7 or 14 | Exact total | 12:1 | 15 | 9.72% |
| Total 10 or 11 | Exact total | 6:1 | 27 | 12.50% |
| Total 8 or 13 | Exact total | 8:1 | 21 | 12.50% |
| Total 5 or 16 | Exact total | 30:1 | 6 | 13.89% |
| Any triple | All three dice match | 30:1 | 6 | 13.89% |
| Total 4 or 17 | Exact total | 60:1 | 3 | 15.28% |
| Specific triple | Three of your number | 180:1 | 1 | 16.20% |
| Two-dice combination | Both chosen numbers appear | 5:1 | 30 | 16.67% |
| Total 6 or 15 | Exact total | 17:1 | 10 | 16.67% |
| Specific double | Two or more of your number | 10:1 | 16 | 18.52% |
| Total 9 or 12 | Exact total | 6:1 | 25 | 18.98% |
House edges are our derivations from the 216 equally likely outcomes, using the total paytable of 60-30-17-12-8-6-6 that is common on land-based layouts. Your table's payouts may differ. Where they do, the edge changes with them.
If you want the math: the edge on any fixed-payout bet is 1 − (payout + 1) × wins ÷ 216. For a specific triple at 180:1, 181 × 1 ÷ 216 = 0.838, so the edge is 16.2%. For a single number, add the three cases: 75 outcomes show the number once (+1), 15 show it twice (+2) and 1 shows it three times (+3). The 125 outcomes without it lose one unit each. That gives (75 + 30 + 3 − 125) ÷ 216 = −7.87%.
How much does the paytable change the edge?
A single payout step can move a bet a long way, because a rare outcome carries so much of its value. The same formula applied to payouts found at different sic bo tables gives these results:
| Bet | Lower payout → edge | Common payout → edge | Higher payout → edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific triple | 150:1 → 30.09% | 180:1 → 16.20% | 190:1 → 11.57% |
| Any triple | 24:1 → 30.56% | 30:1 → 13.89% | — |
| Specific double | 8:1 → 33.33% | 10:1 → 18.52% | 11:1 → 11.11% |
| Two-dice combination | — | 5:1 → 16.67% | 6:1 → 2.78% |
| Single number (three-match payout) | — | 3:1 → 7.87% | 12:1 → 3.70% |
Edges are our own calculations from the 216-outcome count. Paytables are set by each game provider and casino, so check the rules panel of the game in front of you.
This is why "the edge ranking never changes" is not a safe assumption. On a generous online paytable, a two-dice combination at 6:1 costs the same 2.78% as Big. On a tight land-based paytable, the same bet costs 16.67%. The sic bo variants guide compares tables side by side.
What are the best bets in sic bo?
On a standard paytable, the best bets in sic bo are Big, Small, Odd and Even at 2.78%. Every other bet on a common layout costs at least 7.87%, and most cost 12% or more.
Expected cost per $100 wagered on a common paytable:
- Big / Small / Odd / Even: about $2.78
- Single number: about $7.87
- Total 7 or 14: about $9.72
- Total 10 or 11: about $12.50
- Any triple: about $13.89
- Specific triple: about $16.20
- Specific double: about $18.52
Both approaches are coherent, as long as you know what the higher-paying bets cost. The one approach with no support in the math is treating a 60:1 payout as a bargain because the number is large.
How sic bo's best bet compares with other games, using each game's standard rules:
- European roulette even-money bets: 2.70%, from 1 ÷ 37 (see our roulette rules guide)
- Sic bo Big/Small: 2.78%
- Craps pass line: 1.41%, with a zero-edge odds bet behind it (see how to play craps)
What are some common sic bo mistakes?
The most expensive sic bo mistakes come from reading the table wrong, not from bad luck. These are the ones that cost beginners most:
- Assuming every table pays the same. As the paytable section shows, one bet can cost anywhere from 2.78% to over 30% depending on the game. Check payouts before you sit down.
- Confusing "for 1" with "to 1." A payout quoted "for 1" includes your stake and is one unit worse than it looks.
- Covering both Big and Small. You win one and lose the other on most rolls, and you lose both whenever a triple lands. The result is a slow loss at the 2.78% rate with no chance of profit.
- Buying Any Triple as insurance for Big or Small. The triple bet costs 13.89% on its own. Adding it raises the average cost of the whole position.
- Reading the results board. Many live and land-based tables display recent results. Those rolls have no effect on the next one, and a total that has not appeared for 40 rounds is no more likely to show next.
- Running a betting system. Martingale and similar progressions change the size and order of your bets, not the edge on each one. Our roulette systems breakdown covers the same math, and it applies to sic bo unchanged.
- Using sic bo to clear a casino bonus. Low-edge table games often count for a reduced share of bonus wagering. Read the contribution table in the bonus terms before you rely on sic bo play to meet a requirement.
If sic bo sessions are running longer or costing more than you planned, our responsible gambling guide covers deposit limits, time limits and where to find support.
How online and live sic bo tables differ
Online sic bo comes in three main forms, and the rules for each bet stay the same across all of them. What changes is speed, stake size and, on some games, the paytable.
| Format | How the dice are rolled | Pace | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| RNG (software) sic bo | Random number generator produces three results | Settles as fast as you click | Paytable and "to/for 1" wording |
| Live dealer sic bo | Physical dice in a shaker, streamed from a studio | About one round per minute, with a betting timer | Paytable, table limits, results board |
| Live multiplier sic bo | Physical dice, plus random multipliers added to some bets each round | Similar to live, with a short multiplier reveal | Published RTP in the game info, reduced base payouts |
Pace and features vary by provider and table; the game's information panel is the authoritative source for its paytable and RTP.
The key differences in practice:
- RNG tables usually have the lowest minimum stakes and the fastest rounds. Faster rounds mean more money wagered per hour, so the same 2.78% edge costs more per session.
- Live tables use real dice you can watch. That matters to some players, but a real die roll and a certified random number generator give the same odds.
- Multiplier variants lower the base payouts on some bets to fund occasional large multipliers. The result is much bigger swings and often a slightly different overall return, published as an RTP figure in the game rules. This works the same way as multiplier roulette. Read the published RTP before assuming the standard edges above still apply.
Compare bet-by-bet costs and when a combination bet is worth considering in our sic bo strategy guide.