Sic Bo is one of the oldest games of chance in the world but it remains a favourite of gamblers at real casinos and online casinos. Popular across Asia and gradually gaining players across the world, the game is all about betting on the outcome of three rolled die. Sounds simple, but what are the rules, odds and strategy behind playing sic bo online.

[Casino Table]

[Content Table]

History Of Sic Bo

Sic bo can be traced back in history as far as Ancient China, making it one of the oldest games available to play online today. Sic bo literally translates to mean “precious dice” and it has been one of the mainstays of gambling tradition in Asia, known as dai siu in the casinos of Macau and as hi-lo in the Philippines. The game made its way to America along with the influx of Chinese immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century and, in more recent times, the game was deemed suitable for legal gambling in licensed UK casinos. Now, you don’t even need to leave your home to play sic bo online since you can play the dice game at one of the following top approved casino sites:

You Can Play For Free

The gameplay of sic bo is deceptively simple. All the game involves is the roll of three dice with bets placed on the outcome of the combined values. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, not entirely. That is because there are many different winning combinations and, as such, many different payouts and sic bo odds to get your head around. So, it might be worth having a spin or two of sic bo online for free to become familiar with the various ways to win and the size of the payouts that could come your way. This could also help you begin to get an inkling of the sic bo strategy as you start to weigh up the real probability of winning rolls and the odds that are paid out. Why not have a roll for free with this demo version of sic bo online.

Sic Bo Table Layout

At first glance, the sic bo table might appear to be very confusing since there is quite a lot going on. This isn’t necessarily helped by the fact that the table layout can vary depending on where you play sic bo online. That said, the vast majority of tables with a sic bo layout will be fairly intuitive, showing the various dice combinations along with the potential payouts to a wager of 1.

So Simple Rules

The rules of online sic bo are pretty straightforward. The player places a wager on the outcome of the roll and the dealer then rolls three dice in a small chest. Once the dealer has finishing shaking the dice, they open the chest to reveal the combination. If a player has successfully predicted the roll of the dice, they win a payout according to the following table:

Type Wager Probability Odds in UK Odds in New Zealand Odds in Macau Actual odds
Big The sum of the three dice will be from 11 to 17 (excludes triple) 48.6% 1/1 1/1 1/1 37/35
Small The sum of the three dice will be from 4 to 10 (excludes triple) 48.6% 1/1 1/1 1/1 37/35
Odd The sum of the three dice will be odd (excludes triple) 48.6% 1/1 1/1 37/35
Even The sum of the three dice will be odd (excludes triple) 48.6% 1/1 1/1 37/35
Specific Triples A chosen number will appear on all three dice 0.46% 180/1 180/1 150/1 215/1
Specific Doubles A chosen number will appear on at least two dice 7.41% 10/1 11/1 8/1 25/2
Any Triples Any triple will appear 2.8% 30/1 31/1 24/1 35/1
Three Dice total   (the three dice will add up to one of two chosen values) 4 or 17 1.4% 60/1 62/1 50/1 71/1
5 or 16 2.8% 30/1 31/1 18/1 35/1
6 or 15 4.6% 18/1 18/1 14/1 103/5
7 or 14 6.9% 12/1 12/1 12/1 67/5
8 or 13 9.7% 8/1 8/1 8/1 65/7
9 or 12 11.6% 7/1 7/1 6/1 191/25
10 or 11 12.5% 6/1 6/1 6/1 7/1
Dice combinations Two dice will appear with a chosen combination of two different numbers 13.9% 6/1 6/1 5/1 31/5
Single Dice Bet A chosen number from 1 to 6 will appear on one, two to three dice 1: 34.72% 2. 6.94% 3. 0.46% 1: 1/1 2: 2/1 3. 3/1 1: 1/1 2. 2/1 3. 12/1 1. 1/1 2. 2/1 3. 3/1 1. 557/235 2. 557/67 3. 8355/67
Four Number Combination Three numbers will appear from a specific four number combination. 11.1% 7/1 7/1 7/1 8/1
Three Single Number Combination A specific combination of three different numbers will be rolled 2.8% 30/1 30/1 35/1
Specific Double and Single Number Combination A specific double will appear and the third dice will show a specific number 1.4% 50/1 60/1 71/1

As you can see, there are plenty of different ways to wager and plenty of different ways to win when playing sic bo online. As such, your sic bo strategy can range from the safe option of betting on potential payouts with even odds or, alternatively, you can opt to go for the big wins with the chance to win 180x your stake on a specific triple.

Different Styles

It is worth noting how different styles of the game offer different odds on the various payouts. Normally this is determined by where you play sic bo at a real casino, with games played in the casinos of Macau offering shorter odds on the same dice rolls as you would find in the UK. When it comes to playing sic bo online, you’ll have to keep an eye on the odds that are involved in the game you are playing. Luckily, all of the potential payouts will be available to view in the sic bo layout on the game screen, allowing you to easily figure out the sic bo strategy that you would like to employ. The beauty of playing sic bo online lies in the dice game’s sheer simplicity. As such, gamblers won’t come across too many extravagant extra features. If you are in the market for something different, however, you can check out a similar game known as chuck a luck. This game, also known as birdcage, is played with three dice with wagers placed on the possible outcomes of three dice when a wire-frame hourglass is rotated.

What’s The Plan?

As with any gambling game, players of sic bo online might like to go into the game with a plan. And, just like any gambling game, a sic bo strategy will never guarantee that you win more more than the casino over a prolonged period of time. Nevertheless, you might like to consider some different playing strategies depending on the kind of player that you are, with punters after some small and steady gains encouraged to go for the even odds on outcomes such as big, small, odd or even. You might even employ a Martingale progression system or a more complex Labouchere strategy when playing with even odds; interesting as they are, both of these sic bo strategy systems will not eradicate the house edge. If your more of a jackpot hunter than a “slow and steady wins the race” kind of player, then you might be tempted by the bigger odds on less likely outcomes. At 180/1 – or 150/1 in some casinos – betting on a specific triple being rolled might seem like a long shot. However, there could be a good chance to cover this risky wager by placing some other bets on the same roll. So, imagine a scenario where you want to place a single unit bet that three sixes are rolled at 180/1 with a real probability of 0.46%. You could place another single unit stake that a double of sixes appear at odds of 10/1 with a 7.41% probability with three units that a single six appears at odds of 1/1 with a 34.72% probability. With five units at stake, there is a 1 in 3 chance that at least one six will appear to double those three units on that bet and return an overall profit. And there’s always a chance that a double or triple will appear on the sic bo dice for some huge returns. One of the most important things to keep in mind when thinking about a sic bo strategy is that the game is completely determined by chance. In other words, don’t fall into the gambler’s fallacy where you think that the last roll of the dice will somehow influence the outcome of the next roll. This is likely to happen when a triple roll occurs – because it is such an unlikely event, it seems even more unlikely that the next roll will be a triple so you might be tempted to alter you bet accordingly. However, the reality is that the probability of a triple appearing on the next roll is exactly the same. This is even more pertinent when playing online sic bo at licensed casino sites since the outcome of the dice is 100% random and not potentially corrupted.

Final Thoughts On Sic Bo

There are loads of different sic bo tips out there to try out, but the most important thing to remember is that the game is designed primarily for entertainment and not to turn players into millionaires. After all, the odds are always in the casino’s favour. The good thing about sic bo online, however, is that you have more freedom to choose the game that you play, meaning that you can play with the best possible odds to match your sic bo strategy.