How to play sic bo: the three-dice game explained

Sic bo is a fast dice game from China. Three dice are rolled and you bet on what will come up: the total, a particular number, a double or a triple.

There are lots of bets on the table, but only a few matter when you're starting out.

How to play

1. Place chips on one or more bets on the table.
2. The three dice are rolled.
3. Every bet that matches the result is paid. The rest are lost.

The bets and what they pay

The real odds

Three dice can land 216 ways. That makes the chances easy to work out:

• Small or Big: 105 of 216 rolls, about 48.6%. Triples are what tip it below 50%.
• Any triple: 6 of 216, about 1 in 36.
• A specific triple, such as three 6s: 1 in 216.
• A specific double: 16 of 216, about 1 in 13.5.

Best bets for beginners

Small and Big return the most over time, about 97 coins back for every 100 bet. Triples and single totals pay big but come up rarely, so they cost more in the long run. A simple approach is to bet mostly Small or Big and add the odd small bet on a double or a total for fun.

Myths to ignore

• Streaks: four Bigs in a row don't make Small more likely next. Each roll is independent.
• Hot numbers: every face has the same 1 in 6 chance on every die, every roll.

Practise free

Sic Bo on All In rolls the dice on our server and pays every bet on the table, with virtual coins only. It's a good way to learn the layout before you ever see it in a real casino.