If you’re looking for a fast-paced, exciting dice game, you definitely need to try your luck at Sic Bo. Having originated in China, as Keno did, it spread first to the United States of America and then to land-based and online casinos around the world.
Sic Bo was brought to the United States by the many Chinese individuals who immigrated to the country following the Civil War. The literal translation of the words is “precious dice” and once you’ve seen how much fun the game is you’ll understand why! Learn the basics below.
How Sic Bo Works
Sic Bo is pretty simple, and is completely based on chance. The game’s entertainment value comes from the thrill that you enjoy knowing anything could happen and could win you a sizable return. Basically, you bet on what you think 3 dice will display when they are rolled, by placing your chips on the appropriate area of the table. The dice are then thrown, either with random number generation or by a live online, or land-based dealer operating the special “dice shaker” device. There are 50 possible combinations, which are listed alongside the table for easy referencing as you play.
Different Sic Bo Bets
The fact that Sic Bo has so many fantasy sports betting options has led many players to draw parallels between it and Craps, that other great casino dice game. They are similar in this regard, but Craps involves slightly more strategy because of its 2 phases. In addition, Sic Bo has more possible outcomes because it uses 3 dice while Craps only uses 2. The different wagering options, and their probabilities of winning, are listed below. You can decide what to bet based on how much risk you want to take:
- Three of a Kind: The same number appears on each die; probability is 0.46%.
- Any Three of a Kind: any single number appears on all 3 dice; probability is 2.8% so it’s around 6 times more likely than a specific Three of a Kind roll but still very rare.
- Two of a Kind: A specific number lands on 2 of the dice; probability is 7.41%.
- Duo: 2 different pre-set numbers appear on at least 2 of the 3 dice; probability is 13.9%.
- One of a Kind: A specified number lands on 1 dice face; probability is 34.72%.
- Big and Small Bets: Sic Bo’s other names, Dai Siu and Dai Sai, translate as “Big or Small” and are named for these wagers. They pay even money, and refer to the bet being placed in the Big or Small area of the table. Big Bets predict that the dice total will be between 11 and 17, while Small Bets predict a total of between 4 and 10. Three of a Kind rolls are always disregarded; probability is 48.61%.
- Specific Totals: The 3 dice faces will add up to a pre-set number between 4 and 17. Probabilities vary with the total that is specified, and range from 1.4% for 4 or 17 to 12.5% for 10 or 11.
