Sic Bo Game
Although Sic Bo is an interesting and enjoyable casino game, unfortunately, it has become one of the lesser known casino games. In this article, I’d like to discuss some of the specific rules and bets associated with the game of Sic Bo. Live Sic Bo is a live dealer offering of the dice game that has been growing in popularity over the years. Live Sic Bo is going to be one of the more difficult live dealer games to find though, so don’t expect to see it everywhere. However, it is still worth keeping an eye out for if you love playing Sic Bo at a land-based casino, or online. Sic Bo is a three-dice casino game that plays more or less like Craps or Chuck-a-Luck, but with a couple of adjustments. Learning to play this game takes an average reader a few minutes to understand the rules and layout, with its associated payoffs. This game is developed from an ancient Chinese dice game. Overview of the Game. Sic Bo, meaning 'dice pair' is an ancient Chinese gambling game. It is very popular in Macau, in my estimation second to baccarat only. In the United States is often found in the Asian gaming rooms, especially in Atlantic City. The large Las Vegas properties will usually have one table in the general casino.
Rules and Strategies for
Sic Bo
We are quite used to the game of Craps, that uses two dice. It's challenging enough to find winning strategies with two dice, considering all dice combinations. How about an interesting game that uses three dice? The combinations would be much more intriguing, wouldn't they?
I'm referring to the game called 'Sic Bo', that uses three dice on a layout that is quite different than the Craps layout. Sic Bo has been recently popular in Casino of Montreal. Sic Bo is an ancient Chinese dice game still played in many southeast Asian countries, where it's known as big and small. Sic Bo is both exciting and easy to play, and offers players a wide variety of options. Payouts range from even money up to 150 to 1.
The betting options available at Sic Bo are formed by the various combinations obtained with three dice. These wagers and their payouts are reproduced on the gaming table. Players may wager on as many combinations as desired per game. The dice are shaken by dealer, by means of a vibrating platform under a round shape glass cover. After all bets have been made, the dealer activates the dice shaker. The outcome of each of the three dice appears on the display. At the same time, the spaces corresponding to the winning combinations light up on the table. The dealer then removes all losing bets from the table, such as in roulette, and proceeds to pay all winners.
There are 8 different ways you can bet.
1) You can bet on one number, which must appear on all three dice. This is called a Three of a Kind. Obviously, you have the least chances of hitting a winning bet, as there are 216 (6 X 6 X 6) dice combinations and only one of them can give you a 1,1,1 or 2,2,2 or 3,3,3 or 4,4,4 or 5,5,5 or 6,6,6. If you do win however, it pays 150 to 1. Considering your winning chances to be 1 out of 216, this gives the casino a huge advantage.
2) You can bet on one number, which must appear on two of the three dice. This is called a Two of a Kind, such as a 1,1 or 2,2 or 3,3 or 4,4 or 5,5, or 6,6. This pays 8 to 1, although your chances of winning is 5.82%, as there are 12 ways of making such a combination.
3) You can bet that the same number from 1 to 6 will appear on all three dice, such as either a 1,1,1 or 2,2,2 or 3,3,3 or 4,4,4 or 5,5,5 or 6,6,6. This is called Any Three of a Kind and it pays 24 to 1. You have 6 times more chances to win relative to the Three of a Kind. The probability is still 6 out of 216 or about 2.78%.
4) There is an area called Small, that pays even money, where you bet that the sum of the three dice will be equal to 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 excluding a Three of a Kind. That's why the 3 (3 ones) is not a winning bet, neither are the hardways 6 and 9, which provides the casino edge.
5) Similarly, there is an area called Big, that also pays even money, where you bet that the sum of the three dice will be equal to 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 excluding a Three of a Kind. That's why the 18 (3 sixes) is not a winning bet, neither are the hardways 12 and 15, which again provides the casino edge.
6) On the Sic Bo layout, there is a wide area with the numbers 4 to 17 written on them. Those numbers correspond to the sum of the three dice. So, you bet on a number from 4 to 17, which are the sum of all 3 dice and the payout table is as follows:
If the sum is 4, winning bets are paid 50 to 1;
If the sum is 5, winning bets are paid 30 to 1;
If the sum is 6, winning bets are paid 18 to 1;
If the sum is 7, winning bets are paid 12 to 1;
If the sum is 8, winning bets are paid 8 to 1;
If the sum is 9, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;
If the sum is 10, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;
If the sum is 11, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;
If the sum is 12, winning bets are paid 6 to 1;
If the sum is 13, winning bets are paid 8 to 1;
If the sum is 14, winning bets are paid 12 to 1;
If the sum is 15, winning bets are paid 18 to 1;
If the sum is 16, winning bets are paid 30 to 1;
If the sum is 17, winning bets are paid 50 to 1;
You can see the symmetrical pattern of payouts, depending on the dice combinations and their probability of appearance, always with an edge on the casino side, of course.
7) You can bet on two different numbers, which must appear on at least two of the three dice. This bet is called Duo, and it pays 5 to 1. The dice combinations you can bet on are: 1,2 or 1,3 or 1,4 or 1,5 or 1,6 or 2,3 or 2,4 or 2,5 or 2,6 or 3,4 or 3,5 or 3,6 or 4,5 or 4,6 or 5,6, as long as the two numbers are not the same.
8) And the last type of bet is called a simple One of a Kind, where you bet on a single number that must appear on one, two or all three dice. This is shown in the layout as the dice face 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6.
The payout table of this bet depends on the following:
If the number you chose appears on one of the three dice, you are paid even;
If the number you chose appears on two of the three dice, you are paid 2 to 1;
If the number you chose appears on three of the three dice, you are paid 3 to 1.
The game is called Sic Bo, meaning Small Big, probably because of the type of bets that pay even - types 4 and 5 above, which could be attractive to bet using our even money bet strategies (Superior Roulette, Reward, etc.). What we need to determine is the percentage of the casino edge, in order to compare this type of bet to Baccarat or Roulette.
Taking the Small bet, we can see that half of all dice combinations will give us a 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10. If we exclude the Three of a Kind, we are excluding the 1,1,1, the 2,2,2 and the 3,3,3. Therefore, we are excluding 3 possibilities out of 108 (216/2). In other words our chances of winning is 105 out of 216 or 48.61%.
Comparing this to roulette, our chances of winning on even bets are 18 out of 37 or 48.64% on a single zero wheel and 18 out of 38 or 47.37% on a double zero wheel. So playing Sic Bo on even money bets such as Small Big is comparable to single zero roulette, the Three of a Kind decision acting as a zero.
So we can easily use any even bet strategy that we have developed for Roulette, that performs even better for single zero wheels.
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The game of Sic Bo has its roots in China. The words Sic Bo means a pair of dice. Sic Bo retains its originality and is played with three dice. According to history, the game of Sic Bo was played with some bricks. An overturned bowl and two plates are placed and the bricks are tumbled between them. This eventually transformed to cage shaker and dice. The dice version has become exceedingly popular in casinos today.
The ancient version of the game Sic Bo was also called Tai Sai meaning Lucky Dice. Sic Bo was called Hi Lo in Philippines. The game was also very popular in Macau and was called Dai Siu which means Big Small. The game of Sic Bo also bears resemblance to the English game of Grand Hazard.
Sic Bo was widely played in the southeast region especially China, Asia and Korea. Migration from one region to the other popularized the game in the west. Today Sic Bo is played in casinos all over the world.
How you play Sic Bo
The players have to bet on the result of the three dice. There are multiple combinations that are possible. The outcome can include single numbers, two, or three kinds of numbers. Sic Bo pays high odds for a triple. The odds are as high as 180 to 1. If the bet is on a single dice, the payout is 1 to 1.
Payout is 1 to 1 if player opts for Small Bets and Big Bets. For small bets the sum of the three dice has to be between 4 and 10, while for the Big Bets the sum has to be between 11 and 17.
Modern Sic Bo is played on a special table that has the pictorial depiction of the 50 probable bets. Players have to place their bets on a chosen section of the table. The dealer tumbles the dice in a basket. The winning combinations are highlighted.
The winners are handed the payouts and the unsuccessful bets are removed. To make the game of Sic Bo fair, the dice are rolled on a cage shaped like an egg-timer. The results are displayed as the cage ceases to stop.
Sic Bo has excited people from the day it was invented. The lights, the color, and sounds draw people to the casinos. Sic Bo was so popular in ancient times that it was one of the Big Four Chinese games. It was categorized as a Fortune game. Ancient people used to test themselves rather than winning money, which is the prime motive these days.
Rules of the Ancient Game of Sic Bo
Sic Bo originated in ancient China, and essentially means “dice pair”. Although Sic Bo is an interesting and enjoyable casino game, unfortunately, it has become one of the lesser known casino games. In this article, I’d like to discuss some of the specific rules and bets associated with the game of Sic Bo.
Sic Bo begins with the rolling of three dice. If players correctly guess the outcome of these dice, they win money corresponding to their particular bets. Winning bets include correctly guessing individual dice numbers, double dice numbers, triple dice numbers, the total sum of the three dice, etc.
After the three dice get shuffled and rolled around, they are then shown to the betting players. After the dealer enters the results, the winning combinations are then displayed on the large and colorful Sic Bo table. Lets take a closer look at some of the winning bets in the game of Sic Bo.
Winning Bets In The Game Of Sic Bo
One To Six: Players may choose any individual number between 1 and 6. If the individual number you have selected only appears once, you are paid at the rate of 1:1. If the individual number you chose appears twice, you are paid at the rate of 2:1. Finally, if the individual number you have selected appears three times, you are paid at the rate of 3:1.
- Four: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 4. At most casinos, this pays 60 to 1.
- Five: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 5. At most casinos, this pays 30 to 1.
- Six: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 6. At most casinos, this pays 17 to 1.
- Seven: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 7. At most casinos, this pays 12 to 1.
- Eight: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 8. At most casinos, this pays 8 to 1.
- Nine: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 9. At most casinos, this pays 6 to 1.
- Ten: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 10. At most casinos, this pays 6 to 1.
- Eleven: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 11. At most casinos, this pays 6 to 1.
- Twelve: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 12. At most casinos, this pays 6 to 1.
- Thirteen: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 13. At most casinos, this pays 8 to 1.
- Fourteen: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 14. At most casinos, this pays 12 to 1.
- Fifteen: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 15. At most casinos, this pays 17 to 1.
- Sixteen: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 16. At most casinos, this pays 30 to 1.
- Seventeen: The player wins if the total of the three dice equals 17. At most casinos, this pays 50 to 1.
- Small: The player wins if the total of the three dice is between 4 and 10 (excluding a triple one, two or three). Pays at the rate of 1 to 1.
- Big: The player wins if the total of the three dice is between 11 and 17 (except for triple four and five). Also pays at the rate of 1 to 1.
Sic Bo Game
Two of a kind: Players may make bets on any of the 15 possible two dice combinations showing up in the winning results (for example a 5 and 4). At most casinos, wins are paid at the rate of 5:1.
Double: If a player can guess a specific pair of numbers that appear in the winning results, they have won a doubles bet (for example two 2’s). At most casinos, wins are paid at the rate of 10:1.
A Specific Triple: To win a specific triple bet, players must correctly guess on a specific triple appearing in the results. If all three dice match the players bet, they are paid at an extremely generous rate. At most casinos, a specific triple pays at the rate of 180:1.
Any Triple: If a triple combination appears on the Sic Bo table, then a player wins the any triple bet. At most casinos, any triple pays at the rate of 30:1.
If you want to give Sic Bo a try, I encourage most beginning players to mostly place bets on 1:1 bets, as these offer most players a greatest chance of winning.
W Me A Picture Of Sic Bo Game
If you don’t mind placing risky bets in the hope of winning a lot of money, then maybe you’d like to place a bet on any specific triple, as you will win 180 times your money back.
Sic Bo Game
Even though Sic Bo may seem like a strange game that is hard to understand, its really quite a simple game if you take the time to understand the rules.