Sic Bo is a dice game that’s very popular in the Asian gaming sections of casinos around the world. Essentially, it’s a game of chance; there’s no way to influence the dice or strategically bet to overcome the house edge. However, not every bet at the Sic Bo table has the same advantage for the casino, so Sic Bo strategy comes down to which bets are the best ones to make for the player, and which ones simply make the house a ton of money.
One of the challenges to analyzing Sic Bo is that different casinos offer different odds on the same bets, often varying wildly from one location to the next. Usually, these distinctions are regional; for instance, the casinos in Atlantic City generally offer the same odds as each other, but these odds are very different from those in Macau. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be talking about the Atlantic City odds, though you might find even better odds at your favorite online casino.
Sic Bo Bets
The best bets on the table for the player are the Small and Big bets. These bets pay even money if they win. The small bet wins if the three dice add up to a total of 4-10, while the big bet wins if the total is 11-17. The house edge of 2.78% comes from the fact that the player loses on a three-of-a-kind. These bets should form the core of any good Sic Bo strategy, as they usually carry the lowest house edge by a wide margin.
The next best bet is the Any Number bet. When a player makes this bet, he picks any number of the die between 1 and 6, and the player wins if that number shows up on any of the three dice. How much the player wins depends on how often the number comes out. If the number shows up on one die, it pays even money; if on two dice, 2-1, and if the number comes up on all three dice, it pays 3-1. The house edge on this bet is about 7.9%.
Players can also make bets on specific numbers coming out on each roll as part of their Sic Bo strategy. Some of these bets are better than others. We’ve listed the bets in order, from best to worst for the player; both the odds offered by the casino and the house edge are listed below.
7, 14: 12-1 (9.7% house edge)
8, 13: 8-1 (12.5%)
10, 11: 6-1 (12.5%)
5, 16: 30-1 (13.9%)
4, 17: 60-1 (15.3%)
6, 15: 17-1 (16.7%)
9, 12: 6-1 (19.0%)
Other Sic Bo bets carry large house edges, and shouldn’t usually be a part of your Sic Bo strategy. The Triple bet pays 180-1 if a specific three-of-a-kind comes out, but carries a house edge of over 16.2%. Any Triple is a similar bet that pays 30-1 if any three-of-a-kind is rolled, with a house edge of 13.9%. A Double wins 10-1 if two of a specific number are rolled; the advantage for the casino is 18.5%. Finally, betting on any two die combination (such as 1-2, or 3-6) pays 5-1 if those two numbers are rolled, with a house edge of 16.7%.
The best way to increase your chances of winning at Sic Bo is to find a casino that offers a generous pay table. With that in mind, check out your favorite online casinos to see which ones offer the best odds. Any Sic Bo strategy will be much more effective when you get paid more for winning the same bets.