Sic Bo (or “Small Big”) is an ancient Chinese dice game that is comparable to the big dice wheel gambling game found at many American festivals, but with more complexity and a wider range of bets. Considering the use of dice and ability to win some massive payouts – up to 150:1 on a single bet – Craps fans who would prefer a more straight-forward betting style may especially want to learn how to play Sic Bo.
Sic Bo Rules
The game of Sic Bo is played with nothing more than three 6-sided dice and a betting diagram. All three dice are rolled, using an automatic, vibrating, covered dice roller at live casinos. At online casinos, a random number generator influences the roll of the dice. The outcome of the dice determines winning and losing bets.
Sic Bo Bets
There are eight types of bets in Sic Bo. All bets and corresponding payouts are detailed below.
One of a Kind: A bet on a single number (1, 2, 3, 4 5 or 6) that the chosen number will appear on at least one of the three dice. If 1 of the dice reveals the chosen number, the bet is paid 1-to-1. If two dice roll your number, the bet is paid 2-to-1. If all three dice reveal your chosen number, the bet is paid 3-to-1.
Duo: This bet is made by selecting any two numbers from 1 thru 6, so long as they are not the same number. Both numbers must appear on at least two of the three dice in order to win. The possible combinations would be 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 3-4, 3-5, 3-6, 4-5, 4-6 or 5-6. A Duo bet pays 5-to-1.
Small: The Small Bet is the equivalent of a Low bet in Roulette. It is a wager that the sum of all three dice will equal any sum of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10. Any ‘Three of a Kind’ is excluded from this wager (i.e. 2+2+2 or 3+3+3 does not win). This is why the sum of 3 (1+1+1) is not included. A winning Small bet pays 1-to-1.
Big: The Big bet covers the higher spectrum of possible sums. It is a wager that 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17 will be the sum of all dice, excluding all ‘Three of a Kind’ rolls (4+4+4 or 5+5+5 will not win). That is why 18 (6+6+6) is not included. A winning Big bet pays 1-to-1.
Two of a Kind: This is a wager that a particular pair of dice will be rolled. Optional ‘Two of a Kind’ wagers would be 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 or 6-6. So long as at least two of the dice reveal the chosen number, the bet is won, paying 8 to 1.
Three of a Kind: A bet that a specific number will be rolled on all three dice. The odds of this happening are 1-in-216, which explains the payout of 150-to-1 for a winning Three of a Kind bet.
Any Three of a Kind: This bet is much like the ‘Three of a Kind’ except that you do not have to select which number will appear on all three dice. If 1-1-1, 2-2-2, 3-3-3, 4-4-4, 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is rolled, the payout is 24-to-1.
Sum: A Sum bet allows the player to choose any sum between 4 and 17. As with Small and Big bets, all ‘Three of a Kind’ rolls are excluded from this wager. The payout chart for Sum bets is as follows:
| Total Of Dice | Payout Odds |
| Sum of 4 | 50 to 1 |
| Sum of 5 | 30 to 1 |
| Sum of 6 | 18-1 |
| Sum of 7 | 12 to 1 |
| Sum of 8 | 8 to 1 |
| Sum of 9 | 6 to 1 |
| Sum of 10 | 6 to 1 |
| Sum of 11 | 6 to 1 |
| Sum of 12 | 6 to 1 |
| Sum of 13 | 8 to 1 |
| Sum of 14 | 12 to 1 |
| Sum of 15 | 18 to 1 |
| Sum of 16 | 30 to 1 |
| Sum of 17 | 50 to 1 |