Sic Bo
Sic Bo is a three-dice game with one of the busiest-looking tables in the casino and one of the simplest ideas behind it. Three dice are rolled, and you bet on what they will do — a total, a specific number showing, a pair, a triple. The table looks complicated because it offers a lot of bets, not because the game is hard.
The bets, from cheapest to most expensive
- Small (total 4 to 10) and Big (11 to 17) — close to even money, the most frequent bets on the table and the cheapest. Both usually lose to a triple.
- Specific total — any total from 4 to 17, paying more the further from the middle it sits.
- Single number — a chosen number appearing on one, two or three dice, paying more the more times it shows.
- Double — a specified pair appears.
- Triple — all three dice showing the same specified face. The rarest bet available and the most expensive over time.
Why middle totals are likely
There is exactly one combination that makes 3 and one that makes 18 — all three dice matching. There are many combinations that make 10 or 11.
That distribution is the entire structure of the paytable. Totals near the edges pay far more because they land far less, not because they represent better value. The payouts are proportional to rarity, so no single total is a bargain relative to the others.
Where the margin sits
Small and Big carry the lowest house edge on the table by a clear margin. Triples carry the highest, with a headline payout designed to make them look worth chasing.
A table with many exotic bets is a table where the cheap bets are easy to overlook, and that is the whole design. If you want a long session, Small and Big are the sensible default and everything else is a side trip.
Variants and where to play
Super Sic Bo is the live version with random multipliers applied to a selection of bets each round — funded, as always in that family, by adjusting the base payouts rather than added for free. Lightning Dice is the stripped-down cousin: totals only, no side bets, and a much simpler table.
Software sic bo on the table games floor plays at your own pace with no multiplier layer. Everything settles in rand.
Frequently asked questions
What are Small and Big in Sic Bo?
Bets on the three-dice total falling between 4 and 10 (Small) or 11 and 17 (Big). They are close to even money, land most often, and carry the lowest house edge on the table. Both usually lose if a triple is rolled.
Which Sic Bo bet is most expensive?
Triples — all three dice showing a specified face. They are the rarest outcome on the table with the biggest headline payout, and they carry the highest house edge. The payout is designed to make them look worth chasing.
Which total is most likely?
The middle totals, 10 and 11, because far more combinations of three dice produce them. Only one combination makes 3 and one makes 18, which is why those pay the most — rarity, not value.
Is Super Sic Bo better than standard Sic Bo?
It is different rather than better. The random multipliers are funded by adjusting the base payouts, so the game redistributes toward rarer, larger wins. Standard sic bo pays more consistently with no multiplier layer.
18+. Gambling involves risk and can be addictive. Play responsibly. National Responsible Gambling Programme 0800 006 008.