Sic Bo is a popular online and real-world casino game in Asia, and it's growing in popularity in the New Zealand. At our online casino, Prime Casino, we have the best selection of online Sic Bo variants, as well as exciting live casino Sic Bo games.
Originally hailing from ancient China, Sic Bo may also be referred to as ‘Dai Siu’, ‘Tai Sai’, ‘Hi-Lo’, or ‘the Big and Small game’. After being shaken in a small bowl, three dice are tossed onto a table. The players wager on the outcome of their total or on various conceivable combinations prior to the dice roll.
Read on to learn more about the exciting game of Sic Bo.
Sic Bo is one of only two popular casino games which use dice, the other being Craps. While craps can be quite a confusing game that has a bit of a learning curve, Sic Bo is relatively simple and can be thought of as akin to roulette with dice used instead of a wheel. Online Sic Bo can be played by following these simple steps.
Decide on your spending limit, make sure you have the funds credited to your account, and then set your stake using the bet selection menu of your chosen Sic Bo game.
Arrange your chips on the table's squares in the order you believe the dice will show up. This is similar to the way in which players place wagers on the racetrack in roulette.
Three rolling dice are enclosed in a clear glass dome. This is shaken by the dealer or by automated machinery (in live casino gameplay), or a digital shaking animation will play (when playing online versions). Once shaken the dice will be rolled.
You win if you correctly guess the outcome of the dice. When all payouts have been made, the next Sic Bo round can begin.
Sic Bo is a straightforward game which comprises three main components whether or not it is played online, live, or at a real-world casino. While the ‘dealer’ will depend upon the variant players (i.e. an RNG software system vs. a real dealer(s)), all online Sic Bo games will include a table, three dice, and the shaker.
Some live and real-world Sic Bo will have the dealer manually use a shaker to mix up the dice before rolling. Some live versions will have an automated shaker which the dealer will oversee. Online versions will present a digital shaker, with all outcomes made fair thanks to RNG (random number generation) software.
Players can wager on a range of dice combinations at the Sic Bo table. It is simple for new players to take up the game fast because every conceivable bet is shown along with the payoff odds that go along with it on the table. This is similar to the racetrack used in roulette games.
Three dice are used in Sic Bo, and accepted wagers reflect possible outcomes of the roll such as a matching pair, low numbers, and so on.
With so much history behind it, it’s not surprising that there is a selection of popular Sic Bo variants out there. More recently developers have even experimented with creating hybrids, such as Bac Bo, which is a Sic Bo and Baccarat fusion. Both of the variants mentioned below are English variants of Sic Bo originating from the early 20th century when Chinese immigrants settled in the USA bringing their favourite games with them.
Grand Hazard is a Sic-bo variant that is played with three dice and is different from Sic Bo in terms of the board layout and various bets that can be made. Because of its simplicity and ease of play, it is well-liked in land-based casinos in the US and Europe. It is a dice game with three dice and a cup or chute that is well-known for its own vocabulary and method of play.
You can wager on odds or even numbers in Grand Hazard. You can also wager on triples, but more precisely on high or low triples (commonly known as raffles). In the event that three of a kind, or triples, are thrown, the House will not pay out on high, low, odd, or even wagers.
If Grand Hazard is the child of Sic Bo, then, as it was inspired by Grand Hazard, Chuck-a-Luck is the grandchild. This game, which gained popularity through variations played in American dockyards and English pubs is played with three dice stored in an hourglass-shaped device that pivots around its centre and is roughly 18 inches high, like a wire-frame bird cage (a common slang name for the game). The dice land on the bottom as the dealer turns the cage around and around. Like the previous two games, players aim to predict the outcome of the three dice.
Sic Bo has a selection of wagers which players can make, which are straightforward for players to keep track of. The eligible wagers of Sic Bo are as follows:
This is a simple bet that one of the numbers that appears will be your selected number (for example four). You can bet whether one dice will have that number (which pays 1/1), two will have that number (pays 2/1), or three will have that number (pays 3:1). The house edge for this bet is 7.9% but the odds of success differ wildly between each bet.
Also referred to as a ‘Dice Combination’ bet, this is a wager that the roll will include two numbers, for example, a 1 and a 3. This wager pays out 6.1 and has a 13.9% house edge.
This is a bet that the three numbers rolled will total a specific value. This wager has a house edge of 9.7-15.3% and can pay out a range from 6/1 to 60/1 depending on the total chosen.
Commonly referred to as ‘doubles’, a Specific Double bet is a wager that a predetermined number will appear as a pair (for example two threes). This wager pays out 10/1 and has a house edge of 18.5%.
Commonly referred to as ‘triples’ and ‘alls’, players can either make a ‘Specific Triple’ wager, where players predict the number that will appear on all dice, or ‘Any Triple’, which is a bet that the outcome will be three matching numbers, but without any specifics on which it will be. Specific Triples has a payout of 180/1 and has a 16.2% house edge, while Any Triples pays 30/1 and has a house edge of 13.9%.
A wager on "Small" indicates that one believes the three dice total will fall between four and ten. (The Small bet is not won by rolling a triple one as this is triples). This wager pays out 1/1 and has a house edge of 2.78%.
When you wager on "Big," you're hoping that the three dice will add up to between 11 and 17 points. (It should be noted that winning this wager will not come from rolling three sixes as this is a triple). This wager pays out 1/1 and has a house edge of 2.78%.
Listed above at the most common Sic Bo Bets. There are also some common additional bets which your chosen variant may or may not use (always check the game information), such as Odd and Even bets, Four-Number bets, and Three Single Number combination bets.
