Sic Bo
Sic Bo by Michael Shackleford aka Wizard of Odds
Sic Bo is arguably the oldest game on the casino floor. Nobody can date it very well, but it originated in China and has found its way to land and Internet casinos all over the world. It was originally played with painted numbered bricks and has evolved over time to an easier to handle and much smaller set of dice with six sides. These dice were then shook-up after a bowl was placed over them. The name translates to "pair of dice," but why a game with three dice is called that, I have no idea.
Sic Bo a.k.a Tai Sai and Dai Su (meaning “big small”) is a table game that is still quite popular in Asian countries including China, Korea and the Philippines, spreading eventually across the globe to Europe and in America in the nineteenth century. When Chinese labors came to the US to work on the transcontinental railroad, they brought with them some of their ancient culture including the introduction of Sic Bo. Between the 1920’s and 1930’s, the game grew in popularity among Westerners.
Through modern times, the game transcends while keeping the three dice concept intact replacing the bowl with a cup. The cup shakes the dice inside with mechanical technology. The object of the game is quite simple. Players wager on what number combinations will be rolled out on the dice.
The betting layout and terminology may look intimidating to the beginner, but it really is a very simple game where every bet is based on a single roll of three dice. The layout of the table can vary, but most look like this image below.
Type of Bets
Here is a quick explanation of the major types of bets.
Any One Dice
The , , , , , and sections you see in the second row from the bottom are bets on how many times a particular die face will appear on the next roll. The pay table is in the bottom row. This layout shows that matching all three dice pays 3 to 1. Some liberal casinos pay up to 12 to 1 on that.
Domino Bets
The third row from the bottom shows the 15 ways to choose two numbers from to . These are called the "Domino" bets. Each bet wins if both those faces appear on the next roll. Wins pay 5 to 1 (or the equivalent 6 for 1).
Exact Number
The fourth row up shows bets on the total of the three dice. Pays can vary significantly from casino to casino and the house edge ranges from a huge 29.17% to 8.33%.
The top column shows three types of bets
Small and Big
The Small and Big. These bets win on totals under/over 10.5. Both lose on any three of a kind. Wins pay 1 to 1 for the lowest house edge in the game of 2.78%.
Doubles
These are like the Domino bets already mentioned but require one face to occur at least twice. Wins pay either 10 or 11 to 1.
Three of a kinds
You can bet on a specific three of a kind or on any kind. The pays vary from casino to casino with a house edge ranging from 30.09% to 8.33%.
Some casinos will also have other bets, but the ones above are invariably on every table.
Strategy
The strategy is simple -- bet the Small and Big only. While odds can vary on most other bets, the house edge is invariably much higher than the 2.78% on the Big and Small.
Bonus Terms
The Sic Bo Bonuses listed below are applicable for contributing towards the bonus' wagering requirements. The general percentage of contribution towards wagering for Sic Bo is usually 25%.
Online Sic Bo
We have concluded an interesting study of which online casinos offer the best odds for Sic Bo compared with their brick and mortar counterparts.
Below are 2 example of what an online Sic Bo game looks like, these being from Playtech and Microgaming.
Best Sic Bo Bonuses
Bonuses Found: 16
If we have jumped the gun, you can remove that filter by clicking here.
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HighRoller
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HighRoller
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