How to play sic bo: rules, bets and odds for beginners

By The Casino Deals team · Updated 28 October 2026 · 5 min read

Sic bo is a fast dice game from China in which the dealer shakes three dice and you bet on how they land. The table is covered in betting boxes, but every bet is a prediction about those three dice. This guide explains how to play sic bo, what each bet pays, and which bets carry a low or a high house edge, using the standard maths behind the game. 18+.

Sic bo basics

The name means “precious dice”, and the game is also known as tai sai (“big small”) or hi-lo. It is played with three standard six-sided dice, usually shaken inside a covered dish or a glass cage so the result cannot be seen until betting closes.

Three dice can land in 216 equally likely ways (6 × 6 × 6). Every payout and every house edge in this guide comes from counting how many of those 216 outcomes win a bet. The lowest possible total is 3 and the highest is 18. Totals in the middle, such as 10 and 11, can be made in the most ways, while 3 and 18 can each be made in only one way.

There is no skill element and no decision once the dice are shaken. Your only choice is which bets to place and how much to stake, which is why knowing the house edge on each bet matters.

How a round works

A round of sic bo has three steps:

Place your bets. Put chips on one or more boxes on the layout. You can make several bets on the same roll.
The dice are shaken. Betting closes and the dealer, or the random number generator in an online game, rolls the three dice.
Winning bets are paid. The winning boxes light up on the table. Losing bets are collected and winners are paid at the odds shown on the layout.

A new round then starts. Rounds are quick, often under a minute, which means money can be staked faster than you expect. Decide your budget before you sit down.

The main sic bo bets

Big and Small. Small wins if the total is 4 to 10, and Big wins if it is 11 to 17. Both pay 1 to 1. The catch is that both lose if the three dice show a triple, such as three 2s. That one rule creates the house edge.

Odd and Even. Bet on whether the total will be odd or even. These also pay 1 to 1 and also lose on any triple. Not every game offers them.

Single number. Pick a number from 1 to 6. You are paid 1 to 1 if it appears on one die, 2 to 1 if it appears on two, and 3 to 1 if it appears on all three. If it does not appear, you lose.

Two-dice combination. Pick two different numbers, such as 3 and 5. You win if both appear among the three dice. There are 15 of these boxes on the layout.

Totals, doubles and triples

Totals. You can bet on the exact total of the three dice, from 4 to 17. Totals of 3 and 18 are only possible as triples, so they are covered by the triple bets instead. The payout is higher for totals that are harder to make: a total of 4 can only be rolled 3 ways, while 10 can be rolled 27 ways.

Specific double. Pick a number and win if at least two dice show it.

Any triple. Win if all three dice show the same number, whichever number it is.

Specific triple. Pick a number and win only if all three dice show it. The chance is 1 in 216, which is why it pays the most on the table.

House edge on every common bet

These figures use a common online paytable. Payouts on some bets vary between games, so always check the help screen. Where two payouts are common, both are shown.

Bet	Pays	House edge
Big (11–17) or Small (4–10)	1 to 1, loses on any triple	2.78%
Odd or Even	1 to 1, loses on any triple	2.78%
Two-dice combination	6 to 1	2.78%
Two-dice combination	5 to 1	16.67%
Single number	1, 2 or 3 to 1	7.87%
Total of 4 or 17	60 to 1	15.28%
Total of 5 or 16	30 to 1	13.89%
Total of 6 or 15	17 to 1	16.67%
Total of 7 or 14	12 to 1	9.72%
Total of 8 or 13	8 to 1	12.50%
Total of 9 or 12	6 to 1	18.98%
Total of 10 or 11	6 to 1	12.50%
Specific double	10 to 1	18.52%
Any triple	30 to 1	13.89%
Specific triple	180 to 1	16.20%
Specific triple	150 to 1	30.09%

Big, Small, Odd and Even sit close to European roulette (2.70%), but well above the best bets in baccarat or craps. Our casino house edge guide compares every game we cover and shows what each edge costs in pounds.

Bets to treat with care

The big payouts on totals, doubles and triples look tempting, but their house edges mostly run from about 10% to 19%, and a specific triple paying 150 to 1 is over 30%. For every £100 staked, a 16% edge is an average loss of about £16, compared with about £2.78 on Big or Small.

No staking system changes this. Each roll is independent, so a run of Big results tells you nothing about the next roll. If a term on the layout is new to you, our gambling glossary explains it. Sic bo is also the three-dice cousin of craps, if you want to compare the two dice games.

Playing sic bo online in the UK

Sic bo is offered at some UK online casinos as an RNG game or as a live dealer table. The rules above apply to both, but check the game’s paytable before you play. Only play at sites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. They must verify your age before you play, including on demo games.

We do not have a free sic bo demo yet. In the meantime, you can see how bet choice affects your odds with our free European roulette, free baccarat and free blackjack games, or browse every game on our free casino games page.

If you decide to play for real, here are two current welcome offers from casinos we have reviewed. Check each offer’s terms to see which games count towards it:

The Vic Casino: Deposit £20 – Get a £20 bonus. See our review for the full terms.
Paddy Power Casino: Wager £10 – Get £5 Golden Chips. See our review for the full terms.

Before you start, set a budget and a deposit limit, and stop when it is no longer fun. You can also block all UK-licensed gambling sites at once with GAMSTOP.

Sic bo FAQs

Is sic bo hard to learn?

No. Three dice are rolled and you bet on the result. Big or Small is the simplest bet: you are betting on whether the total will be 11 to 17 or 4 to 10.

What is the best bet in sic bo?

On a standard paytable, Big, Small, Odd and Even have the lowest house edge at 2.78%, because they lose on any triple. A two-dice combination paying 6 to 1 has the same 2.78% edge, but many games pay only 5 to 1 (16.67%).

What does a triple do to Big and Small bets?

It makes them lose. If all three dice show the same number, every Big, Small, Odd and Even bet loses. That rule is where the house edge on these bets comes from.

Why do sic bo payouts vary between games?

Each game sets its own paytable. The same bet can pay 150 to 1 at one table and 180 to 1 at another, and that changes the house edge a lot. Always check the paytable in the help screen.

Can you win at sic bo in the long run?

No. Every bet has a house edge, so over time the casino keeps a share of what is staked. Each roll is independent, so no system or pattern can change that. Treat it as paid entertainment and only play with money you can afford to lose.