How to Play Sic Bo — Complete Rules Guide

Sic Bo is one of the oldest dice games still played in casinos today. Three dice, a shaking chest, and a board covered in bet options — the setup looks complicated at first glance, but the structure of each round is about as simple as gambling gets. This guide covers everything you need to understand before placing your first bet.

The basic concept

Sic Bo means “precious dice” in Cantonese. The game is built around one core action: three dice are shaken inside a sealed chest or dome, the chest is opened, and any bets that match the outcome pay out. There is no dealer hand to beat, no community cards to track, and no decisions to make mid-round. You place your bets, the dice land, and the result is immediate.

The layout in front of players shows every possible bet, with its payout printed directly on the board. You can place multiple bets at once, and each is resolved independently against the same dice roll.

How a round works

Step 1 — Betting time. The dealer opens the betting window. Players place chips directly on the bet options they want to cover. There is no limit on how many bets you can combine, but each bet is evaluated separately.

Step 2 — The shake. The dealer closes the betting window and activates the chest. In electronic Sic Bo tables — the most common format in Western casinos — the chest shakes automatically and the dice values are displayed digitally. In live dealer versions, a physical chest is shaken by hand.

Step 3 — Resolution. The three dice values are revealed. Every bet that matches the outcome is paid; every bet that does not match loses. The dealer clears the losing bets and pays the winners, and the next round begins.

What you are betting on

Sic Bo bets fall into a few categories based on what they require the dice to show:

Total bets (4–17). You bet on the sum of all three dice. The dice can total anywhere from 3 to 18, but totals of 3 and 18 are covered by triple bets rather than total bets on most layouts. The payouts for specific totals vary significantly — totals near the middle of the range (10 and 11) are the most likely and pay less; totals at the extremes (4, 17) are rare and pay more.

Small and Big. These are the closest equivalent to even-money bets in Sic Bo. Small wins if the total is between 4 and 10; Big wins if the total is between 11 and 17. Both lose if a triple appears — all three dice show the same number. This exception is what gives the casino its edge. Small and Big pay 1:1.

Single number bets. You bet that a specific number (1 through 6) will appear on at least one die. If it appears on one die, you are paid 1:1. If it appears on two dice, you are paid 2:1. If all three dice show your number, you are paid 3:1.

Double bets. You bet that two specific dice will show the same number — for example, two 4s. The specific double wins if at least two of the three dice show that number.

Triple bets. There are two variants. Any triple wins if all three dice show the same value, regardless of what that value is. Specific triple wins only if all three dice show one particular number, such as three 6s. Specific triples carry the highest payouts on the board — but also the worst house edges.

Two-dice combination bets. You bet that two specific numbers will each appear on at least one of the three dice — for example, a 2 and a 5. These pay 6:1 on most layouts.

What to expect at the table

Because all bets are resolved simultaneously against one dice roll, Sic Bo rounds move quickly. You never need to act between rolls, and there is no wrong answer in terms of which bets you choose — though the house edges vary dramatically across bet types, which is what Sic Bo Bets covers in detail.

The game is dealt at live casino tables and is also available in electronic formats. Both use the same rules. The only thing that changes is presentation: electronic tables display every outcome and running statistics on screen, while live dealer tables add the social element of watching the chest shaken in real time.

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Once you have the structure down, the next step is understanding what each bet actually pays and what it costs you in house edge terms. Sic Bo Bets has the full reference table. For how to approach the game intelligently, see Sic Bo Strategy. Play Sic Bo online for free to see these rules in action.