Sic bo has more distinct wagers than almost any casino game and the widest range of costs: from 2.78% on Small and Big to over 47% on the worst total bets. That is a spread no other table game comes close to.
Every figure below is a count from the 216 equally likely rolls of three dice.
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Small (4-10) | 2.78% |
| Big (11-17) | 2.78% |
| Single number | 7.87% |
| Total 7 or 14 | 9.72% |
| Total 8 or 13 | 12.50% |
| Total 10 or 11 | 12.50% |
| Any triple (30:1) | 13.89% |
| Total 4 or 17 (60:1) | 15.28% |
| Specific triple (180:1) | 16.20% |
| Two dice combination | 16.67% |
| Specific double (10:1) | 18.52% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 18.98% |
| Total 4 or 17 (50:1) | 29.17% |
| Any triple (24:1) | 30.56% |
| Specific double (8:1) | 33.33% |
| Total 5 or 16 (18:1) | 47.22% |
The short version
Play Small or Big, or do not play. At 2.78% they are comparable to a European roulette bet. The next cheapest wager on the layout is more than twice as expensive, and most are five to seventeen times.
Read the payouts. Our payout variations page shows the same bet costing three times as much at a different table. Sic bo varies more than any other casino game.
Ignore the size of the payout. A 180:1 specific triple sounds generous and costs 16.20%, because the fair payout is 215:1. What matters is the gap between payout and true odds, never the headline number.
Every page in this section
- Small and Big — the only two bets worth making, and why the triple rule is the whole edge.
- Total bets — all fourteen totals counted, and why the middle ones are the trap.
- Triples and doubles — the big payouts, and what they actually cost.
- Payout variations — the same bet at two prices, and which numbers to read.
For comparison, our craps bets and roulette bets sections price those games the same way, and both games are cheaper than most of this layout.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best bet in sic bo?
- Small or Big, at 2.78%. No other bet on the layout is close.
- What is the worst bet in sic bo?
- Total 5 or 16 on a table paying 18:1, at 47.22%.
- Is sic bo worse than roulette?
- Small and Big are comparable to European roulette. Everything else on a sic bo layout is worse than any standard roulette bet.
- Why do the payouts differ between casinos?
- Sic bo has no standard schedule, unlike craps or roulette. The numbers printed on the layout are the whole game.
Every figure on this page is counted from the 216 equally likely outcomes of three dice, in exact rational arithmetic, and checked against published references before publication. Sic bo payouts vary between casinos more than in any other table game, so where two schedules are common both are shown. Read the layout before you bet.