Sic Bo has become a fixture of mobile casino lobbies. Rounds are short, the table fits a phone screen in landscape, and live versions add a real shaker and a presenter. This guide covers how to play, which bets give you the best odds, the versions you will find and what to look for in a casino before you play. For other dice games, see our online craps guide or the instant dice games.
Sic Bo is a bet on three dice. Sic Bo pays the multiple printed on the table. The roll ends the round. The grid groups even-money totals, doubles and triples in one view. A phone shows that grid more clearly in landscape because the cells are small. A round has a betting window and then a reveal. The window closes before the dice stop. The result is the three faces and their sum. A casino lobby lists Sic Bo under live tables, RNG dice, or both.
How Sic Bo works
You place chips on the outcomes you expect, the three dice are shaken, and every bet that matches the result pays according to the paytable. There are no decisions after the dice are rolled, so the whole game is in choosing your bets. With three dice there are 216 equally likely combinations, which is how the odds below are worked out.
Sic Bo uses three dice. Each die has six faces, numbered 1 to 6. The three dice produce 216 combinations because 6 times 6 times 6 equals 216. Each combination is one result when the dice are fair. The shaker covers the dice while bets are open. The reveal shows the three faces together. The total is the sum of those faces. Totals run from 3 to 18. A triple is three matching faces. Big accepts totals from 11 to 17. Small accepts totals from 4 to 10. Big loses when the roll is a triple. Small loses when the roll is a triple. The player selects cells during the window. The player has no further choice after the shake.
Place the chips on the cells you want before the window closes. Check the bet slip, because a dense grid makes a mis-tap easy on a phone. Leave the long-odds cells empty until the even-money cells are familiar.
The main bets and their odds
| Bet | Wins when | Chance | Typical payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Total is 4–10, not a triple | 48.6% | 1:1 |
| Big | Total is 11–17, not a triple | 48.6% | 1:1 |
| Specific double | At least two dice show your number | 7.4% | 8:1 or 10:1 |
| Any triple | All three dice match | 2.8% | 24:1 or 30:1 |
| Specific triple | All three dice show your number | 0.46% (1 in 216) | 150:1 or 180:1 |
| Total | The dice add up to your number | Depends on the total | From 6:1 up to 60:1 |
Big and Small keep the house edge low at 2.78%. Doubles, triples and most totals pay more but carry edges well above 10%. If you want a longer session on the same budget, stay with Big and Small; use the long-odds bets for small side stakes only.
The 2.78% house edge on Big and Small comes from the triples those bets reject. Six triples sit inside the 216 rolls. Two of those triples fall inside the Small range. Two of those triples fall inside the Big range. Removing those two triples from each side leaves 105 winning rolls. 105 winning rolls out of 216 is the 48.6% chance in the table. A 1:1 payout on 105 winners and 111 losers is 6 units short of a fair game across 216 rolls. 6 divided by 216 is 2.78%. A specific triple names one face on all three dice, such as 6-6-6. That single combination is 1 of the 216 rolls. A specific double asks for one chosen number on at least two dice. The table lists that chance as 7.4%. Studios change the payout on doubles, triples and totals. The house edge moves with those payouts.
Sic Bo versions
- RNG Sic Bo: animated dice, quick rounds and usually the lowest minimum stakes. Good for learning in demo mode.
- Live Sic Bo: a real shaker streamed from a studio. Rounds are slower, which helps you keep track of your stake. Some studios add random multipliers, as in Evolution's Super Sic Bo, in exchange for lower base payouts.
- Related dice games: Chuck-a-luck and Grand Hazard also use three dice, with simpler bet layouts.
Studios such as Evolution, Playtech and Pragmatic Play make Sic Bo for mobile casinos.
RNG Sic Bo draws the three dice in software. RNG Sic Bo usually posts the lowest minimum stake on the grid. Live Sic Bo films a physical shaker in a studio. Live Sic Bo takes longer per round because the presenter holds the window open. A slower round makes each chip easier to check on a small screen. Super Sic Bo can multiply some wins at random. That multiplier sits on top of a lower base payout. Chuck-a-luck uses three dice. Grand Hazard uses three dice. Both games show a shorter list of bets than a full Sic Bo grid.
What to look for in a casino for Sic Bo
- A licence. Play only at licensed casinos, so the game is tested and your money protected.
- More than one Sic Bo table. Ideally both an RNG version and a live table, so you can choose speed and stake level.
- A table that works on your phone. The betting grid is dense; check that chips are easy to place in landscape and that the bet slip shows what you have staked.
- Bonus terms that count table games. Many bonuses count Sic Bo for only a small share of the wagering, or not at all. Read the terms before you play with a bonus.
- Reliable support and payouts. Check reviews for withdrawal speed and support on mobile.
A licence names the body that approves the casino and the game. The licence also names where a disputed payout can be raised. Two Sic Bo tables give a choice of pace. The RNG table suits a short session. The live table suits a slower stake. The grid is dense. Landscape keeps more cells on screen. The bet slip should list every chip before the window closes. Bonus wagering often counts Sic Bo at a lower rate than slots, or leaves it out. Read that rate in the bonus terms before you stake with bonus funds. Withdrawal notes in a casino review matter because a win still has to leave the account.
Tips for playing Sic Bo on your phone
- Learn the table in demo mode before you bet real money.
- Turn the phone sideways so the full betting grid fits on screen.
- Use the rebet button to repeat a layout instead of placing chips one by one.
- Set a budget and a time limit; rounds come quickly in RNG versions.
Open the demo before a cash stake. The demo uses the same grid and spends no balance. Turn the phone to landscape so the cells stay tappable. Use rebet to copy the last layout instead of tapping each cell again. Set a session budget before the first round. Set a time limit as well, because RNG rounds arrive in seconds. Stop when either limit is reached.
