Sic Bo

 

While many dice games are played with a pair of dice, Sic Bo uses three dice during every game. Much like Craps, Sic Bo is easy to understand because wagers during each round are simply on the outcome of the dice. These outcomes vary on outcomes such as the dice total, three matching dice faces or two matching dice faces. Today, Sic Bo is very popular in Asian countries - specifically in brick and mortar casinos based in Macau. In the Philippines, it is also referred to as Hi-Lo. It was not legalized in the United Kingdom until 2002 by an amendment to the Banker's Games Regulations.

There are two major variations on the game of Sic Bo called Grand Hazard and Chuck-a-luck. Grand Hazard evolved from an old English game that used only two dice (also the game from which Craps was based). Rather than being contained in a shaker or rolled by hand, the three dice in Grand Hazard are simply placed in a device that contains varying levels and planes - tumbling the dice before they hit the table. Chuck-a-luck is common in the United States and uses a cage device similar to brick and mortar Keno. This cage is rotated to roll the three dice before they come to a stop - deciding the outcome of the roll. While Chuck-a-luck was once very prevalent in casinos in Las Vegas, it has now mainly been replaced by Sic Bo.
 

 

Best Casinos to Play Sic Bo Online

 

 

Sic Bo Historical Considerations

 

Sic Bo originally appeared in China. Although the game (even then) used three objects, Sic Bo can be literally translated from Chinese as meaning "dice pair." When it first appeared, Sic Bo was actually played with some bricks with different symbols on each side. These bricks were shaken between a pair of plates - the commonly cited early appearance of a dice shaker. When the bricks came to a stop or fell into the bowl below them, the resulting symbols appearing on the top were the result of the roll.

Sic Bo quickly spread in southeastern Asia to the Philippines, Korea and areas of Laos and Vietnam. In Macau, Sic Bo adopted the name Dai Sui (Big Small). When it was first introduced in the Philippines, the game was often called Tai Sai (Lucky Dice). During the 19th century, the game began it's spread to the western portion of the world through trade routes to and from Europe and through shipping into America (arriving in ports such as San Francisco). It quickly became very popular in casinos in America.
 

 

Wagers in Sic Bo

 

There are a variety of wagers possible in Sic Bo that are based on the various possible outcomes of the roll of the three dice. The Big wager has a probability of 48.6% and is a wager that the roll will result in a number 11 to 17 (excluding three of a kind). The partner bet is the Small that also carries a 48.6% probability and wagers that the result will result in a number 4 to 10 (also excluding three of a kind). Other spread bets include the Even and Odd wager that the number outcome will be either even or odd. Each carries a 48.6% probability. All four spread bets typically pay out even money and have a house edge of 2.8%.

You can also place a wager that all three dice will (a) all land on the same number (specifically selected) or (b) land on any three of a kind. The first wager carries a probability of 0.46% and pays out 180 to 1 with a house edge of 2.8%. The second wager has a 2.8% probability and pays out 30 to 1 with a 13.9% house edge. While no "any double" wager is allowed, a specific double wager (any two dice match a pre selected number) pays out 10 to 1 with a 7.41% probability and 18.5% house edge.

Finally, wagers are possible on the number that all three dice will add up to and that any number will appear on any of the dice. Other less common bets are possible such as single number combinations and four number combination bets. With the single number bets, the more dice that are added, the lower the probability. For example, choosing one number has a probability of 34.72% with the three dice. The probability that two chosen numbers will appear is lowered to 6.94%. The probability that you will successfully choose 3 specific numbers that will appear on the dice is 0.46%.
 

 

Sic Bo Strategy

 

Sic Bo is largely considered to be a game of pure chance. However, you can choose bets that carry a high probability and use proper bankroll management to play Sic Bo with a solid strategy. Much like Craps strategy primarily involves making a Pass or Don't Pass Line bet, Sic Bo strategy usually suggests sticking to the even money bets such as Big, Small, Odd and Even. Although a wager with 180 odds might seem tempting, remember that it also carries a probability of less than a half percent. This means that the event might occur every 200 rolls - on average.

Proper bankroll management involves setting both win and loss goals and stopping when either number is hit. While many people realize that it is important to quit before losing too much money, it can sometimes be difficult to realize the importance of stopping after winning a certain amount of money. This helps to prevent a player from losing the money that they win. In addition, it is important to decide exactly how much you can afford to play with before making your first wager.

A good system is to divide this number by 100 and never make a wager above that amount. You can further plan your session effectively by deciding how long it will take you to play each round. In this way, you can plan how much money you will play with over a period of time, ignoring losses.