Sic Bo looks like a busy table, but underneath it is one of the most transparent games in the casino. Three dice give exactly 216 equally likely results, so you can work out the true odds of every bet on the layout and compare them with what the casino pays. That gap is the house edge, and in Sic Bo it ranges from under 3% to more than 30% depending on where you put your chip and which paytable the table uses.
This article is the maths companion to our Sic Bo game guide, which covers the basics and where to play. Here we go bet by bet: how many of the 216 outcomes win, what the common Asian paytable pays, the cheaper and dearer variants you will see in live lobbies, and what it all means for a Singapore player with a fixed budget.
How to Play Sic Bo: The Short Version
- Place your bets Put chips on any number of spots on the layout before the timer ends: Big/Small, totals, doubles, triples, combinations or single numbers.
- The dice are shaken A dealer or automatic shaker rolls three dice under a cover.
- The result is revealed The three faces and their total are shown, and winning areas light up on the layout.
- Bets are settled Every winning spot is paid at its listed odds at the same time; losing bets are cleared.
There are no player decisions after the roll and no "hot" dice. Your only real choices are which bets to make, how much to stake and how long to play.
Why 216 Outcomes Matter
Each die has six faces, so three dice give 6 × 6 × 6 = 216 ordered results, each with a probability of 1 in 216. Some totals can be made in many ways and others in very few. The table below counts them.
| Total | Ways (of 216) | Probability | Total | Ways | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0.46% | 18 | 1 | 0.46% |
| 4 | 3 | 1.39% | 17 | 3 | 1.39% |
| 5 | 6 | 2.78% | 16 | 6 | 2.78% |
| 6 | 10 | 4.63% | 15 | 10 | 4.63% |
| 7 | 15 | 6.94% | 14 | 15 | 6.94% |
| 8 | 21 | 9.72% | 13 | 21 | 9.72% |
| 9 | 25 | 11.57% | 12 | 25 | 11.57% |
| 10 | 27 | 12.50% | 11 | 27 | 12.50% |
Totals 3 and 18 can only be made by triples, which is why they are not on the totals row of most layouts. Everything else in this article comes from counting outcomes like this and comparing the count with the payout.
Big, Small, Odd and Even: The 2.78% Bets
Small wins on totals 4–10 and Big on 11–17, both at 1 to 1. Without any special rule, each would cover exactly 108 outcomes, a perfect coin flip. The catch is that any triple loses. Three of the six triples (1-1-1, 2-2-2, 3-3-3) fall in the Small range and three in the Big range, so each bet loses 3 of its 108 winning outcomes and wins on 105 of 216.
Expected return on SGD 1: (105 × 1 − 111 × 1) ÷ 216 = −SGD 0.0278, a house edge of 2.78%. Odd and Even, where offered, work the same way: triples lose, so they also carry 2.78%. These are the lowest-edge bets on every standard Sic Bo table.
Every Bet: Probability, Paytable and House Edge
The table uses a common Asian paytable, which is the one you will see on many Singapore-facing live tables. Your table may differ, so compare it with the variant section below.
| Bet | Winning outcomes | Probability | Common payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small / Big | 105 | 48.61% | 1 to 1 | 2.78% |
| Odd / Even | 105 | 48.61% | 1 to 1 | 2.78% |
| Total 4 or 17 | 3 | 1.39% | 60 to 1 | 15.28% |
| Total 5 or 16 | 6 | 2.78% | 30 to 1 | 13.89% |
| Total 6 or 15 | 10 | 4.63% | 17 to 1 | 16.67% |
| Total 7 or 14 | 15 | 6.94% | 12 to 1 | 9.72% |
| Total 8 or 13 | 21 | 9.72% | 8 to 1 | 12.50% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 25 | 11.57% | 6 to 1 | 18.98% |
| Total 10 or 11 | 27 | 12.50% | 6 to 1 | 12.50% |
| Specific double (e.g. two 4s) | 16 | 7.41% | 10 to 1 | 18.52% |
| Any triple | 6 | 2.78% | 30 to 1 | 13.89% |
| Specific triple (e.g. 5-5-5) | 1 | 0.46% | 180 to 1 | 16.20% |
| Two-dice combination (e.g. 2 and 6) | 30 | 13.89% | 5 to 1 | 16.67% |
| Single number (1/2/3 matches) | 91 | 42.13% | 1, 2 or 3 to 1 | 7.87% |
A few notes on the trickier rows:
- Specific double wins if at least two dice show your number, which includes the triple. That is 15 outcomes with exactly two plus 1 triple = 16.
- Two-dice combination pays if both chosen numbers appear anywhere among the three dice: 30 outcomes.
- Single number pays 1 to 1 if your number shows once (75 outcomes), 2 to 1 if twice (15) and 3 to 1 if three times (1). It loses on the other 125. Expected return is (75×1 + 15×2 + 1×3 − 125) ÷ 216 = −7.87%.
Paytable Variants: Same Dice, Different Price
The dice never change, but payouts do. A one-unit difference on a long-shot bet can double the house edge. These are the variations you are most likely to see:
| Bet | Better paytable | Edge | Worse paytable | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total 4 or 17 | 60 to 1 | 15.28% | 50 to 1 | 29.17% |
| Total 5 or 16 | 30 to 1 | 13.89% | 18 to 1 | 47.22% |
| Total 6 or 15 | 17 to 1 | 16.67% | 14 to 1 | 30.56% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 7 to 1 | 7.41% | 6 to 1 | 18.98% |
| Specific double | 10 to 1 | 18.52% | 8 to 1 | 33.33% |
| Any triple | 30 to 1 | 13.89% | 24 to 1 | 30.56% |
| Specific triple | 180 to 1 | 16.20% | 150 to 1 | 30.09% |
Always open the paytable (usually an "i" or "?" icon) before you bet on a total or a triple. Big/Small is the one bet that stays at 2.78% almost everywhere.
Live Sic Bo Variants in Singapore Lobbies
Evolution Super Sic Bo adds random multipliers to a handful of bet spots each round, with multiplied wins of up to 1,000x. To fund them, the base payouts on multiplier-eligible bets are lower than a classic table; for example, a specific triple pays 150 to 1 before any multiplier. Evolution lists the return on Small, Big, Odd and Even at 97.22%, the same 2.78% edge as a standard table, while the long-shot bets carry a lower published return. Multipliers make results swingier, not cheaper. Our Evolution live casino overview covers the studio's other games.
SA Gaming and Dream Gaming Sic Bo run a more traditional Asian format with a dealer, a shaker and the full layout. They are common in the live lobbies of the casinos we review; see our SA Gaming and Dream Gaming provider pages. Check the in-game paytable each time, since operators can choose between payout versions.
RNG Sic Bo uses software instead of real dice. The probabilities are identical if the game is certified, and rounds are much faster, which matters for the next section.
What the House Edge Means in SGD
House edge applies to every bet, so your expected cost depends on how much you wager in total. Assume SGD 10 per round and about 60 rounds an hour (SGD 600 wagered):
| Bet played every round | House edge | Expected cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Small or Big | 2.78% | about SGD 17 |
| Single number | 7.87% | about SGD 47 |
| Total 7 or 14 (12 to 1) | 9.72% | about SGD 58 |
| Specific triple (180 to 1) | 16.20% | about SGD 97 |
These are long-run averages. On a specific triple you will usually lose every round for a long stretch (it hits once in 216 rolls on average) and occasionally land a large win; on Small or Big your balance drifts slowly. Neither changes the maths.
Strategy: What Works and What Does Not
- Covering both Big and Small does not hedge. You win one and lose the other, except on a triple, when you lose both. Net cost: 2.78% of what you stake.
- Spreading chips across many spots raises your average edge. Mixing a 2.78% bet with several 15% bets gives you a blended edge well above 2.78%.
- Roadmaps do not predict anything. Dice have no memory. "Big has come up six times" says nothing about the next roll.
- Progressions such as Martingale do not change the edge. They change how you lose: often small wins, then one large loss when a streak meets the table limit.
- What does help: sticking mostly to Big/Small, choosing tables with the better paytable if you play totals, keeping bet size at 1–2% of your session budget, and stopping at a pre-set loss or win point.
A Simple Bankroll Plan
- Set a session budget Choose a figure you are comfortable losing entirely, for example SGD 200.
- Size your bet at 1–2% SGD 2–4 per round on Big/Small gives you a long session rather than a short one.
- Cap long shots If you enjoy triples or totals, limit them to a small slice of each round, for example SGD 1 alongside your main bet.
- Pre-set your exit Stop at 50% down or when you are ahead by a target you set before starting.
Bonus money rarely helps here. Many slot welcome offers exclude live dice games or count them at a reduced rate. At BK8, for example, the 288% welcome bonus is for slots only, while the live casino welcome is 50% up to SGD 300 with 25x turnover. Read the turnover rules before you opt in.
Sic Bo is quick, and quick games make it easy to play longer than you meant to. If you notice that happening, our responsible gambling page lists practical tools and local support services.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Big or Small (and Odd or Even where offered). Each wins on 105 of the 216 possible outcomes and pays 1 to 1, giving a house edge of 2.78%. Every other standard bet has a higher edge.
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Without that rule Big and Small would be exact 50/50 bets with no house edge. Making all six triples lose removes 3 winning outcomes from each side, which is where the 2.78% edge comes from.
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One in 216, or about 0.46%. At the common 180 to 1 payout the house edge is 16.20%; at 150 to 1 it is about 30.09%.
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Not cheaper, just more volatile. Evolution lists Small, Big, Odd and Even at 97.22% return, the same as a standard table. Other bets have lower base payouts to fund random multipliers of up to 1,000x.
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No. Each roll is independent and every bet has a fixed negative expectation. Systems change the pattern of wins and losses, not the long-run cost.