Table Games
Sic Bo Odds and House Edge
Sic bo is three dice and a large grid of bets with an unusually wide spread of prices. Big and small sit at 2.78% and are the only bets on the layout worth treating as standard. Almost everything else costs several times more, and the bets that look most attractive cost the most of all.
Written by the Moes Almanac editorial team
2.78%
A specific triple, the bet with the largest payout, costs 16.2% — nearly six times as much.
How it is played
Three dice are rolled and bets are settled on the outcome. Small covers totals from 4 to 10, big covers 11 to 17, and both lose when all three dice show the same number. That single exception is where the entire margin on those bets comes from.
The rest of the grid covers specific totals, specific pairs, specific triples, and single numbers. Payouts run from even money to 180:1, and the cost runs just as wide.
Why the biggest payouts cost the most
A specific triple — three fours, say — occurs once in 216 rolls. Paid at true odds it would return 215:1. Tables pay 180:1, and the gap between those two numbers is a house edge of 16.2%.
The pattern repeats across the layout: the more spectacular the payout, the wider the gap between what it pays and what it should. Any triple pays 30:1 against true odds of 35:1 and costs 13.89%. A specific double pays 10:1 and costs 18.52% — the most expensive bet described anywhere on this site.
Every bet, priced
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Big or small | 2.78% |
| Any triple Pays 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Specific triple, paying 180:1 True odds are 215:1 | 16.20% |
| Specific double Pays 10:1 | 18.52% |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best bet in sic bo?
- Big or small at 2.78%. No other bet on a standard layout comes close, and the next cheapest bets are several times more expensive. If you want the game to cost as little as possible, it is the only bet worth making.
- Why do big and small lose on a triple?
- That exception is the casino's entire margin on those bets. Without it, big and small would each win exactly half the time and the bet would be a break-even proposition. Triples occur on 6 rolls in 216, which is enough to produce the 2.78% house edge.
- Is a specific triple worth chasing for the payout?
- Only if you accept that it costs 16.2% to do so. The bet pays 180:1 on an outcome with true odds of 215:1, which makes it one of the most expensive bets in a casino. The size of the payout is not the same thing as the value of the bet.