Sic bo
Encyclopedia
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
played with three dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, and of ancient Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck
Chuck-a-luck
Chuck-a-luck, also known as birdcage, is a game of chance played with three dice. It is derived from grand hazard, and both can be considered a variant of sic bo, a popular casino game, although chuck-a-luck is more of a carnival game than a true casino game...
are variants, and of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin. The literal meaning of sic bo is "precious dice", while dai siu and dai sai mean "big [or] small".
Sic bo is a casino game
Casino game
Games available in most casinos are commonly called casino games. In a casino game, the players gamble casino chips on various possible random outcomes or combinations of outcomes. Casino games are available in online casinos, where permitted by law...
, popular in Asia and widely played (as dai siu) in casinos in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. It is played in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
as hi-lo. It was introduced into the USA by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, and can now be found in most American casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s. Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, under The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (Statutory Instrument
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
2002/1130).
Gameplay involves betting that a certain condition (e.g. that all three dice will roll the same) will be satisfied by a roll of the dice.
Betting Options
| Type | Wager | Probability | United Kingdom | New Zealand | Macau | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds | House Edge | Odds | House Edge | Odds | House Edge | |||
| Big (大) | The total score will be between 11 and 17 (inclusive) with the exception of a triple | 48.6% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% |
| Small (小) | The total score will be between 4 and 10 (inclusive) with the exception of a triple | 48.6% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% |
| Odd | The total score will be an odd number with the exception of a triple | 48.6% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | ||
| Even | The total score will be an even number with the exception of a triple | 48.6% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | 1 to 1 | 2.8% | ||
| Specific 'Triples' or 'Alls' (圍一 圍二 圍三 圍四 圍五 圍六) | A specific triple (for example, three 1s) will appear | 0.46% | 180 to 1 | 16.2% | 180 to 1 | 16.2% | 150 to 1 | 30.1% |
| Specific Doubles | A specific double (for example, two 1s) will appear with the exception of a triple | 7.41% | 10 to 1 | 18.5% | 11 to 1 | 11.1% | 8 to 1 | 33.3% |
| Any Triple or All 'Alls' (全圍) | Any of the triples will appear | 2.8% | 30 to 1 | 13.9% | 31 to 1 | 11.1% | 24 to 1 | 30.6% |
| Three Dice Total (a specific total score in the range of 4 to 17 inclusive) |
4 or 17 | 1.4% | 60 to 1 | 15.3% | 62 to 1 | 12.5% | 50 to 1 | 29.2% |
| 5 or 16 | 2.8% | 30 to 1 | 13.9% | 31 to 1 | 11.1% | 18 to 1 | 47.2% | |
| 6 or 15 | 4.6% | 18 to 1 | 12% | 18 to 1 | 12% | 14 to 1 | 30.6% | |
| 7 or 14 | 6.9% | 12 to 1 | 9.7% | 12 to 1 | 9.7% | 12 to 1 | 9.7% | |
| 8 or 13 | 9.7% | 8 to 1 | 12.5% | 8 to 1 | 12.5% | 8 to 1 | 12.5% | |
| 9 or 12 | 11.6% | 7 to 1 | 7.4% | 7 to 1 | 7.4% | 6 to 1 | 19% | |
| 10 or 11 | 12.5% | 6 to 1 | 12.5% | 6 to 1 | 12.5% | 6 to 1 | 12.5% | |
| Dice Combinations | Two of the dice will show a specific combination of two different numbers (for example, a 3 and a 4) | 13.9% | 6 to 1 | 2.8% | 6 to 1 | 2.8% | 5 to 1 | 16.7% |
| Single Dice Bet | The specific number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 will appear on one, two, or all three dice | 1: 34.72% 2: 6.94% 3: 0.46% |
1: 1 to 1 2: 2 to 1 3: 3 to 1 |
7.9% | 1: 1 to 1 2: 2 to 1 3: 12 to 1 |
3.7% | 1: 1 to 1 2: 2 to 1 3: 3 to 1 |
7.9% |
| Four Number Combination | Any three of the four numbers in one of the following specific combinations will appear: 6, 5, 4, 3; 6, 5, 3, 2; 5, 4, 3, 2; or 4, 3, 2, 1 | 11.1% | 7 to 1 | 11.1% | 7 to 1 | 11.1% | ||
| Three Single Number Combination | The dice will show a specific combination of three different numbers | 2.8% | 30 to 1 | 13.9% | 30 to 1 | 13.9% | ||
| Specific Double and Single Number Combination | Two of the dice will show a specific double and the third dice will show a specific, different number | 1.4% | 50 to 1 | 29.2% | 60 to 1 | 15.3% | ||
The most common wagers are "Big" and "Small".
Variants
Grand Hazard is a gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
game of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin, also played with three dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
. (It is distinct from Hazard
Hazard (game)
Hazard is an Old English game played with two dice which was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in the 14th century.Hazard is not interchangeable with "Grand Hazard," which is played with three dice; Grand Hazard is similar to Sic bo....
, another gambling game of Old English origin, played with two dice.) The dice are rolled down a chute containing a series of inclined planes that tumble the dice as they fall.
Chuck-a-luck
Chuck-a-luck
Chuck-a-luck, also known as birdcage, is a game of chance played with three dice. It is derived from grand hazard, and both can be considered a variant of sic bo, a popular casino game, although chuck-a-luck is more of a carnival game than a true casino game...
, also known as birdcage, is a variant in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which has its origins in grand hazard. The three dice are kept in a device that resembles a wire-frame bird cage and that pivots about its centre. The dealer rotates the cage end over end, with the dice landing on the bottom. Chuck-a-luck usually features only the single-number wagers, sometimes with an additional wager for any "triple" (all three dice showing the same number) with odds of 30 to 1 (or thereabouts). Chuck-a-luck was once common in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
casinos but is now rare, frequently having been replaced by sic bo tables.