Live Dealer Sic Bo

Written by: Sadonna Price, OUSC Expert in Online Casinos and Poker
Verified by: Sadonna Price, OUSC Expert in Online Casinos and Poker

Live Dealer Sic Bo is a popular dice game similar to a combination between Craps and Roulette. Players make wagers on certain areas of the table or certain numbers. The dealer uses a small chest filled with dice to produce the results. After bets are made, the dealer picks up the chest, closes it, and shake the chest to randomize the dice. The dealer then opens the chest to reveal the combinations.

Benefits of playing Live Sic Bo

  • Get the real casino experince playing with live dealers
  • Interact with other players making the game very social
  • Live Sic Bo uses real dice so no random number generator is used

Get a slight advantage with the basic strategy and the proper etiquette while you are interacting with the live dealer and the other players. Finally, you can check out the recommended live dealer casinos where you can play live Sic Bo and have the best experience possible.

Where to Play Live Sic Bo

Live Sic Bo is going to be found in a lot of live casinos. Any operator which caters to Asian players is going to want to have their version of Sic Bo. Even online casinos which cater to Europeans, Australians, or Americans tend to offer Sic Bo. Below you will find a complete list of the top online casinos that offer live dealer Sic Bo.

Casino
Features
Rank
Bonus
Limits
Play Now
Get instant replays of how the roulette wheel spins and watch as the ball lands on the winning number.
gold casinointernational
£1,000
Min: £/$1
Max: £/$5,000
Enjoy a better house edge as you play Live Dealer French Roulette.
gold casinointernational
$200
Min: $2
Max: $3,000

Other Casinos That Offer Live Dealer Sic Bo

Below are other casinos that offer Live Sic Bo online. About 75% to 80% of these operators offer Live Dealer Sic Bo. Some of these casinos accept US players, while others cater to international players. Be sure to read the reviews for the casinos. For those casinos that do not have a review, we have not verified their legitimacy. Proceed with caution if you decide to play at any of the casinos not reviewed.

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How to Play Live Dealer Sic Bo

Live Dealer Sic Bo TableLive Sic Bo reminds me a little of roulette if roulette were played with dice instead of a spinning wheel. You can follow our simple guide to playing live Sic Bo, as well as a step-by-step on a joining a live game session at your favorite casino. Get to know the differences between playing the live version and the online game, which will show you the best aspects of both. Learn about the dice rolls, as well as a full breakdown of the different Sic Bo bets and payouts that you can place while playing.

If you’ve never played online — or at least never played in a live casino, follow these easy steps below to start playing.

Steps to Playing Live Sic Bo

A typical betting round in Sic Bo is simple. The key thing to remember is to make the bet you want by placing chips in the part of wagering board which corresponds to your chosen wager. Another thing to remember is to make your bets in a timely fashion because the other gamblers are waiting on your decision. Sic Bo is easy and quick to play as you can see from the 5 steps below.

  1. Check the bet limits of the table. Make sure these are acceptable to you.
  2. Place a bet or bets at the table. For the first hand (at least), making the Small/Large bet.
  3. Wait for the dice to be rolled. This is done when the box is opened.
  4. Collect winnings. If you won, the winnings will be tallied into your bankroll electronically.
  5. Make another bet and the process starts all over again.

If you have any questions, use the Chat Box to ask the dealer your question. The dealer replies vocally, so remember to have the volume button on your device turned on.

Gamblers can converse with other players at the table using the Chat Box in a live casino, so you can ask them for advice, too. Remember that any strategy advice they might give you is going to be bogus.

Playing a Round of Live Sic Bo – Video Tutorial

Joining a Live Sic Bo Game

Live Sic Bo is easy to play, but beginners might want a quick tutorial on how to play a round. The following advice shows what you need to do from the most basic first steps all the way to the cashout phase.

  1. Register at an Online Casino and Make a Deposit

    To play, you’ll need an account with a unique username. Create an account by providing your real name, mailing address, and email address.

    To gamble using real money, you’ll need to fund your account. Credit, debit, prepaid, and gift cards work. So do web wallets, e-vouchers, and bitcoin payments. Wire transfers and bank transfers are also common deposit methods.

    Many sites offer no-deposit bonuses and deposit bonuses to new customers. These sometimes require a coupon code to accept or activate. Speak to customer service to learn if a promo code is needed.

  2. Find the Live Casino and Select Live Sic Bo

    An online or mobile casino assumes you want to play with the virtual software. Sites have a link to the live casino on the homepage. Find that link and follow it.

    This takes you to the live casino lobby. Once there, you’ll find a list of games. Select Sic Bo and you should be playing in instants. Remember to pick the bet limits best for you.

    Using the betting and strategy information discussed below, play a session. Learn how to make bets and how to chat with players and dealers.

  3. Clear Bonus Requirements and Cash Your Winnings

    If you received a bonus, remember to fulfill the wagering requirements before making a withdrawal. A wagering requirement or rollover requires a player to wager the amount of the bonus a number of times before cashing the bonus out.

    Once you’ve completed your wagering requirement, make a withdrawal using a bank transfer or courier. Some casinos allow Visa or Bitcoin payments.

Players do not have to cash out anytime soon. Their money is safe until they need it. Remember to stay active, if you don’t remove winnings, though. Some sites start to charge fees after 6 months or 1 year of inactivity.

Live Sic Bo vs. Online Sic Bo

Sic Bo is one of those games which is a lot better live. While a player who is nostalgic for their favorite dice game might enjoy online Sicbo, it simply isn’t the same as a real life version of the game.

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Live Dealer Gameplay
  • Live Sic Bo is played at the same pace as the brick-and-mortar casino game.
  • Live Sic Bo results are determined with real dice in a real box.
  • Live Sic Bo allows the gambler to interact with real dealers, who usually are attractive and friendly females.
  • In the live game, the video is streamed from a casino studio somewhere in the world.
  • Using the Chat Box, you’re able to chat with the dealers as you play, as well as with other players.
  • In the online game, the simulated table takes place either in the software download’s platform or in the web browser.
  • Players in the live casino sometimes are offered random bonuses. A staff member comes around and tops-off your chip stack with bonus cash.
  • The live game is fun. Sometimes, the bonus cash requires you to answer trivia questions or play other games.
  • In the live game, you don’t have to use a random number generator. The dealer either shakes it themselves or a machine will bounce the dice around.
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Online Gameplay
  • Online Sic Bo plays faster, meaning you’ll likely lose more money.
  • Online Sic Bo uses a random number generator that uses software to “shake” the dice.
  • Online Sic Bo uses a computer graphic simulation of a gaming table.
  • You can’t chat with other players.
  • The simulated table takes place either in the software download’s platform or in the web browser.
  • You don’t get bonuses each time you play.

That should sum up the differences in the two styles of play. There are dozens of other reasons it’s better to play Live Sic Bo, but the list above should suffice. Now that you know why you should be playing live, let’s discuss how you go about doing that.

How a Sic Bo Roll Works

Live Sic Bo Dice RollA typical round of betting in Sic Bo is simple. The most complicated part of the game is the betting table, which contains a lot of domino symbols and Arabic numbers rendered in an exotic script. Because everything is bunched together, it might seem confusing to beginners. Find one bet at a time and fill-out your knowledge of the game as you go.

The first bet to remember is the Small/Large bet. In many ways, this is the only wagering option you ever need to learn. It’s an even-money wager based on whether the rolled dice are going to produce a high number or low number. In some places, the Small/Large bet is called the Hi/Lo wager.

Live Sic Bo Betting Breakdown

Live Sic Bo BetsThe main stumbling block to learning Sic Bo is the betting information. In the space below, I give detailed information on the many wagers offered. Players who’ve ever wondered how Macau casinos can make such a killing compared to the Las Vegas Strip should look no further than the dozens of sucker bets offered in Sic Bo. Overall the games in a casino, there might not be another game which punishes the novice gambler more than Sic Bo.

Luckily, players who know that they’re doing can avoid the sucker bets in Sic Bo. In fact, I can boil down my Sic Bo tips to this: play the Small/Big bets and avoid everything else. Those other wagers have huge payouts sometimes, but most gamblers are going to lose a huge amount of money placing those bets. Since the small/big bet is the best one in the game, let’s start there.

In several instances, I provide the payouts offered by casinos in locations which feature Sic Bo: Macau, Australia, and Atlantic City. This information is provided so gamblers can compare the payouts offered by live casinos and quickly compare that to brick-and-mortar casino operators.

Small/Big Bets at Sic Bo

The small/big bet is the basic even-money bet in Sic Bo. It is based on the total score of the three dice when added up. The small bet is on a total of 4-10. The big bet is on a total of 11-17.

Note that the small and big bets do not pay if all three numbers come up the same: 1-1-1 for small and 6-6-6 for big. This provides the house edge. If you win this bet, it pays 1:1 at almost any casino in the world.

4 and 17 Bets

Players can wager on single-number bets like the 4 and 17. Since few combinations of numbers can make either one, they have a high payout when they hit.

I’ve included the most common payouts for each number, though they range between 50:1 and 65:1, as a general rule. The odds of hitting either a 4 or a 17 is 1.39%.

PAYOUTEDGEWHERE
50-to-129.17%Macau
60-to-115.28%Atlantic City
62-to-112.50%Australia
65-to-18.33%Not Applicable

The 4 and 17 bets have a high house edge and are not recommended. As a general rule, you’ll have to wait 50 to 70 rolls to hit on this bet. While you get a huge payout when you do, the vast bulk of hands will be disappointing and the return-to-player is not good.

5 and 16 Bets

The 5 and 16 bets in the United States and Australia have comparable odds to some of the worst craps bets. When you are placing wagers with an 8% to 11% house edge in craps, those are considered sucker bets. In Sicbo, those are the best you can expect from 5 and 16 bets. Avoid this betting option.

PAYOUTEDGEWHERE
18-to-147.22%Macau
30-to-113.89%Atlantic City
31-to-111.11%Australia
32-to-18.33%Not Applicable

The 5 and 16 bets in Macau have an extortionate house edge. State lotteries are infamous for offering bad odds on their drawings. It would be illegal for any state lotto I know to offer a game with a 47.22% house edge. Avoid the 5 and 16 bets like the plague.

6 and 15 Bets

The 6 and 15 bets have better odds in Macau, but worse odds in the United States and Australia. Once again, these are bad bets and I would not recommend them.

PAYOUTEDGEWHERE
14 to 130.56%Macau
17 to 116.67%Atlantic City
18 to 112.04%Australia
19 to 17.41%Not Applicable

Sic Bo Number Bets

The other number wagers in Sic Bo are a bit more uniform. They also have slightly better return-to-player ratios. Despite these facts, the payouts are not commensurate with the odds, so I would avoid these wagers.

NUMBERSPAYSODDSWHERE
7 and 1412:19.72%Everywhere
8 and 138:112.50%Everywhere
9 and 126:118.98%Macau, Atlantic City
9 and 127:17.41%Australia
10 and 116:112.50%Everywhere

Double and Triple Bets

Double bets and triple bets are wagers on whether the dice are going to match on any given roll. These are like paired cards or three-of-a-kind in poker.

With three dice, the odds of hitting a pair are reasonable. With three dice, the odds of hitting trips is rare. In fact, the triple bets have the highest payouts of any bet in Sic Bo.

The house edge on triple bets are outrageous in Sic Bo. In the table, I show the house edges for each of the double and triple bets. You’ll see what I mean. Even the bet on “any triple” has bad odds.

BET TYPEPAYOUTSEDGEWHERE
Double Bet8 to 133.33%Macau
Double Bet10 to 118.52%Atlantic City
Double Bet11 to 111.11%Australia
Triple Bet150 to 130.09%Macau
Triple Bet180 to 116.20%Atlantic City
Any Triple24 to 130.56%Macau
Any Triple30 to 113.89%Atlantic City

A player might be looking at the house edge on these wagers and feel a rush of anger about Macau’s odds. While the American and Australian casinos offer better odds, keep in mind that they are putting forth sucker bets, too. These are perfectly awful odds and no serious gambler should ever make these bets.

Live Sic Bo Strategy

Live Dealer Sic Bo StrategySic Bo does not have much of a strategy element. Every roll produces a win or a loss, so there is no strategy element to Sic Bo at all. In the other dice game in the casino Craps, a player sometimes is allowed to decide which play to make, after a point is set. No such decisions exist in Sic Bo. Like Craps, though, some of the wagers in Sic Bo have a higher house edge than others. The strategy elements involved with Sicbo are therefore to avoid the sucker bets and make solid wagers.

Again, if you want Live Sicbo Strategy, place wagers on the Small/Big proposition and ignore all the other fancy bets. That’s all you need to know because most wagers in this game are for suckers.

Since strategy isn’t a major factor in Sic Bo, I’ve included a section on etiquette. While tactics have a small role, superstition is a major factor, as it is in many Chinese casino games.

Brief History of This Popular Dice Game

Live Dealer Sic Bo is a popular game choice in many online casinos. As of 2016, many of the live casino operations are expanding their studio allotment and game selection to accommodate Asian players. For that reason, games of Asian origin like Sic Bo, Baccarat, and Dragon Tail are being offered by many of the mainstream live casinos.

Live Sic Bo is popular because it offers players the rare chance for dice gaming in a casino, a wide range of bets, and high payouts for certain wagers. Sic Bo uses three dice and a variety of betting options to present a game which is simple, yet interesting. The Sic Bo betting area is one of the most colorful and intimidating bet arrangements for American gamblers, but playing the game is quite easy.

Chinese Background

Sic Bo is an old Chinese dice game. The name means “dice pair” in China. Sic Bo is popular in Macau, and some estimate the game is second only to baccarat in popularity there. Sic Bo tables are found in Atlantic City casinos, due to the Boardwalk’s proximity to the large Asian-American population in New York City. Sic Bo tables are not quite as popular in Las Vegas, but most of the Vegas Strip casinos have at least one table in their general gaming area.

In online casino gaming, Sic Bo uses a random number generator and a virtual simulation of a playing table. While this preserves the essentials of the game, online Sic Bo is a pale copy of the brick-and-mortar game. Live dealer Sic Bo actually uses a person to shake and present the dice, giving you the peace of mind that there is no software glitches or problems.

Sic Bo Etiquette

Superstition plays a role in Sic Bo, so etiquette is a key factor. Table games tend to have a social aspect to them. Camaraderie and friendliness are key, so you might want to research the Sic Bo superstitions below. If nothing else, these will be conversation pieces for the Chat Box.

  • Wear red when playing Sic Bo, to mirror the color of the betting board. Wearing red undergarments are considered particularly auspicious.
  • Feed those ghost baby which is said to reside under all Sic Bo tables. The baby likes sugar. Ignore the ghost and you’ll lose.
  • Fruit, candle burning, and donating money at a shrine or church is considered good luck, too.
  • The number 4 is considered to be the symbol of death in China. (I’ve encountered it in Japan, too.) Know that some might resent your betting on 4.
  • The number 8 means happiness in China. This is a lucky number.
  • Seeing a priest or nun before playing Sic Bo is considered unlucky. Luckily, that shouldn’t be a problem when playing from home.
  • While clergy are unlucky, praying is considered a good thing before playing Sic Bo.
  • Pay attention to the “feng shui” or spiritual position of the Sic Bo table in the live dealer studio. The energy surrounding the table is considered highly important in Sic Bo.

Westerners might think that the Chinese betting superstitions are so much bunk, or they might think the Chinese gambling community all suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The positioning of the table particularly made me think of OCD, which causes people to line up all their shoes in the closet.

As long as you uphold the traditions listed above, you should receive a warm welcome at the Sicbo table. In my experience and in speaking with dealer friends, Sicbo dealers tend to be very friendly to American players, because they are expected to tip a bit more than the average Asian gambler would.

Sadonna Price

Sadonna Price OUSC Expert in Online Casinos and Poker

Sadonna is a former professional poker player. Passionate about writing and loves using her creativity to provide insight into the interesting gambling world.

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