Malaysia guide
How to play sic bo, from Big and Small to triples
Sic bo is played with three dice. You bet before they are shaken: Big (a total of 11 to 17), Small (4 to 10), an exact total, a single number, a double or a triple. Big and Small pay 1:1 but lose whenever all three dice match, and that one rule is where their 2.78% house edge comes from.
Three dice and 216 combinations
Each die has six faces, so three dice give 6 × 6 × 6 = 216 equally likely outcomes. Outcomes are counted die by die: 1-2-3 and 3-2-1 are two different outcomes even though the total is the same. Every probability in sic bo starts from this number.
| Total | Outcomes for each total | Chance of each total |
|---|---|---|
| 3 or 18 | 1 | 0.46% |
| 4 or 17 | 3 | 1.39% |
| 5 or 16 | 6 | 2.78% |
| 6 or 15 | 10 | 4.63% |
| 7 or 14 | 15 | 6.94% |
| 8 or 13 | 21 | 9.72% |
| 9 or 12 | 25 | 11.57% |
| 10 or 11 | 27 | 12.50% |
The middle totals, 10 and 11, come up most often because so many combinations produce them. Totals of 3 and 18 can only happen one way each: 1-1-1 and 6-6-6. Add up the outcomes for every total from 3 to 18 and you get 216.
At a live table the dice are shaken in a glass shaker and the result is read by the system, while RNG versions use a random number generator. The flow of a live round is covered in how live casino works.
Big and Small: what a triple does to an even-money bet
A Small bet wins on a total of 4 to 10, and a Big bet on 11 to 17. Both pay 1:1, but both lose when a triple appears, even if the triple's total falls inside the range.
The count for Small: totals 4 to 10 cover 3 + 6 + 10 + 15 + 21 + 25 + 27 = 107 outcomes. Take away the triples 2-2-2 and 3-3-3 and 105 remain. The chance of winning is 105/216, about 48.61%. Big works the same way: 107 outcomes minus 4-4-4 and 5-5-5, again 105.
Over an average 216 rounds you win 105 times and lose 111 times. That six-unit gap, divided by 216, is the 2.78% house edge.
In ringgit: RM20 on Big. The dice show 4-5-6, a total of 15, and you are RM20 up. They show 5-5-5, also 15, but it is a triple, so the RM20 is lost. They show 1-3-6, a total of 10, which is Small, and the RM20 is lost.
Some tables also offer Odd and Even with the same triple rule, so the maths matches Big and Small.
Totals, single numbers, doubles and triples
- Total: one exact total from 4 to 17. Each total has its own payout.
- Single number: pick a number from 1 to 6. It pays 1:1 if it appears on one die, 2:1 on two dice and 3:1 on all three.
- Two-dice combination: two different numbers, such as 1 and 2, must both appear. That covers 30 of the 216 outcomes.
- Specific double: at least two dice show your chosen number. That covers 16 of the 216 outcomes.
- Specific triple: all three dice show your chosen number. Just 1 outcome in 216.
- Any triple: any of the six triples. 6 in 216, or 1 in 36.
Single-number arithmetic: the number 4 is missing from 125 outcomes (5 × 5 × 5), appears once in 75, twice in 15 and three times in 1. Betting RM10 over an average 216 rounds, the wins come to 75 × RM10 + 15 × RM20 + 1 × RM30 = RM1,080, and the losses to 125 × RM10 = RM1,250. A RM170 average loss on RM2,160 staked is 7.87%.
Triple example: RM5 on triple 6 at 150:1. If 6-6-6 lands, you make RM750. The chance is 1 in 216, so on average the other 215 rounds each lose RM5, which is RM1,075, against the RM750 won once.
Sic bo payout table vs probability
Payout tables differ between tables and providers. The one below is an example of a common layout; open the payout panel at your table and swap in its numbers where they differ.
| Bet | Winning outcomes out of 216 | Example payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big / Small | 105 | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Single number | 91 (on 1 to 3 dice) | 1:1 / 2:1 / 3:1 | 7.87% |
| Total 4 or 17 | 3 | 60:1 | 15.28% |
| Total 5 or 16 | 6 | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Total 6 or 15 | 10 | 17:1 | 16.67% |
| Total 7 or 14 | 15 | 12:1 | 9.72% |
| Total 8 or 13 | 21 | 8:1 | 12.50% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 25 | 6:1 | 18.98% |
| Total 10 or 11 | 27 | 6:1 | 12.50% |
| Two-dice combination | 30 | 5:1 | 16.67% |
| Specific double | 16 | 8:1 | 33.33% |
| Any triple | 6 | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Specific triple | 1 | 150:1 | 30.09% |
The pattern is clear: only Big and Small sit under 3%. Many of the other bets land between 10% and 33%. A 150:1 payout on a specific triple sounds generous, but the fair price would be 215:1.
Small changes to a payout move the edge a lot. A specific double paying 10:1 has an 18.52% edge instead of 33.33%. A specific triple at 180:1 is 16.20%. Any triple at 24:1 climbs to 30.56%.
To turn these percentages into ringgit for your own budget, use the house edge calculator. For example, RM10 on Big for 100 rounds is RM1,000 staked with an expected cost of about RM27.80. RM10 on a specific double at 8:1 for 100 rounds has an expected cost of about RM333.
Dice history boards and habits at the sic bo table
Most tables show recent results and the percentage of Big, Small, Odd and Even. Dice have no memory: after three Bigs in a row, the chance of Big next round is still 105/216. The board is useful for checking results against your bet history, not for prediction.
- Read the table's payout list before placing chips, especially for totals, doubles and triples.
- Keep high-payout bets to a small slice of your budget, because their house edge is several times higher.
- Remember that one round can hold several bets at once, so the amount staked per round grows quickly.
- Set a time limit and a deposit limit in your account before you start.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Big and Small lose on a triple?
The triple rule is how the game builds a house edge into an even-money bet. Small loses two winning outcomes (2-2-2 and 3-3-3) and Big loses 4-4-4 and 5-5-5. Each then wins 105 and loses 111 of the 216 outcomes, a house edge of 2.78%.
How many combinations are there in sic bo?
Three dice produce 216 equally likely outcomes, which is 6 × 6 × 6. Of these, 6 are triples, 90 contain exactly one pair and 120 show three different numbers. Every sic bo payout and probability is worked out from these 216 outcomes.
Which sic bo bet has the lowest house edge?
Big and Small, with a house edge of 2.78% and a 1:1 payout. Odd and Even, where offered, are the same. Totals, doubles and triples usually carry an edge between 10% and 33%, depending on the table's payout list.