Sic Bo Winning Strategy

The Chinese game of Sic Bo may seem intimidating at first glance at the table. But this cannot be far from the truth if you learn the basics of it. So before you learn advanced sic bo strategies and think of applying them, I suggest you to first play a few free games online. Once you know how to play sic bo perfectly, the tactics listed in this article will help you to become a pro soon.

Today, I’ll be explaining the nuances, unraveling the intricacies hidden in the simplicity of the game and helping you to become a confident Sic Bo player during the course of this article.

So let’s begin by getting acquainted with the odds, probabilities, and statistics, which will give you a logical advantage while playing.

First, Learn the Odds & Probabilities

Bet Type	Probability	Odds	House Edge	Payout
Big	0.4861	11 or 10	2.78%	1 to 1
Small	0.4861	11 or 10	2.78%	1 to 1
4	0.0139	70-1	12.43%	62 to 1
5	0.0278	34-1	11.04%	31 to 1
6	0.0463	20-1	12.03%	18 to 1
7	0.0694	13-1	9.78%	12 to 1
8	0.0972	9-1	12.52%	8 to 1
9	0.1157	15-2	7.44%	7 to 1
10	0.1250	7-1	12.50%	6 to 1
11	0.1250	7-1	12.50%	6 to 1
12	0.1157	15-2	7.44%	7 to 1
13	0.0972	9-1	12.52%	8 to 1
14	0.0694	13-1	9.78%	12 to 1
15	0.0463	20-1	12.03%	18 to 1
16	0.0278	34-1	11.04%	31 to 1
17	0.0139	70-1	12.43%	62 to 1
Double	0.0741	12-1	11.08%	11 to 1
Triple	0.0046	216-1	16.74%	180 to 1
Combination	0.1389	6-1	2.77%	6 to 1
Any Triple	0.0278	34-1	11.04%	31 to 1
1-6 :1	0.3472	2-1	30.56%	1 to 1
1-6 :2	0.0694	13-1	9.74%	2 to 1
1-6 :3	0.0046	216-1	94%	12 to 1

You may observe that the above chart clearly displays that the 1 to 1 payout probability is high with the Small & Big bets and it is evident that the same bets have a low house edge as well. So, to anyone playing Sic Bo for practice, casually, or a beginner, this would be a safe bet with a minimum risk factor.

It is noteworthy that beginners and high rollers alike are known to play only the Small & Big bets just because of the higher statistical advantage of winning.

And the winning probability in the chart points towards betting on the outcome between 9 and 12 next, where the payout odds are higher (between 6 to 1 and 7 to 1) and the house advantage with the same is lesser compared to the rest of the probable outcomes.

Other than these, I suggest you to bet on combination of outcomes and the 1-6:1 triple bet as these statistically can put you on a winning streak.

Playing with the Knowledge of the House Edge to Your Advantage

Do not forget to keep an eye on the house edge of winning, as the slogan goes ‘the house always wins’, you do not want to be blindsided by the hefty odds which vary from as little as 2.78% for the Small and Big bets, to 30.56%. And in this case, the 1-6:1 triple bet can work as a double edge sword.

Lurking in the polar opposite of the winning odds, the triple bet has a payout margin of 180:1 which means that you earn 181 times your bet but the problem with this extravagant outcome is the probability of this happening is as low as 0.46% percent. In other terms, you only win 1 out of every 220 bets you place but you earn back only 181 portions of your bet, which puts you at a worse odd situation.

Wondering about the rest of the chart?

Let me clarify that the rest of the betting odds stand at approximately 50% winning chance compared with the odds spoken about until now. So, combined with the beauty of Sic Bo that allows you to bet on more than one payout at a time and the statistics discussed until above, you should be winning more games than you lose but there are definitely worthwhile strategies to try and wrap your mind around for the love of Sic Bo.

Deciphering the Single, Double, Triple, and Double Combination Bets

Based on the acquired information earlier, let me throw some light on the single, double, triple and other combination bets and untangle the odds of winning for you.

• A single dice bet is when you predict a particular outcome of the dies and bet on it (between 1 and 6) and these bets have odds of payout of 1 to 1. And the odds of payout increase when more than one die shows your predictions and in this case, -2 to 1 for two dies and -3 to 1 for three dies.
• A double dice bet is when you predict the outcome of 2 dies to be the same and the odds of this paying out are 10 to 1 but you can predict this only 7.4% of the times. Bet on this only when you have a strong gut feeling that two out the three dies will turn up as the same number.
• Similarly, a triple dice bet demands your luck to be even better as the payout if all three dice are the same is 30 to 1. Even though the odds of three dice showing the same side are slim, the payout is huge at 180 to 1, which may redeem all your days’ loss in one shot.
• Combination bets make things interesting as the 15 Domino-like stacked dies on the table show a combination of 1-2, 2-3, 3-5, and so on. Rightfully also called the “Domino Bet,” this bet pays at 5 to 1 and the odds of this happening are decently high so go ahead and test your luck with this more than the earlier mentioned triple or double dice bets.

When you walk into a casino or download an app to play the game, Sic Bo, neither platforms can determine or discriminate if you’re a beginner, an intermediate player or a high roller, mainly because Sic Bo is a guessing game, a game of luck and a game for the gamblers.

Taking advantage of this well-known information let me explain how you can approach the game from three different perspectives.

Key Pointers to Remember Before Betting:

• Always have a budget and never go above it.
• Do not take too long or too many bets to figure out if you’re lucky that day or should you against your gut feeling.
• As tempting as it feels to be on a winning streak if you have come with a game plan of betting only on small, single, or other safer bets, stick to it.
• Start playing with a winners mindset but be prepared to lose because Sic Bo is a game of odds, and luck.

Beginner Level Player Strategy (Low-Risk Strategy)

Seasoned players who have dabbled with the uncertainties of Sic Bo always suggest beginners to have a defensive approach to the game. Patience is the virtue while playing Sic Bo. It quite literally puts you at a safer space to defend yourself rather than attacking as the motive here is to walk away with more than the initial bankroll, regardless of staying longer or shorter in the game.

The best approach for you as a beginner is to memorize the statistics, the house edge percentages and play small, big or a few types of combination bets.

Small, Big, and Combination Bets, the Winning Recipe

Let us first understand what are Small and Big bets.

When the sum total of the three dice lands between 4 & 10, it is a small bet, and when the sum to a total of the three dice lands between 11 and 17, it is a big bet. Pretty simple right? But sticking to these bets will be tricky.

The trade-off of betting on Big is that you may win less money as opposed to betting on Small money, where you may earn more money, but the chances of winning are higher while betting on Big as the odds here are 1 to 1.

Seasoned players are often seen betting on the same single-digit number as it is observed that this gives us an opportunity to win more money than the average of anything else but the downside to this is the winning chances of a single number is lower with respect to the high payout rate it comes with.

Combination Bet, One of the Most Common Practices

Often overlooked because of the small percentage of players winning statistic of 2.77%, beginners should rather notice that a specific bet on two number combination bets winning is an impressive 6 to 1. This entails that the players’ odds of winning are at 1 in every seven bets, and in my book, those are good odds for any beginner.

I suggest that you use this combination strategy as often as possible as most other types of bets are riskier in comparison, and you can save the risk as you grow wiser with the game.

Intermediate Level Strategy (Medium Risk Balanced Strategy)

As explained at the beginning of this article, betting on 9 and 12 gives you the best chance of winning a little more money compared to low-risk strategies.

This does not mean that you don’t exercise caution but shows that you are ready to kick the fun of playing Sic Bo up a notch. With payouts of 6 to 1 against odds of 15 to 2, the trick here is placing bets on your chosen total and then playing a combination of three double bets.

We’re going by the following logical theory here: a total of 9 won’t win if double 1 is spun and likewise, a total of 12 won’t win if a 6 is spun.

Imagine these examples of betting on 9 and 12 to understand better:

• Betting on 9: Place 2 chips on double 1, 5, and 6 and 3 chips on a total of 9. This will give you a return of 21 chips if 9 wins or 22 chips if a double wins.
• Betting on 12: Place 2 chips on double 1, 2, and 6 and 3 chips on a total of 12. This will give you a return of 21 chips if 12 wins or  22 chips if a double wins.

This is a strategic way of betting with a higher than usual risk which increases the percentage of wins and minimises loss of money.

High Roller Strategy, Risk More to Win More

Mainly designed for the risk-taking, high rolling, experienced player, the high roller strategy revolves around placing multiple bets with emphasis on betting on 8 and 13. With a payout odds at 8 to 1, you can strategically place multiple bets on either 8 or 13, a second bet on a double and a third bet on a domino, and this triple combination increases your odds of winning.

If the dice total consists of a double 4, 5 or 6, betting on 8 won’t win as the total would be more than 8. But a total of 8 may consist of a double 1, 2 or 5, and an 8 total could also contain a combination of 3 and 2.

Imagine these examples of betting on 8 and 13 to understand better:

• Betting on 8: Place 2 chips on double 1, 2, and 3 and 3 chips on a total of 8. This gives a total bet of 11 chips and has a possibility or returning 27 chips if 8 wins, 22 chips if a double wins, 12 chips if the combination wins.
• Betting on 13: Place 2 chips on double 4, 5, and 6 and 3 chips on a total of 13, and place a 2 chip bet on a combination of 4 & 5 to reassure the chance of double 4 & 5 winning. This yields a total of 11 chips with a plausible return of 27 chips if 13 wins, 22 chips if a double wins, and 12 if the combination wins.

At the end of the day, whether you bet on the 8 or 13, your possible return on the 11 chip bet is 61 chips and the high roller rolls on to the next big bet.

I have educated you of the conventional strategies to best the game of Sic Bo, and now, let us turn our attention towards the not-so-popular strategies that work just as well when you want the odds winning turn to your favour.

The 1-3-2-4 Sic Bo Strategy

Using the 1-3-2-4 system of betting is simply betting on a sequence of 1, 3, 2, and 4 where the numbers represent units/chips you are betting with.

For example, 1 chip is ₹100, 3 is ₹300, 2 is ₹200, and 4 is ₹400. The principle is simply introducing uncertainty to the sequence which otherwise may be helter-skelter, but this strategy is used in numerous card-based casino games where is hold water and has proven to be an effective strategy to turn the odds to favour you.

For the first bet, regardless of where you’re placing it, must start with ₹100. The second chip continues with ₹300 and the 1-3-2-4 sequence continues, as long as you are winning. In case you lose and the streak is broken, you begin from 1 again, which is ₹100 and restart the sequence. Pretty simple isn’t it?

You may introduce a variable by betting on small, double or a combination and have more than one sequence of 1-3-2-4 strategy going for you, albeit it would get complicated to follow after betting on a few rounds.

Martingale Strategy to Make Betting Simpler

One of the most famous Roulette or Craps strategies, Martingale has been in the limelight for decades now and has proven to be one of the most effective, simplification strategies used in casino games.

Keeping the initial bankroll in mind carefully, Martingale strategy is when you double your bet each time you lose. For instance, if your first bet is ₹200, your next bet will be ₹400, then it is ₹800, ₹1600, ₹3200, ₹6400 and so on.

The logic behind this strategy is to win big enough to cover your previous losses and add something extra on top of it. As chances of losing more money than winning persist, I suggest you to execute this strategy only for around 4 to 6 rounds of single bets and quit the game. Exceeding this might increase your chances of losing your bankroll which is ill-advised.

How not to go Bankrupt?

Here is how I use my bankroll to an optimal level. My bankroll is always ₹630 and if I do not win five rolls of dice in a row, I simply quit. I make bets in multiples of 2, starting with ₹10, then ₹20, ₹40, ₹80, until I exhaust my bankroll of ₹630.

Here, I have to mention that I have never lost five rolls in a row so I have never taken a loss on my bankroll, ergo, this is a foolproof method to ensure your money before even starting the betting. It pays to have a limit while you’re are gambling, after all, it is gambling.

Gambler’s Fallacy is Not a Myth

By definition, Gambler’s fallacy states that “if something happens more frequently at some point, it will occur less frequently later on”. As in, if the dice are rolling big numbers, they would roll small numbers later on, and vice versa. This is nothing but a superstition that holds no practical, mathematical or philosophical merit to it so, you’d be better off not believing in this at any point while playing the game.

Final Takeaway

The beauty of Sic Bo is that you can place multiple bets with different values of chips which gives you the leeway to explore combinations of bets like no other casino game.

Placing a small bet, bet on singles 6, 12, 8, 13 or you may go with any other permutation that you think works for you. But you should exercise caution and not get carried away placing bets on more than 4 areas as the chances of a positive, predictable outcome become slim to none beyond that point.