Sic bo, which is also known by the names of tai said, big and small, dai siu, and hi lo, is a gambling game of chance that uses three dice. The game was invented by the Chinese over nineteen hundred years ago before the invention of paper and different forms of playing cards. Instead of paper, the Chinese would use dice or tiles and sometimes even painted stones in their games. Some of these games have lasted through the centuries to present day, and Sic bo is one such game.
The literal translation for sic bo is actually “dice pair,” but the game is currently played with three. It is possible that the original incarnation of the game was actually played with two dice instead of three. Nineteen hundred years ago, the first incarnation of the game involved throwing bricks that had their sides numbered. As big bricks weren’t the most practical thing to carry around or even throw, eventually the gaming pieces evolved into three dice with six sides each. The object of the game has remained the same since the beginning – making bets on what number combination will be rolled during each round.
Sic Bo Gameplay
Like roulette, this game is very easy to play. In order to win, the player must guess which combination of numbers will show on the dice faces once they’ve been shaken.
Sic Bo Glossary
There are many words a player must become familiar with in order to play this game. “Any double” is a bet that two out of the three dice will match. This is also called “any pair”. “Any triple” is a bet that all of the dice will have the same number. “Betting limits” is how the maximum and minimum amounts that a player can bet at a table. “Big” is a bet that if the player adds up the numbers from all three dice and that the total number will fall between eleven and seventeen.
“Cage” is the piece of equipment that the dice are shaken in before they’re rolled. “Chips” are the tokens used by casinos to represent money. “Combination bet” is a bet that 2 out of the 3 dice will roll numbers that the player specifies before rolling. “Cup” can be used instead of a cage to mix up the dice before they are rolled. “Dai siu” is another name for this game and has the literal translation of “big small”. “Dice face” is a bet that at least one of the dice will face up with a number that has been specified by the player before rolling. “Even” is a bet that the number total of the three dice added up will be an even number. “Layout” is the various markings on the playing table where players should place their bets. “Lose on any triple” is a rule in this game that states when the player rolls a triple all big bets and small bets automatically lose.
“Odd” is a bet that the number total of the three dice added up will be an odd number. “Pair match” is a bet that two out of the three dice will add up to the pair that was called by the player.
