Tai Sai, or Sic Bo as it’s sometimes called, is a popular casino table game in Asia (especially China, Macau, and Singapore), where casino players bet on the potential results of the throw of 3 dice. There are 216 possible combinations that can be rolled based on 6 x 6 x 6 combinations. Tai Sai (Sic Bo) is a strategy casino game, in some ways similar to the dice game craps, where making the best bets (and avoiding the table sucker bets) will often be the difference between losing and winning. Our quick guide will help you to make the best Tai Sai (Sic Bo) bets, and avoid those high house margin bets which could lead you to financial ruin. It’s fair to say that Sic Bo / Tai Sai is a popular casino game in Asia because you can potentially win huge sums of money on this game (some bets pay 180 to 1 odds).

Here’s how the Tai Sai / Sic Bo game play normally happens. Firstly, the dealer covers the 3 dice dome with a cover, so that the dice cannot be seen. As a Sic Bo (Tai Sai) player, you then put your casino chips onto the layout, covering the bet combinations that you believe will win. You can bet on as many of the combinations as you like. The Tai Sai dealer will press a button and the dice will bounce around under the covered dome, and then come to rest. The dealer reveals the winning combination, the winning parts of the Tai Sai table layout will light up, and you’ll be paid for the winning bets. Simple.

At first, the table layout for Sic Bo / Tai Sai may seem confusing, because there are lots of regions to bet on. Don’t be afraid – it’s not tricky to understand once you’ve played a few times, and you can always ask the Tai Sai dealer for help. Being careful with the bet types you make is advised. The worst bets on the Tai Sai (Sic Bo) table have a house advantage of around 47% – you should avoid these bets, which are typically the total score of 3 dice. The best bets however are only 2.8% advantage – these are BIG and LITTLE, where you’re betting on a range of numbers for the total bet score.

You can play Sic Bo / Tai Sai in land based casinos, and now at online casinos. Depending on the online casino you choose, you can play with a real live dealer, or a computerised draw simulation. Here’s a quick breakdown of the available Sic Bo / Tai Sai bets – along with their actual odds.

BIG and LITTLE: It is a wager the total of the three dice will be little (4-10) or large (11-17). All little and large wagers lose if a triple appears. (House advantage 2.8%)

ODD and EVEN: It is a wager the total of the three dice with either be uneven (5,7,9…) or even (4,6,8…). If a triple appears, all odd and even wagers lose. (House advantage 2.8%)

DICE RESULT (Single Dice): It is a wager on what any of the three dice will be. (House advantage could be close to 8% – but depends on the three dice payout amount).

TWO DICE BLENDS: It is a wager on what any two of the three dice will be. You win if the mixture that you choose comes in! (Approx 16.7% complete house advantage, depending on mix selected)

DOUBLES: It is a wager that at least two out of the three dice will be the same – a double. You win should you pick a double that comes up! (House advantage about 11%)

THREE DICE TOTAL: It is a wager on the TOTAL of the 3 dice. Each casino may offer somewhat different payout odds on each amount. (House advantage is from 9%-47% reliant upon the total selected). Be very careful when placing this bet – the casino advantage here is HUGE.

SPECIAL THREE DICE BLENDS: Select what the three dice will be. You win 30 to 1 if you choose the correct mix. You win 60 to 1 if the blend you choose contains a double. (House edge not computed but likely 15% – 25% range)

ANY TRIPLE: It is a wager that all dice will reveal the exact same amount – a triple. With this particular bet you do not have to decide what the amounts will be as they’re the same. (House advantage 11%)

SPECIAL TRIPLE: It is a wager that all three dice will probably be the same – a triple. You may have needed to choose the amount that is unique to win BIG! (House advantage 16.2%)

FOUR DICE BLENDS: If three of the four numbers that you picked come up this wager wins. (House edge not computed – but probably 25% – 30% range)

Sic Bo / Tai Sai is a highly enjoyable casino table game. You’ll now find Sic Bo / Tai Sai in most Asian casinos, and many larger western casinos also offer the game. Here at How to Beat the Casinos, we advise you to play Tai Sai moderately, and for low to modest stakes. For the lowest risk way to play Tai Sai, stick to betting on LITTLE and BIG, ODD or EVEN – and avoid all of the other bet types. At moderate betting levels, you can still walk away a good winner on this exciting Asian casino table game.