Sic bo is an ancient Chinese dice game. The name sic bo literally means "dice pair"; the name is somewhat of a misnomer, since the game is actually played with three dice.

The rules of sic bo are easy to understand. The object of a sic bo game is to wager on the outcome of the roll of the three dice. You make your bet by first choosing your chip size, and then placing your chips on the area of the sic bo table corresponding to the bet you want to make.

The great thing about sic bo is the wide variety of different bets you can make. There is a correspondingly wide variety of odds and payouts, ranging from even money to 180-to-1, for winning sic bo bets.

These are some of the possible sic bo bets:

Specific Triple: You can bet on a specific triple such as, for example, triple ones. You win the bet if all three dice come up showing 1.

Any Triple: You win this bet if all three dice show the same number, regardless of which number it is.

Specific Double: You win if at least two of the three dice show the specific number that you bet on.

Total: You win if the sum of the three dice adds up to the specific total score that you bet on. If you bet on Total 12, you will win with 3, 4, 5, with 2, 4, 6, with 4, 4, 4, or with any other combination that adds up to 12.

Small: You win if the total sum of the three dice is between 4 and 10, but is not a triple.

Big: You win if the total sum of the three dice is between 11 and 17, but is not a triple.

Two-Dice Combination: You can bet that at least two different specific numbers, such as 1 and 2, will show on at least two of the dice.

Single die bet: You win if at least one of the dice shows the specific number that you bet on.

After you place your bet, you click the Roll button. The three dice will roll around and eventually come to rest. The areas of the sic bo table corresponding to all winning bets will then light up.

For example, if the dice show the number 1, 3, and 3, the following winning bets will all light up on the table: small, total 7, double 3, two-dice combination 1 & 3, single die 1, and single die 3.

Each sic bo bet has different payout odds. The good news is that you do not have to study them or memorize them. They are all printed clearly on the sic bo table. The lowest payout is 1-to-1 for the small or big bets. The highest payout is 180-to-1 for a winning specific triple bet.