Sic Bo Odds and Payouts: Probabilities Explained
Three fair independent six-sided dice produce 216 equally likely ordered outcomes: 6 × 6 × 6. Winning probability and payout are different quantities. Expected return requires both, and the position of a betting area on the layout does not indicate safety.
Profit odds and total return
A payout of 6:1 in profit odds means six units profit plus the original stake, or seven units returned on a winning one-unit bet. A label of “6 for 1” instead describes six units in total. Confusing these conventions produces an incorrect house-edge calculation.
For an all-or-nothing bet with winning probability p and profit odds b:1, house edge is 1 − p × (b + 1). Bets with several winning payout levels require each probability-weighted return to be included.
Example paytable and house edge
The following examples assume return of the winning stake and the precise conditions shown. They are not a universal paytable for every Canadian service or multiplier variant.
| Bet and rule | Winning outcomes / 216 | Example profit odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big or Small, triples excluded | 105 | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Odd or Even, triples excluded | 105 | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Two different specified faces | 30 | 6:1 | 2.78% |
| Single number, at least one match | 91 | 1:1 / 2:1 / 3:1 by match count | 7.87% |
| Specified double, including its triple | 16 | 10:1 | 18.52% |
| Total 9 or total 12, each separately | 25 | 7:1 | 7.41% |
| Total 10 or total 11, each separately | 27 | 6:1 | 12.50% |
| Any triple | 6 | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Specified triple | 1 | 180:1 | 16.20% |
Counting doubles and single-number matches
Exactly two occurrences of one specified face have 15 ordered outcomes. Including the triple adds one, so a double bet that wins on at least two matches has 16 outcomes. At 10:1 profit odds, 1 − (16/216 × 11) gives an 18.52% edge. If a rule excludes triples, that is a different calculation.
For a single-number entry, exactly one, two and three matches have 75, 15 and one outcomes respectively. Together they give 91/216, or 42.13%, not 34.72%. The single-number guide explains the tiered payout calculation.
Frequency of exact totals
Totals 3 through 18 have, in order, these numbers of ordered outcomes: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 25, 27, 27, 25, 21, 15, 10, 6, 3, 1. Each count is divided by 216 for its probability. Not every layout offers every total as a separate bet.
Totals 9 and 12 each have 25 outcomes, while 10 and 11 each have 27. They should not share a single approximate house-edge figure. At 6:1, a total of 9 has an 18.98% edge; at 7:1, it has 7.41%. The probability stays the same while the payout changes.
Range exclusions and enhanced payouts
Under the common Big/Small rule, every triple loses even when its sum is in the named range. Each range then has 105 winning and 111 losing results. Removing only the in-range triple exclusion would not make the written ranges 4–10 and 11–17 exactly 50/50, because totals 3 and 18 remain outside them.
Enhanced-payout games need their full rules, including which areas qualify, selection frequencies and ordinary payouts. A headline boosted maximum cannot establish overall RTP. See Super Sic Bo and Mega Sic Bo.
What the figures do not promise
An expected-loss percentage does not guarantee a session result or make a staking progression profitable. Adding a wager on triples introduces another cost rather than general insurance. Return to Sic Bo probability and strategy claims for these distinctions.
Related reading: Craps Odds and Probability: The 36 Dice Combinations.
