Sic bo (骰寶), also known as tai sai (大細), dai siu (大小), big and small or hi-lo, is an unequal game of chance played with three dice, and of ancient Chinese origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck are variants, and of English origin. The literal meaning of sic bo is "precious dice", while dai siu and dai sai mean "big [or] small".
Sic bo is a casino game, popular in Asia and widely played (as dai siu) in casinos in Macau. It is played in the Philippines as hi-lo. It was introduced to the United States by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, and can now be found in most American casinos. Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom, under The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (Statutory Instrument 2002/1130).
Gameplay involves betting that a certain condition (e.g. that all three dice will roll the same) will be satisfied by a roll of the dice.
Players place their bets on certain areas of the table as shown in the picture above. The dealer then picks up a small chest containing the dice which he/she closes and shakes. Finally the dealer opens the chest to reveal the combination.
Sic bo is one of two casino games involving dice, the other being craps. Sic bo is strictly a game of chance because every roll on the dice results a win or loss on any bet. In craps, some bets require certain rolls before they can become winning or losing bets, thus encouraging strategy.
(a specific total score in the range of 4 to 17 inclusive)
The most common wagers are "Big" and "Small".
Grand Hazard is a gambling game of English origin, also played with three dice. (It is distinct from Hazard, another gambling game of Old English origin, played with two dice.) The dice are either thrown with a cup or rolled down a chute containing a series of inclined planes ("hazard chute") that tumble the dice as they fall. Threes-of-a-kind are known as "raffles" and pay out at 18 to 1.