5 Most Popular Dice Gambling Games

When you think about casino games, it is probably card games, such as blackjack and poker, or slot machines that come to mind first. But there is another set of casino games that often get forgotten about, and that is dice games.

There is no denying that craps is the most popular dice game in the casino, but it is not the only one that is available. As a matter of fact, there are a variety of dice games that can be found in casinos throughout the world.

Let’s take a look at five of the most popular gambling games that use dice. You can enjoy most of these dice games at any of the top online casinos.

Game #1- Craps

Craps is king when it comes to dice games in casinos. Almost every casino in the entire world, including online casino options, have at least one version of craps. It is by far the most popular dice game, so it is the perfect place to start.

If you are not familiar with craps, it can be a little overwhelming at the beginning. The basis of the game is that a shooter rolls two dice across the table, and all of the players bet on which number they think the dice will land on. It is a surprisingly simple game, but the betting options can get a little confusing.

There are several ways that you can place a wager in craps, but the most common are pass/don’t pass and come/don’t come bets.

When the pass bet wins, the don’t pass bet loses, and the come/don’t come bets are also opposites in the same way. You also have several chances to place bets at different points throughout the game.

One of the best parts about playing craps is that you have several opportunities to keep your bet in play, even if you do not win right away. For example, if you play one of the pass or come bets, your wager will stay on the table until it wins or loses. If the dice land on seven or eleven, the pass bet will win. It only loses if the dice land on two, three, or twelve.

That means that the bet can stay active if the dice lands on five, six, eight, nine, or ten. Multi-roll wagers do not let players win multiple times, but it does mean that your bet does not lose as quickly as other wagers. It is not an automatic loss each time you do not win because you have another chance to keep the bet in play.

You might find some online casinos that have a game called hazard. It is the original version of craps, so do not be surprised when these two games are remarkably similar. Craps is the most popular dice game in history, and it has been played in casinos and gaming halls for centuries. You might be a little bit overwhelmed during your first game, but once you get the hang of the betting options, it is a fantastic casino game that everyone can enjoy.

Game #2- Sic Bo

Another fun and exciting dice game that is popular and available at many casinos is sic bo. It is a game that originated in Asia, and it was popular there for many centuries. In the 1980s, some casinos in the United States started offering real money sic bo or its variations.

The game never took off in America as much as it did in Asia, but it is still available at most casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. You might need to look in the Asian games room to find it, along with other popular Asian games.

Most online casinos also offer at least one variety of sic bo. However, you may need to search for it based on the names of some variations. For example, my online casino offers a game called Hoo-Hey-How, or Roll the Dice, which is a variation of sic bo, even though the name does not give that away.

Sic bo is very similar to craps because the basic premise of the game remains the same. Your job is to bet on which numbers the dice will fall on. However, in sic bo, there are three dice instead of two. And you only get one chance to have your bet pay off. There are no multi-roll bets in sic bo like there are in craps.

Despite the fact that the basic premise of the game is the same, the betting options are quite different in sic bo. The most common wagers are the big and small bets. Small bets win if the total of all three dice is between four and ten.

Big bets win if the sum of all three dice is between eleven and seventeen. However, if all three dice land on the same number, you cannot win a big or small bet. Taking out the payouts for triplets is how casinos get the house edge in this particular game.

While the big and small bets are the most common, they are not the wagers that pay the most. They are even-money wagers, but there are some bets in sic bo that pay quite a bit more. For example, if you play in Atlantic City, you can bet on a total of seventeen for a potential 60:1 win.

However, the house edge on that particular bet is nearly 30%. Some of the props bets in sic bo have house edges of close to 50%. For most gamblers, there is too much risk involved to make any of those bets worth the amount they would lose in their attempt to get lucky.

In my opinion, sic bo is the perfect game when you want a more laidback version of craps. If you happen to play craps in a land-based casino, the game can get rowdy and intense really quickly because a lot of the players bet on the same wagers.

They all get really excited when they all win, but if the players lose, they can get pretty upset. It can also be a challenging game because it is sometimes difficult to keep track of all of the betting options that are in play.

Sic bo tables often have fewer players, so they do not get as lively. There are fewer betting options, and each wager only stays on the table for one round, so it is a lot easier to keep track of your bets. It is not nearly as popular as craps, but sic bo is still a fun and exciting dice game.

Game #3- Klondike

If you are anything like me, when you hear the word Klondike, you are probably thinking of ice cream bars immediately. So, you will be surprised to learn that it is actually the name of a casino game.

This exciting game is like a combination of poker, blackjack, and craps all rolled into one. It is also remarkably similar to the board game Yahtzee.

The game Klondike originated on the American frontier. It is not available in most land-based casinos today, but some tribal casinos may offer something similar. You might be able to find this game at some online casinos, but do not get it confused with Klondike solitaire, which is an entirely different game.

When you play Klondike, your objective is to roll a better dice combination than the banker or dealer. The potential hands (listed from best to worst) include five of a kind, four of a kind, full house, three of a kind, two pair, or one pair. If you happen to roll a one, it acts as an ace, so one is the best number in Klondike.

There is no such thing as a tie in Klondike. If you tie with the banker, you automatically lose, which is how the casino makes their money. You only get one chance to roll the dice, so you need to make the most out of whatever you throw. Klondike is a fun game that gives you a chance to play several different kinds of games at once.

Those of you who happen to find an online casino that offers the game Klondike, you should definitely give it a shot at least one time.

Game #4- Banca Francesa

Another game that is kind of a combination of two different games is banca francesa. While Klondike is similar to playing poker with dice, banca francesa, is like playing baccarat with dice. There are three potential bets, and three dice that you use to make your total.

The dealer will roll the dice continuously until one of three possible combinations comes up. Those combinations are a big, small, or aces, and you get to bet on which one you think will come up before the others.

Big bets win if the total of the dice is between fourteen and sixteen. Small bets win if the total is between five and seven. Both of those bets pay even money.

Aces mean that all three dice land on a one, so it is the most difficult bet to win. However, if you are lucky enough to win an aces bet, you will get rewarded with sixty times your original stake. It is comparable to the tie bet in baccarat, while the big and small wagers are similar to the banker and player bets.

If you placed a bet on aces, and then you start feeling unlucky, you can withdraw your stake before you lose. However, the dealer moves pretty quickly, so you will not have a lot of time to think about it. Act quickly if you want to change your bets in between rolls.

I enjoy banca francesa because it is a fun and fast-paced game, but it is also easy to learn. All that you have to do is choose between the betting options. So, it is a lot easier to learn than craps. The house edge on the big and small bets is only around 1.5%, so it is a good choice if you want the best chances of winning in the long run.

Banca francesa is a very popular game in Portugal, in particular. You will find tables at all of the brick-and-mortar casinos in Portugal. Fortunately, you do not need to travel to Portugal to play this fun game. An online casino software company adapted the game for an online format.

Now, you can play banca francesa at any online casino with Gaming1 software. I do not doubt that once other online casino operators see how well banca francesa has been received, they will want to jump on the bandwagon as well.

Hopefully, increased popularity online will lead to banca francesa becoming available in more land-based casinos as well.

Game #5- Chuck-a-Luck

Chuck-a-luck is an Australian dice game that was also very popular in American during the civil war. Some civil war references refer to the game as sweat or sweat rag. That is because the soldiers did not want to get in trouble for gambling. They would play with a piece of cloth with the numbers one through six on it.

When the commanding officer was coming, they would fold up the fabric and pretend to use it as a sweat rag to avoid getting caught gambling.

It is a very easy game to learn and play, and you could easily play it at home. Your objective is to bet on which number the dice will fall, and how many dice will fall on that number in particular. All you really need is a set of three dice, and a board with the numbers zero to six on it.

However, if you get a chance to play in a land-based casino, you will see that their version of chuck-a-luck is a little more sophisticated and flashy. Casinos often have hourglass-shaped cages with the dice inside. Instead of rolling the dice, they spin the cage to toss the dice.

The reason that casinos use the birdcage instead of merely rolling the dice is that players complained that the dealer was not rolling the dice fairly. Some casinos used weighted dice to change the outcome of the game, while others used trick rolling to beat the odds. They added the birdcage to make players feel like the game was fair and to prevent the dealers from cheating.

Modern chuck-a-luck has more betting options than the version that Civil War soldiers played. A numbers bet is when you choose a specific number that you think the dice will land on, and you get paid based on how many dice land on that number. For example, if you bet a dollar that the dice will land on two, you get one dollar back if one dice lands on two, two dollars if two dice land on two, and three dollars if three dice land on two. That was the most common bet in the 1800s.

There are three bets that have to do with the sum of all of the numbers that the dice land on, and all three of them pay even money. A high bet wins if the sum is eleven or more, and a low bet wins when the sum is less than eleven. However, both of these bets lose if all three dice land on the same number.

Field bets are the last bet that is based on the sum of the dice. It is a little more confusing to remember, but if you are playing at a casino, the numbers will be listed in the field section of the table. You can win a field bet if the total of all three dice is between three and seven, or between thirteen and sixteen.

The most tempting bet in chuck-a-luck is the “any triple” bet. If all three dice land on the same number, you can get a payout of thirty times your original stake. It does not matter what number the dice land on, as long as all three of them are the same. While that thirty to one payout is definitely tempting, the odds of winning an any triple bet are not good. There is only a one in thirty-six chance that you will win.

Chuck-a-luck is a simple game, but it is also fun. You can challenge yourself by trying out all of the different betting options. However, the house edge is also relatively high for the game, with an average house edge of around 7.5%.

Conclusion

Dice games are not nearly as common in casinos as card games, with the exception of craps. However, online casinos give players more opportunities to play a variety of dice games from around the world without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home.

So, check out one of our recommended online casinos, and then find some time to explore all of the different dice games that are available. You are sure to find one that you enjoy.