Top 8 Dice Games for Gamblers

It seems ironic that one of the top casino table games is played by so few people. It seems impossible—until you look at that wagering grid on the craps table and try to guess what all that stuff means.

Most of us prefer games we are familiar with, but some of us are occasionally in the mood to win real money at casino dice games while learning something new, something with different risks and rewards.

The content below follows a list of eight of the best dice games you can find in land-based casinos and online. Some are complicated, but most are relatively simple. See if you don’t agree.

You can’t talk about the best casino games with dice without a grateful nod to the game of craps. Although many will say that craps is the best dice game at casinos, it’s not for everyone.

It’s practically a metaphor for confusing and potentially dangerous activity. When a movie director wants to show chaos, complexity, and seemingly pointless activity, they film a typical craps table on a Saturday night.

Craps requires some real study and significant experience to get right.

Odds and payouts vary widely among the types of craps bets. The simplest are the pass-don’t pass line. Unfortunately, it only pays even money.

To find better odds, the player will need to learn about the come/don’t come wager and even about the buy bets and lay bets.

Evidence that craps are one of the best dice games, despite its complexity, lies in the fact that you can find craps tables at many online casinos, including Wild Casino.

This is a British game that was played as far back as the 14th century (Chaucer mentioned it in his Canterbury Tales). It bears some resemblance to craps and is, in fact, the chief ancestor of the modern craps game.

As with craps, everyone may place wagers, but there is only one shooter at a time (known as a caster). With each roll, the caster calls out the number he’s going to roll; this number must be between 5 and 9 and is called the “main”

If he rolls that number, he wins (“nicks”). If he rolls a two or a three (sum of both dice), he loses (“outs”). Any other sum of the two dice becomes the “chance” (craps players are right now nodding their heads in recognition).

The game wasn’t only played in the UK, of course. It was one of the best dice games you could play in the saloons and gambling in the Wild West.

Incidentally, Hazard is a distant relative of Sic Bo, and it’s still one of the best dice board games you can find (when you can find it).

Sic Bo is not only one of the best dice games, but it is also arguably the granddaddy of all the rest.

Played with three dice, Sic Bo features a betting grid on the table that resembles that of craps. Literally, Sic Bo means “precious dice.” The betting grid is nearly as busy as that of craps, but after a bit of focused study, it appears quite simpler than craps.

The range of wagers available is as myriad as those in craps, with even/odd, big (11-17 total)/small (4-10 total) at the even money level, and specific combinations such as pairs, three of a kind, and specific numbers rounding out the betting grid.

There is no “shooter” in Sic Bo. Instead, the dealer places the three dice in a small chest, shakes it, and then dumps it onto the playing table.

To find out more about why this is one of the top dice games at the casino, I recommend this Sic Bo guide.

You can play this dice game at a reputable known casino such as Ignition, which offers a welcome bonus of 300% up to $3,000.

Like Hazard, Grand Hazard is a British game, and it’s somewhat closer to its honorable ancestor, Sic Bo, as it is played with three dice. Its similarity to Sic Bo, however, is only slight.

The dice are rolled down a series of inclined planes with baffles and other obstacles on them that cause the dice to randomize themselves as they work their way to the table.

Various combinations and single numbers are available for wagers, with the best payout being for three of a kind, which pays 18-1. In its heyday, it was considered one of the best casino dice games in Europe.

My casino dice games list continues with another derivative of Sic Bo. Chuck-a-luck is played with three dice but with fewer possible wagers.

While some versions have nearly the same number of possible wagers, the simplest form of chuck-a-luck that was played in the trenches during World War I had six possible bets: 1 through 6.

A player would wager on a number, and if that number appeared once when the dice were rolled, he was paid 1-1. If the number appeared on two of the dice, he was paid 2-1. Three dice showing that number would pay 3-1.

What made it one of the best dice games in the past is its simplicity and lack of a need for sophisticated equipment or even a table.

When they weren’t struggling to stay warm, Alaska gold miners would play various dice games for real money, with Klondike being among the most popular.

Klondike would make everybody’s list of best casino dice games if we’re basing that ranking on the number of dice used.

Depending on where the game is played, Klondike uses either ten or five dice and pits the dealer against the player to see who can roll the better combination of five dice. The banker first rolls five dice and tallies the best combination—from a pair to five of a kind.

Any die not used in the combination is ignored. The player then rolls five dice to try to get a better combination than the banker.

In most versions of the game, the three possible wagering positions are for the player to either win, lose, or beat two aces. Ties count as losses.

This casino game prioritizes rolling dice more than anything, making it a perfect fit for this list.

If you’re looking for the best dice game at casinos that doesn’t feature a galaxy of wagering choices, you’ll be excited to hear about Roll the Dice.

But wait—there’s more! Also known as Fish-Prawn-Crab, this game uses three dice with various animals or objects on their sides rather than pips representing numbers. The figures are a fish, a prawn, a crab, a coin, a rooster, and a calabash.

The player wagers on one or more of these figures (or on a seventh wager–a triple—which pays 33-1 if all three dice match the figure the player bet the triple on). Matching one die pays 1-1, two matches pays 2-1, and 3 matches pays 12-1 (note that you must place a wager on the triple to qualify for a win paying 33-1).

The game is quite simple and has been a popular gambling game throughout Asia for centuries. If you want to see for yourself why this is one of the best casino games with dice, you will be able to play it at Bovada.

This Bovada review can tell you more about their site before you consider playing Roll the Dice.

Sometimes misspelled banko francesa, Banca Francesa (otherwise known as French Bank) is actually a Portuguese game played with three dice.

I know what you’re thinking, but it isn’t yet another grandchild of Sic Bo. Instead, Banco Francesa traces its lineage to European roulette.

The odds disparity makes it one of the more interesting (and potentially rewarding) of all the top real money dice games. But before we look at those odds, let’s examine the game itself.

Banco Francesa has no shooter/caster. Instead, three house employees handle all the activity at the table (except for placing bets, that is). There’s the tax man (fiscal), the payer (pagador), and the croupier (cavalinho). The croupier handles the dice, the tax man collects lost wagers, and the payer pays out all winnings.

There are only three wagers that can be made: Grande (the sum of all three dice is 14, 15, or 16), Pequeno (the sum is 5, 6, or 7), and Ases (three ones). All other dice outcomes are ignored, and the croupier will continue to roll until either grande, pequeno, or ases appears. Bets may be changed between rolls.

Grande and Pequeno pay even money, but a wager on Ases pays 61-1.

I hope I’ve given you cause to rethink your aversion to dice games. If I have or if you’re already cognizant of the finer points of the game, you can always play live craps online.

If you go that route, just be sure to know the unwritten rules of craps.

New to Craps? Be Sure to Follow These 10 Unwritten Rules

It’s important to not remove your bet once it wins so you have evidence that you placed the wager. Only use one hand when rolling the dice to keep everyone at ease that you aren’t cheating. Craps etiquette includes not handing the dealer cash, avoiding...

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Casino games are a staple in the casino, and even outside of the casino. If you were on the hunt for the best dice games, you now have a comprehensive list at your disposal.

There are more dice games out there, but many of them are just variations of the best casino dice games above.

A lot of these games are difficult to find online, but maybe you don’t care about that anyways. In that case, I would strongly recommend giving any game from this list a try.

If you do want to play one of these games for real money online, which should you play?

You have the best chance to find Craps or Sic Bo at the best online casinos, so there’s your answer. Choose whichever game you like more than the other, or you can play one first and the next one after.

Footnotes:

• The Cremation of Sam McGee is from the Poetry Foundation.