Lightning Dice vs sic bo pits a narrow, multiplier-driven game show against a full dice table. Both roll three dice, but Evolution's Lightning Dice offers only totals and a few simple bets, with two to four spots struck by multipliers of up to 1,000x each round, while sic bo offers dozens of bets with house edges from 2.78% to 33.33%.
Both games use three dice with 216 equally likely outcomes, so the raw probabilities are identical.
Lightning Dice bets: totals 3 to 18, Low, High, Any Double and Any Triple, with random multipliers of up to 1,000x.
Sic bo's Small and Big bets carry a 2.78% edge; long-shot bets run as high as 33.33% depending on the paytable.
Lightning Dice's base paytable and RTP are in the game's help screen; check them before you bet.
Multiplier games move value from ordinary wins into rare big ones, so results swing more.
Dice
Three in both games (216 outcomes)
Lightning Dice maker
Evolution
Lightning multipliers
2–4 spots a round, up to 1,000x
Sic bo Small/Big edge
2.78%
Sic bo edge range
2.78% to 33.33% by bet
Any triple chance
6 in 216 (2.78%)
Lightning Dice vs sic bo: the quick comparison
Think of sic bo as the full menu and Lightning Dice as a short tasting menu with a lottery ticket attached. Sic bo lets you bet on totals, specific numbers, pairs of numbers, doubles and triples, and its cheapest bets cost under 3% of your stake on average. Lightning Dice trims the choice to the total of the three dice plus a handful of simple bets, then adds random multipliers that can turn a winning spot into a very large payout.
Evolution's Lightning Dice page (opens in a new tab) describes three dice dropped through a three-section Lightning Tower. You bet on the total, from 3 to 18, or on Low, High, Any Double or Any Triple. Before the dice fall, lightning strikes two to four bet spots and gives each a multiplier, with the top value at 1,000x.
If your bet lands on a struck spot, the multiplier applies to the win. If it lands on an unstruck spot, you are paid the base payout. Evolution's public page does not list the base paytable or the RTP, so open the help screen in the game to see both. Our Lightning Dice guide walks through a round in more detail.
How sic bo bets and payouts work
Sic bo is the traditional three-dice table game. The Wizard of Odds sic bo page (opens in a new tab) compares Macau, Atlantic City and Australian paytables, and online versions vary too, so the edge always depends on the table in front of you.
Sic bo bets: payouts and house edge by paytable
Bet
Wins when
Payout
House edge
Small / Big
Total 4–10 / 11–17, no triple
1 to 1
2.78%
Odd / Even
Total odd / even, no triple
1 to 1
2.78%
Single number
Chosen number on 1, 2 or 3 dice
1, 2 or 3 to 1
7.87% (3.70% if three pays 12 to 1)
Two-dice combination
Two chosen numbers appear
5 to 1 (6 to 1 Australia)
16.67% (2.78%)
Total 7 or 14
Exact total
12 to 1
9.72%
Specific double
Chosen pair appears
8 to 1 / 10 to 1 / 11 to 1
33.33% / 18.52% / 11.11%
Any triple
Any three of a kind
24 / 30 / 31 to 1
30.56% / 13.89% / 11.11%
Specific triple
Chosen three of a kind
150 or 180 to 1
30.09% or 16.20%
Small and Big are the standard choice for keeping costs down. The spread of edges is why our sic bo house edge and sic bo bets pages are worth a look before you play.
The dice odds both games share
Three six-sided dice give 6 × 6 × 6 = 216 equally likely results. Every probability in both games comes from counting how many of those results win. The totals are symmetrical around 10.5, so 3 and 18 are equally rare, as are 10 and 11 equally common.
Three-dice totals: ways out of 216
Total
Ways
Chance
Total
Ways
Chance
3
1
0.46%
18
1
0.46%
4
3
1.39%
17
3
1.39%
5
6
2.78%
16
6
2.78%
6
10
4.63%
15
10
4.63%
7
15
6.94%
14
15
6.94%
8
21
9.72%
13
21
9.72%
9
25
11.57%
12
25
11.57%
10
27
12.50%
11
27
12.50%
Two more counts matter for Lightning Dice's simple bets. Any triple happens 6 times in 216 (2.78%). Exactly two matching dice happen 90 times in 216 (41.67%), or 96 times (44.44%) if triples also count; check the help screen for how Any Double treats a triple. Our dice probability guide shows the counting in full.
How to work out the house edge from any paytable
Because Lightning Dice's base payouts sit in the help screen, it helps to know how to turn a payout into a cost yourself. The method uses the counts above.
Find the number of winning ways for the bet out of 216 (for a total of 7, that is 15).
Add 1 to the payout to get the full return, stake included (12 to 1 returns 13).
Multiply the ways by the return and divide by 216: 15 × 13 ÷ 216 = 0.9028.
Subtract 1: 0.9028 − 1 = −0.0972, so the house edge is 9.72%.
For a multiplier game, the help screen's RTP already includes the multipliers; use it in place of steps 2 to 4.
That worked example matches the 9.72% edge on a sic bo total of 7 paying 12 to 1. Our expected value page explains the formula in plain words.
Where Lightning games find the money for multipliers
Multipliers are paid for by lower base payouts. Evolution's Lightning Roulette is the clearest published example: an unboosted straight-up win pays 29 to 1 instead of the usual 35 to 1, according to Evolution's Lightning Roulette page (opens in a new tab). The same principle runs through the Lightning series: ordinary wins are trimmed so that a few struck spots can pay much more.
For Lightning Dice, compare the base payout for each total in the help screen with what fair odds would be. A total of 10 or 11 comes up 27 times in 216, about 1 in 8, so fair odds would be 7 to 1; a total of 3 or 18 comes up once in 216, so fair odds would be 215 to 1. The gap between those figures and the base paytable is what funds the lightning.
The trade-off changes the shape of your results, not the direction. Value moves from frequent, ordinary wins into rare, large ones, so most sessions run below the average and a few run far above it. See our guide to volatility.
Super Sic Bo: the halfway house
If you like sic bo's full betting layout but want the multiplier element, Evolution also runs Super Sic Bo. Evolution's Super Sic Bo page (opens in a new tab) says it keeps the standard bets and, after betting closes, randomly applies multipliers of up to 1,000x to some bet spots. Its base payouts and RTP are not on the public page, so check the help screen exactly as you would for Lightning Dice. It sits alongside other titles in our Evolution live casino overview.
Cost per hour for sic bo, and how to compare Lightning Dice
Expected loss per hour is stake × house edge × rounds. Live dice games vary in pace, so the table assumes 60 rounds an hour at £5 a round for illustration.
Sic bo average cost per hour, £5 a round, 60 rounds
Bet
House edge
Cost per round
Cost per hour
Small or Big
2.78%
13.9p
£8.34
Single number (standard)
7.87%
39.4p
£23.61
Total 7 or 14
9.72%
48.6p
£29.16
Any triple at 24 to 1
30.56%
£1.53
£91.68
For Lightning Dice, take the RTP from the help screen, subtract it from 100% to get the edge, and run the same sum. If the result is higher than £8.34 at the same stake and pace, Small or Big at a sic bo table is the cheaper way to play dice. Real results will swing well either side of these averages, and over time losses are the likely outcome in both games.
Verdict: which dice game suits which player
Advantages
Lightning Dice: simple bets, quick to learn
Lightning Dice: the chance of a very large multiplied win
Sic bo: Small and Big cost just 2.78%
Sic bo: wide choice of bets, available live and RNG
Drawbacks
Lightning Dice: base payouts trimmed to fund multipliers
Lightning Dice: RTP only in the help screen
Sic bo: many bets carry edges well above 10%
Sic bo: paytables vary between tables
You want the lowest cost per round: sic bo, sticking to Small or Big. You enjoy a show and accept bumpier results: Lightning Dice, at a stake small enough that dry runs do not sting. You want both: Super Sic Bo, after checking its help screen. Past rolls never predict the next one in any version; read the gambler's fallacy explainer. For another dice match-up, see sic bo vs craps, or browse all game comparisons and the dice games hub.
UK rules for live dice games
The Gambling Commission's RTS 14 product design standard (opens in a new tab) requires casino games other than slots to allow at least 5 seconds from one game to the next, and bans features that celebrate a return equal to or less than your stake. Autoplay has been banned for all online casino games, live ones included, since 17 January 2025, though a re-bet button is allowed. The £5 and £2 stake limits apply to online slots, not to live dice games. Net spend and time spent must be on screen while you play, and a time-out is there if you want a break. More on UK live casino rules.
Where to play Lightning Dice or sic bo in the UK
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Check each casino's live lobby for Lightning Dice or sic bo, since game ranges change.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Lightning Dice the same as sic bo?
No, though both use three dice. Lightning Dice offers a short list of bets, the totals 3 to 18 plus Low, High, Any Double and Any Triple, and adds random multipliers of up to 1,000x on two to four spots each round. Sic bo has a much wider layout, including single numbers, two-dice combinations and specific triples, and no multipliers in its standard form. See our sic bo guide for the full layout.
What is the RTP of Lightning Dice?
Evolution does not list Lightning Dice's RTP or base paytable on its public game page, so check the help screen inside the game before you bet. That figure includes the effect of the lightning multipliers. Once you have it, subtract it from 100% to get the house edge and compare it with sic bo's 2.78% on Small and Big. Our game show RTP page explains how these figures work.
Which sic bo bet has the best odds?
Small and Big have the lowest house edge in standard sic bo at 2.78%, as do Odd and Even. Each wins 48.61% of the time and loses to any triple. The Australian two-dice combination paying 6 to 1 also reaches 2.78%, but most other bets cost far more, up to 33.33%. Read our sic bo house edge guide for every bet.
How often does lightning strike in Lightning Dice?
Every round. Evolution says lightning strikes two to four bet spots in each round and assigns each a multiplier of up to 1,000x. Whether your bet benefits depends on the dice landing on a struck spot, which is far rarer than the strike itself. The multipliers are paid for by lower base payouts on unstruck wins. Our lightning multiplier entry explains the term.
What are the odds of rolling a triple with three dice?
The chance of any triple is 6 in 216, or 2.78%, because there are six possible triples among 216 equally likely results. A specific triple, such as three 4s, is 1 in 216 (0.46%). Sic bo pays 24 to 31 to 1 on any triple depending on the paytable, giving house edges of 11.11% to 30.56%. See our dice probability page.
Is Lightning Dice worth playing?
It depends on what you want from it. Lightning Dice is simple and offers the chance of large multiplied wins, but those multipliers are funded by lower base payouts and the RTP is only in the help screen. If cost matters most, sic bo's Small and Big at 2.78% are hard to beat among dice bets. Read is Lightning Dice worth playing? for a fuller answer.
Can you play sic bo as an RNG game?
Yes, sic bo runs both as RNG games and as live tables, while Lightning Dice is a live game show. Under Gambling Commission standards, an RNG game must produce results that are acceptably random and match the probabilities of the real dice. The paytable, not the format, sets the house edge, so check it either way. Our first person games page covers RNG versions of live titles.
Can I use a casino bonus on Lightning Dice or sic bo?
Usually not in a useful way. Our partners' welcome offers are slot spins or deposit matches with game restrictions, and live games such as Lightning Dice and sic bo are often excluded or count for less towards wagering. Read the full terms first and assume a live game does not count unless they say it does. 18+ and terms apply. Our game show bonus page explains the usual restrictions.
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