Chuck-a-luck
Three dice, one cage, one number to pick – here is how the chuck a luck game pays and why the house keeps an edge.
How a round works
- Pick one number from one to six and place your chip on it.
- The birdcage (a wire cage shaped like an hourglass) holds three dice. It is turned over so the dice tumble.
- Count how many dice show your number.
- You get paid by that count. Zero matches loses your chip.
Some fairs use a chuck a luck wheel instead of a cage. The wheel shows three-dice results, and bets are paid the same way.
Payouts with an example
- One die shows your number – paid one to one (even money)
- Two dice show your number – paid two to one
- Three dice show your number – paid three to one
- No dice show your number – you lose the chip
Example: one chip on the five. The dice land five, five, two. Two dice match, so you win two chips and keep your original chip.
Why the house still wins
Three dice can land in 216 equally likely ways. Add up all of them for one chip: the chips lost on no-match rolls are more than all the chips won on one, two and three matches together.
That gap is a house edge of 7.87% on every number. Over many rounds, your loss as a share of your total bets tends to get closer to 7.87%.
Picking a different number each round does not change the edge – every number has the same 7.87%.
Same bet as sic bo
| Bet | Pays | Wins | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small / Big | 1 to 1 | 48.61% | 2.78% |
| Odd / Even | 1 to 1 | 48.61% | 2.78% |
| Single number | 1, 2 or 3 to 1 | 42.13% | 7.87% |
| Total 4 or 17 | 60 to 1 | 1.39% | 15.28% |
| Total 5 or 16 | 30 to 1 | 2.78% | 13.89% |
| Total 6 or 15 | 17 to 1 | 4.63% | 16.67% |
| Total 7 or 14 | 12 to 1 | 6.94% | 9.72% |
| Total 8 or 13 | 8 to 1 | 9.72% | 12.50% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 6 to 1 | 11.57% | 18.98% |
| Total 10 or 11 | 6 to 1 | 12.50% | 12.50% |
| Two-number combination | 5 to 1 | 13.89% | 16.67% |
| Specific double | 10 to 1 | 7.41% | 18.52% |
| Any triple | 30 to 1 | 2.78% | 13.89% |
| Specific triple | 180 to 1 | 0.46% | 16.20% |
Atlantic City pay table, exact over all 216 dice outcomes. Pays differ in Macau and online.
The birdcage dice game is the same as the single-number bet in sic bo (a three-dice table game): same dice, same pays, same 7.87% edge.
Try it on the sic bo simulator, then compare it with other bets in sic bo rules and sic bo strategy.
Questions
How do you play chuck a luck?
You pick a number from one to six, three dice are tumbled in a cage, and you get paid by how many dice show your number. One match pays even money, two pay two to one, three pay three to one, and no match loses.
What is the house edge in chuck a luck?
With pays of one, two and three to one, the house edge is 7.87% on every number. That is the same as the sic bo single-number bet.
Is chuck a luck the same as sic bo?
Chuck a luck matches one sic bo bet – the single-number bet. Sic bo adds many other bets, such as totals, doubles and triples, each with its own house edge.
Is there a way to win at chuck a luck?
No. Every number has the same 7.87% house edge, and no betting pattern or number choice changes it.