Exotic Casino Games: Rare Variants and Their Odds

Published on March 25, 2026 • Updated: 4 October 2026 • By the diesbetcasino.com editorial team

Most online casino lobbies are built around the same handful of Western games: slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat. Beyond them sits a set of games with long histories in China, India, Japan, Britain and Australia, several of which now appear as RNG or live tables from game studios. This guide explains how each is played and, where the payout rules fix it, works out the house edge so you can compare them with the familiar games.

One caution throughout: payouts differ from table to table. Every figure below is calculated from the payout stated next to it; if the paytable in front of you differs, so does the edge.

Sic Bo (China)

Three dice are shaken in a covered container, giving 216 equally likely outcomes. Players bet on totals, specific numbers or combinations. The most common bets are Small (total 4–10) and Big (total 11–17), paid 1 to 1 — but both lose if all three dice show the same number.

Of the 108 outcomes totalling 3–10, three are triples (1-1-1, 2-2-2, 3-3-3), so Small wins on 105 of 216 outcomes and loses on 111. The house edge is 6/216 = 2.78%. The spread across Sic Bo bets is wide: a specific triple paid at 180 to 1 has an edge of 16.2%, and at 150 to 1 it rises to 30.1%; "any triple" at 30 to 1 carries 13.9%.

Fan-Tan (China)

A dealer covers a pile of beads or buttons, then removes them four at a time until four or fewer remain. Players bet on the remainder: 1, 2, 3 or 4. In the classic "fan" bet you pick one number; under a common rule it pays 3 to 1 less a 5% commission on the win.

With four equally likely remainders, the expected result per unit staked is ¼ × 2.85 − ¾ = −0.0375, a house edge of 3.75%. Tables that deduct a larger commission are correspondingly worse.

Pai Gow Poker (United States, from Chinese Pai Gow)

A card version of the Chinese domino game Pai Gow. Each player receives seven cards and splits them into a five-card hand and a two-card hand; the five-card hand must rank higher. Both hands must beat the banker's to win; win one and lose one and the bet is a push. Wins pay even money minus a 5% commission.

Because both hands must win, a large share of rounds end in a push, which makes the game slow and low in variance. For a player who never takes the bank, the house edge is commonly calculated at a little under 3% with optimal hand-setting.

Crown and Anchor (Britain) and Chuck-a-luck

A traditional British sailors' game played with three dice marked with a crown, an anchor and the four card suits; Chuck-a-luck is the same structure with numbered dice. You bet on one symbol and are paid 1 to 1 for each die that shows it.

Andar Bahar (India)

One card, the joker, is placed face up. The dealer then deals cards alternately to two sides, Andar (inside) and Bahar (outside), until a card of the same rank as the joker appears. Players bet on which side it lands. Because the side that receives the first card has a slightly better chance, many tables pay less on that side — often 0.9 to 1 — and even money on the other. Check which side is dealt first and what each pays before comparing tables.

Teen Patti (India)

A three-card game closely related to British three-card brag, traditionally played among friends with betting rounds and bluffing. Casino versions usually pit the player against the dealer and add side bets on the strength of the player's hand. As with Three Card Poker, the edge on the side bets depends entirely on the paytable, which varies between providers.

Oicho-Kabu (Japan)

Played with hanafuda or kabufuda cards, Oicho-Kabu is a close cousin of baccarat: hands are scored by the last digit of their total, and the best score is 9 ("kabu"). It is a traditional game rather than a casino staple and is rarely found in online lobbies, but anyone who knows baccarat will recognise it at once.

Two-Up (Australia)

Two coins are tossed from a wooden paddle called a kip; players bet on two heads or two tails, and a head and a tail means toss again. It is traditionally played on Anzac Day, and casino versions add rules that give the house its margin, which vary by venue.

How Rule Changes Move the Edge

Every game above makes money the same way: the payout is slightly below what the true odds would justify, or a commission is taken from wins, or certain outcomes (triples, ties) are reserved for the house. Spotting which of the three a table uses is the quickest way to compare an unfamiliar game. A rule that looks cosmetic — "pays 150 to 1" instead of "180 to 1" — can nearly double the edge on that bet.

Availability varies from casino to casino and changes as lobbies are updated, so treat any game list as a snapshot and check the paytable inside the game itself.

Related reading: the 36 combinations behind every two-dice game are set out in dice odds and psychology, and Teen Patti's bluffing heritage connects to the maths of bluffing in poker.

Questions About Exotic Casino Games

What is the house edge in Sic Bo?

It depends on the bet. Small and Big, paid 1 to 1 and lost on triples, carry 2.78%. A specific triple paid at 180 to 1 carries 16.2%, and at 150 to 1 about 30.1%. Check the payout printed on the table, because it varies.

Which exotic casino game has the best odds?

Of the games covered here, the Small and Big bets in Sic Bo at 2.78% and the Fan-Tan fan bet at 3.75% (3 to 1 less 5% commission) are the lowest. Both are still higher than the banker bet in baccarat at 1.06%.

Why does Crown and Anchor have a 7.87% house edge?

Of 216 outcomes, your symbol appears on no die 125 times, on one die 75 times, on two dice 15 times and on all three once. With payouts of 1 to 1 per matching die, the expected result is −17/216 per unit staked, which is 7.87%.

How do I check the odds of an unfamiliar casino game?

Open the paytable or help screen and look for three things: payouts below the true odds, a commission on wins, and outcomes that make every bet lose, such as triples in Sic Bo. The more of these a bet has, the higher its edge.