Cee-lo

Cee-lo is a popular gambling game that uses 3 six-sided dice. This game does not have any standard rules; however, there are a few constants that are followed in all the variants of the rules. Its name is derived from the Chinese term "Sì-Wu-Liù", which means "four-five-six". The game is known by various names in America including "Four-Five-Six", "See-Low", "Dice", "Chinchirorin" and "The Three Dice Game". In China, this game is also known as “Sanliù Bàozi", meaning "three-six dice".

Constants of the game include the value of the dice used for playing. All the rules have specific winning combinations that a player can roll. The combination of 4-5-6 is considered to be a winning combination in all rules for the player rolling it first. Apart from these winning combinations, all the rules used in Cee-lo include some rolls that set up a "point". A player will lose automatically if he or she rolls a dice and it leaves the playing area under any circumstance (e.g. rolling off the playing table).

Sometimes, the different sets of rules are divided into 2 broad categories depending on how the betting is handled. One player assumes the role of the banker in the banking games to cover all the bets made by the other players, all of whom individually competes with the bank. All the players have the equal status in the non-banking games. These games follow some specific rules according to which the players must attempt to win the game from one common pot by pooling their bets.

Cee-lo Image

Rules of Cee-lo

There are two main types of this game: playing with bank and playing without a bank. The rules for plying these two types of Cee-lo are described below:

Cee-lo Game with a Bank

Originally, Cee-lo is a type of banking game which means there is one established banker, against whom all the other players place their bets. It is also a "point game" and the players can win points with some specific dice rolls.

At the start of the game, a person takes up the role of the banker and the players set up a stake which is known as the "center bet" or "bank". After this, every player gets a chance to place his or her bet individually.

Rolling the Dice

The game starts with the banker rolling the dice after all the players have made their bets. There are four possible outcomes:

  • Automatic loss
  • Automatic win
  • Re-roll
  • Set point

Sometimes, the banker cannot roll the dice to decide automatic win or automatic lose. In these cases, each player gets a chance of rolling the dice for settling his or her individual bet. The player can win by rolling a triple, a 4-5-6 or scoring more points than the banker.

Cee-lo Game without a Bank

This winner takes all game can be played by 2 or more players. In this second version of Cee-lo, all the players have the same status in each round. The game starts with all the players putting a specific amount of money in a pot or pile. Then, the players take their turns to roll all the 3 dice together until one player rolls a recognized combination. One has to roll the best combination to win the entire pot. Shoot out stages can be played for breaking any ties.