How to Play Cee Lo – Bet and Roll the Dice Like Rappers | Game Rules

Are you ready for the Chinese game of chance Cee-Lo that made the biggest American rappers of the 90s roll the dice? What does this dice game have that others don’t? This is how to play Cee Lo. Test the best recreation with 3 dice!

Sex, women, a gun and 3 dice in hand: wait! What’s funny about this image of the typical 90s rapper? The dice game Cee-Lo and the storm of enthusiasm it triggered among famous American hip hoppers and rappers is hardly known in Germany so far. That’s exactly why it’s a real secret tip for your game night with friends!

The game of chance Cee-Lo even appears in songs and videos of numerous hip-hoppers and gangster rappers. Since the 90s, East Coast rappers like Kool G Rap, Nas and Notorious B.I.G. have picked up Cee-Lo in their songs and made sure that Cee-Lo reaches a real cult status in America. At the latestsince the 2000s, the Cee-Lo fever also infected the kids, who started to roll the dice on schoolyards.

And what dice game can claim to have a famous hip hopper named after it? Cee Lo Green must love Cee Lo incredible! Originally, however, the game of chance comes from China. Chinese immigrants to the U.S. brought it with them to their new home and often played it after work.

Even though we are not from China, nor are gangster rappers, nor do we usually gamble for money: Cee-Lo has made us immediately addicted and provided a lot of fun. And the best thing is, all you need are 3 stinkin’ dice! This is how to play Cee Lo.

How to Play Cee Lo – That’s What It’s All About

The dice game Cee-Lo

As with most games with a long tradition, there are no fixed rules set in stone for Cee Lo. However, the basic game principle is the same for all game variants. The original Chinese name for Cee-Lo is Sì-Wŭ-Liù (四五六) and names the highest dice combination in the game: ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6! In America, it is therefore also known as Four-Five-Six. The Japanese know a variant of the game under the sonorous name “Chinchirorin”.

All variants of the game are played with 3 six-sided dice and the number combination ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6 brings victory to the player who rolls it the first time in a round. Another constant in this game of chance is that a winning point is set for certain combinations of dice. Also, there are situations where 2 or more players roll the dice and compare their results to determine a winner. If you drop the dice in such a way that they roll out of the playing area – off the table, for example – you automatically lose. Basically, there are two basic ways how to play Cee Lo: with bank and without bank..

How t0 Play Cee Lo With a Bank

Betting at Cee-Lo

Cee-Lo belongs to the so-called banking games. This is the name given to all games of chance in which players play against a bank or banker, as is common in casinos. If you play Cee-Lo with a bank, one of the players has to take over this role. The banker is the first to make his bet. This is the initial sum in the bank. Moving clockwise, the other players can now also bet sums for this round. They can continue to bet until either the total of the banker was reached or exceeded, or all players have made a bet..

Making Bets at Cee Lo

Case 1: Anja, Ben, Clara and David play Cee-Lo. Ben is designated as the banker for the first round. He bets 10 €. Clara bets €5, David bets €3 and Anja bets €2. In this case, the banker’s bet is covered, that is, if he wins, he gets exactly twice his bet..

Case 2: Ben is banker and bets 10 €. The other 3 players bet € 3 each, so 9 € are covered. Ben then takes one of his euros back out of the game, so that the sum of the other bets matches the banker’s bet..

Who controls the bank changes according to certain rules:.

1. If all players defeat the banker in a round, that is, win in a dice duel against him and the bank is completely broke, the player to the left of the old banker becomes the new banker. The new banker now makes his bet.

2. The first player to hit the banker with a Cee-Lo (⚃4-⚄5-⚅6) or a Trilling automatically becomes the next banker. However, only after the last banker has settled, so all bets settled and pocketed the rest of the bank..

3. The banker can give up his role as banker after completion of the round.

The Banker Rolls the Dice

4-5-6 – the highest roll

When all bets have been made, the banker starts rolling the dice. There are exactly 4 possibilities that can occur on the first roll:.

Immediate victory: If the banker rolls ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6 (Cee-Lo), a Triplet (i.e. ⚀1-⚀1-⚀1, ⚁2-⚁2-⚁2 etc. ) or rolls a double (2 of a kind) (⚀1-⚀1-⚅6, ⚁2-⚁2-⚅6 etc.), he wins immediately. All bets of this round go to him and he may start a new round. The probability for an automatic win is: 27/216 = 1/8 = 12.5%.

Instant losing: On the other hand, if the banker rolls ⚀1-⚁2-⚂3, or a ⚀1 + a double of a different number of points (⚀1-⚁2-⚁2, ⚀1-⚂3-⚂3 etc.), he has lost immediately to all his fellow players. All players are paid double the amount of their bet. However, the banker may start another round as a banker if he wishes. If he chooses not to, he passes the office to the player to his left. The probability of immediately losing the banker is 21/216 = 7/72 = 9.7222%.
Submit points: If the banker rolls a double + another number that is not 1 or 6 (e.g. ⚀1-⚀1-⚁2, ⚄5-⚄5-⚂3, ⚅6-⚅6-⚃4 etc.) this single number becomes the banker’s point. So ⚅6-⚅6-⚁2 gives 2 points, ⚁2-⚁2-⚃4 gives 4 points. The banker can therefore roll points between 2 and 5 (because ⚀1 or ⚅6 + double would lead to immediate losing or winning). Everyone rolls the dice against the banker and must exceed the number of points presented in order to win and collect double the sum. If the score is lower, the player loses his bet in this round. The probability of points presented is 90/216 = 5/12 = 41.6667%.

Roll the dice again: For all other number combinations, the banker must roll the dice until he rolls a number combination in the described 3 ways. Since the probability of such combination in the Cee-Lo is 50%, this may well happen more often in a row..

Rules How the Other Players Roll the Dice

Put up points at Cee-Lo

When the banker has not won or lost immediately, but has submitted 2, 3, 4, or 5 points, it is the turn of the other Cee-Lo players. Everyone now plays against the banker for their individual stake. Basically, the same rules apply as when rolling the banker:.

A Cee-Lo (⚃4-⚄5-⚅6), Triplet or a score (number of points) higher than that of the banker leads to victory for the first player. A ⚀1-⚁2-⚂3 or lower score to a loss. In case of a tie, the player gets his bet back, but does not win anything in addition..

Then it is the next player turn and plays for his bet. The first player to roll a ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6 or a three of a kind not only wins, but also becomes the banker for the next round. However, the round started is always finished first by the old banker..

Variants of Cee Lo as a Banking Game

Some also play the game in such a way that a Cee-Lo leads to a double win, a three of a kind to a triple and a 1 of a kind, i.e. ⚀1-⚀1-⚀1 to a 5-fold. In this case, the banker may be asked to pay a lot. Before you play, you should agree on whether and to what extent such additional rules apply. Especially if you play for money (even for small amounts), you avoid so from the outset dispute..

Another variant of Cee-Lo is to flip the rules for instant win and loss on the player as opposed to the rules that apply to the bank. This may simply mean that for the “”normal”” players ⚀1-⚁2-⚂3 means winning and ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6 means losing. If, in addition, the rule applies that the throw of a triple also leads to a loss for a player, the winning advantage for the bank increases. Therefore, it offers itself to combine this rule with the previously mentioned variant, so that with the advantage of the banker at the same time also his risk is greater..

How to Play Cee Lo Play Without a Bank – The Winner Takes It All!

Triplets of twos

In this version of Cee-Lo 2 or more players with equal status play against each other. All players agree on a fixed sum as a stake, which each player bets or pays into the jackpot..

Each player now rolls the dice until he has one of the number combinations significant in Cee-Lo. The player with the highest combination wins the jackpot and a new round begins. If 2 or more players roll the same combination or the same number of points, there is a playoff: they roll the dice again among themselves, who wins..

The valid combinations and their values are almost identical to the Cee-Lo with bank:.

⚃4-⚄5-⚅6: A Cee-Lo. The highest value. Win!!!

Triplets: When playing without a bank, triplets with higher number, beat those with lower number. ⚄5-⚄5-⚄5 wins against ⚃4-⚃4-⚃4.

Points: As in the banker version of this game of chance, the number of dice rolled counts as points if the other two dice show a double. Decisive for the score is only the single dice.

So ⚁2-⚁2-⚅6 beats ⚄5-⚄5-⚁2. And ⚀1-⚀1-⚃4 and ⚄5-⚄5-⚃4 are equal: 4 points!

⚀1-⚁2-⚂3: This combination is also the lowest value in this variant.

Variants of Cee Lo Without a Bank

• A Cee-Lo, that is ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6, results in immediate victory for the player who rolls it first. In this case, of course, since it makes a difference who rolls first, a die is first rolled to determine who gets to roll first.
• ⚀1-⚀1-⚀1 is an even worse roll than ⚀1-⚁2-⚂3. The 1 triple is then also called an “”ace-out”” or ace-out. The player immediately loses the round.
• If you roll the dice 3 times without making a meaningful combination, you automatically lose.
• The score is not determined by the single die, but by the doubles (⚄5-⚀1-⚀1, so does not beat ⚃4-⚁2-⚁2, but vice versa, because the double 2 beats the double 1)
• When two players: 1 point automatically lost. 6 points have automatically won. So these two throws can no longer be undercut by ⚀1-⚁2-⚂3 or outdone by ⚃4-⚄5-⚅6 or triplets.

Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections

Audio CD – Audiobook; Arista (Sony Music) (Publisher)

27,11 EUR

Cee-Lo is not the only game secret tip! At Abenteuer Freundschaft you can find several ideas and recommendations for a game night. For example, do you know the South American dice game Dudo? Plus, browse for activities to do with friends, partner, and family!

Never miss more tips and ideas from Abenteuer Freundschaft by simply following us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribing to our newsletter 😉

*There are affiliate links in this article. That means, if you order a product from amazon through one of these links, Abenteuer Freundschaft gets a small commission without the product becoming more expensive for you.