Previous studies showed that suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) protein is associated with incidence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the association between the genetic polymorphism of SOCS3 gene and HCC remains unknown. A total of 254 HCC patients and 354 healthy controls were enrolled. All HCC patients underwent partial hepatectomy as initial treatment and were followed. Three SOCS3 gene polymorphisms, namely, rs4969170 A>G, rs8064821 C>T, and rs12953258 C>A were determined. Our data show that the rs4969170 A>G polymorphism dramatically affects the susceptibility to HCC in our cohorts. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the rs4969170 GG is a risk factor for HCC after the adjustment with confounding factors. The rs4969170A>G polymorphism is also associated with the clinical features of HCC patients and predicts the postoperative relapse-free survival and overall survival. The rs4969170GG genotype carrier had a worse prognosis than the rs4969170AG and rs4969170AA carrier. Our findings suggest that the rs4969170A>G polymorphism of SOCS3 gene may be used as a prognostic predictor for HCC patients who underwent surgical treatment.