Dragon Tiger
A two-card comparison game: one card each for Dragon and Tiger, higher card wins; edge about 3.7% on the main bets.
- House edge 3.73% to 32.77%
- Luck only
- Any number of players bet on the same two cards; no player hands are played
- Well under a minute; live rounds are commonly about 20 to 30 seconds
Information only. 18+. The house edge means players lose on average over time.
Overview
Dragon Tiger deals a single card to Dragon and a single card to Tiger, and the higher card wins, with Ace low and King high. Players bet on Dragon, Tiger or Tie, and tables often add side bets. With eight decks the Dragon or Tiger bet has a house edge of about 3.73%, because a tie costs half the stake.
Dragon Tiger is a very fast card game in which the dealer places one card face up on the Dragon spot and one on the Tiger spot. The player simply bets on which spot will get the higher card, or that both cards will have the same rank (a tie). Suits do not matter for the main bets, Ace is the lowest card and King is the highest, and no further cards are ever dealt to either spot.
The game is commonly described as having come from Cambodia, where casinos wanted a quicker alternative to baccarat, and it later spread through other Asian casino markets, especially Macau and the Philippines. It is often described as a two-card, no-drawing relative of baccarat. Wikipedia has no dedicated article on the casino game, so this guide relies on game-rule references and published provider rules.
Today Dragon Tiger is best known as a live-dealer game streamed from studios and offered at online casinos, usually dealt from a shoe of eight decks. A round takes well under a minute. Tables typically add a Suited Tie bet and several single-card side bets such as Big/Small, Odd/Even and Red/Black. Payouts, in particular for Tie and the side bets, differ between providers.
- Origin
- Commonly said to come from Cambodia; spread through Asian casino markets
- Cards
- One card each for Dragon and Tiger; Ace low, King high; suits ignored in the main bets
- Decks
- Eight 52-card decks in the common live version (some tables use six)
- Main bets
- Dragon, Tiger and Tie, plus the Suited Tie and single-card side bets
- Tie rule
- On a tie, Dragon and Tiger bets lose half the stake in the common version
- Dragon or Tiger edge
- 3.73% with eight decks (3.70% with six decks)
- Chance of a tie
- 7.47% per round with eight decks (31 in 415)
- Round speed
- One of the fastest casino card games: two cards per round
How to play Dragon Tiger
- 1Before the round, the shoe is shuffled and, at many tables, the dealer burns one card face down.
- 2During the betting window, players place chips or tokens on Dragon, Tiger, or Tie. Optional side bets such as Suited Tie, Big/Small, Odd/Even or Red/Black may be offered.
- 3When betting closes, the dealer deals one card face up to the Dragon spot and one card face up to the Tiger spot.
- 4The cards are compared by rank only: Ace is the lowest, then 2 to 10, Jack, Queen and King as the highest. The higher card wins.
- 5If Dragon is higher, Dragon bets are paid at even money (1 to 1) and Tiger bets lose; if Tiger is higher, the reverse applies.
- 6If both cards have the same rank, it is a tie. Tie bets are paid at the table's Tie payout, and in the common version Dragon and Tiger bets lose half their stake.
- 7Single-card side bets are settled from the individual card (for example, Dragon Big wins if the Dragon card is 8 or higher).
- 8The cards are cleared and the next round starts; the shoe is reshuffled when it is nearly used up, commonly after about seven decks have been dealt.
Rules
- Each round, one card goes to Dragon and one to Tiger; neither hand receives more cards.
- Rank order from lowest to highest is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King; suits have no rank.
- The higher card wins the round. Equal ranks make a tie.
- Dragon and Tiger bets pay 1 to 1 when they win.
- In the common live version, when the round is a tie a Dragon or Tiger bet loses half of the stake; in some versions the whole stake is lost or the bet is returned, so check the table rules.
- A Tie bet pays when both cards have equal rank. Common published payouts are 8 to 1, 10 to 1 and 11 to 1, depending on the provider.
- A Suited Tie bet pays when the two cards match in both rank and suit, commonly at 50 to 1 (a smaller payout of 20 to 1 is also reported).
- Big/Small side bets: Big wins if the card is 8 or higher, Small wins if it is 6 or lower; in the common version a 7 loses both bets.
- Odd/Even side bets use the card's rank number (Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13); in the common version they pay 1 to 1 and a 7 loses.
- Red/Black side bets depend on the colour of the card; in the common version they pay 1 to 1, and a 7 is reported to lose them as well.
- Because the shoe is large, the odds change only slightly as cards are dealt, and the rounds have no memory in any useful sense for the player.
Bets, payouts & house edge
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon / Tiger | 1 to 1 (half the stake lost on a tie) | 3.73% | Each wins 46.27% of rounds; a tie occurs 7.47% of rounds. |
| Tie (common live payout) | 11 to 1 | 10.36% | Probability 7.47%; 8 to 1 and 10 to 1 are also used by some providers. |
| Tie (lower payout version) | 8 to 1 | 32.77% | Same event, smaller payout; at 10 to 1 the edge is 17.83%. |
| Suited Tie | 50 to 1 | 13.98% | Same rank and suit; probability 1.69% (7 in 415) with eight decks. |
| Big (8 to King) / Small (Ace to 6) | 1 to 1 | 7.69% | Each wins 6 times in 13; a 7 loses both. |
| Odd (A, 3, 5, 9, J, K) | 1 to 1 | 7.69% | Wins 6 times in 13; a 7 loses. Other providers set different payouts. |
| Even (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Q) | 1 to 1 | 7.69% | Wins 6 times in 13; a 7 loses. |
| Red / Black | 1 to 1 | 7.69% | Applies if a 7 loses the bet; at 1 to 1 with no exclusion the edge would be 0%. |
Payouts, commissions and side bets differ between providers and casinos. Always read the rules shown at the table or in the game before anything else.
How these numbers are worked out
Assumptions: eight 52-card decks (416 cards, 32 cards of each rank, 8 of each rank-and-suit combination), one card to each of Dragon and Tiger, no burn-card effect on the odds. P(tie) = 13 x 32 x 31 / (416 x 415) = 31/415 = 7.4699%. P(Dragon wins) = P(Tiger wins) = (1 - 31/415)/2 = 46.2651%. Dragon or Tiger at 1 to 1 with half the stake lost on a tie: expected result = P(win) - P(lose) - P(tie)/2 = -P(tie)/2 = -3.7349%. Tie: (payout + 1) x P(tie) - 1 gives -10.3614% at 11 to 1, -17.8313% at 10 to 1 and -32.7711% at 8 to 1. Suited Tie: P = 52 x 8 x 7 / (416 x 415) = 7/415 = 1.6867%; at 50 to 1 the expected result is 51 x 7/415 - 1 = -13.9759%. Single-card side bets (the card's rank is equally likely to be any of 13): 6 winning ranks in 13 at 1 to 1 gives 2 x 6/13 - 1 = -7.6923%. With six decks, Dragon or Tiger is 3.6977%, Tie at 11 to 1 is 11.25%, and Suited Tie at 50 to 1 is 18.01%. The tie-handling rule, Tie and Suited Tie payouts, and every side bet vary by provider and are described here as the common version only.
Tips for playing sensibly
The house edge means the player loses on average over time. The Dragon or Tiger bet has the lowest edge (about 3.73%) but is still a long-run loss.
Dragon and Tiger have identical odds, so choosing one over the other has no effect on the expected result.
The Tie and Suited Tie bets pay more but win rarely (7.47% and 1.69% of rounds), and their edges are much higher than on the main bets.
No betting system or pattern-spotting changes the odds: each round is an independent draw from a large shoe, and 'streaks' on a scoreboard do not predict the next round.
Read the table rules for the tie rule and payouts before you play: whether a tie costs half the stake or the full stake changes the edge a lot.
Because rounds are very fast, losses can build quickly; set a limit on time and money in advance and keep to it.
Gambling is for adults only (18+ or the legal age where you live). If it stops being fun, stop and contact a local support service.
Common myths
Myth After several Dragon results in a row, Tiger is due.
Truth Each round is independent. The chance of Dragon winning is the same (46.27%) regardless of earlier rounds.
Myth The Tie bet is a good value because it pays 11 to 1.
Truth A tie occurs only 7.47% of the time, so 11 to 1 still leaves a house edge of 10.36%, nearly three times that of the Dragon or Tiger bet.
Myth Counting cards in the shoe gives the player an advantage.
Truth With eight decks and one card per hand, the odds shift very little as the shoe is dealt, and the main bets stay at a negative expected result.
Myth Betting on both Dragon and Tiger cancels the risk.
Truth A tie then costs half of each stake, so the combined bet loses money on average; covering both sides only guarantees paying the house edge.
Variants
Live-dealer Dragon Tiger
The common online form: a studio dealer, an eight-deck shoe, bets on Dragon, Tiger, Tie and often Suited Tie, and sometimes single-card side bets.
Pragmatic-style side bets
Tables that add Big/Small, Odd/Even and Red/Black bets for each of Dragon and Tiger, where a 7 loses the bet, paying 1 to 1.
Lower Tie payouts
Versions where Tie pays 8 to 1 or 10 to 1 rather than 11 to 1, which raises the house edge on that bet to 32.77% or 17.83%.
Multiplier or lightning versions
Studio games that add random multipliers or extra features on top of the basic rules; these change the payouts and the edge and vary by provider.
Glossary
- Dragon
- One of the two spots that receive a card. A Dragon bet wins if the Dragon card is higher than the Tiger card.
- Tiger
- The other spot. A Tiger bet wins if the Tiger card is higher than the Dragon card.
- Tie
- A round in which both cards have the same rank. A Tie bet wins; Dragon and Tiger bets lose half their stake in the common version.
- Suited Tie
- A tie in which both cards also have the same suit; an optional bet at a higher payout.
- Shoe
- The dealing box holding several shuffled decks, typically eight in Dragon Tiger.
- Burn card
- A card taken off the top of the shoe and set aside unseen before dealing.
- Big / Small
- Side bets on whether a single card is 8 or higher (Big) or 6 or lower (Small); a 7 loses in the common version.
- Odd / Even
- Side bets on whether the rank number of a single card is odd or even (Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13).
- House edge
- The average share of each bet kept by the casino over the long run, for example 3.73 units per 100 units bet.
- RTP (return to player)
- The average share of stakes returned over the long run; 100% minus the house edge, so 96.27% for the Dragon or Tiger bet.
Dragon Tiger FAQ
Is Dragon Tiger the same as baccarat?
No, but it is often called a simplified relative. Baccarat compares hands scored out of 9 with drawing rules, while Dragon Tiger just compares one card each. Dragon Tiger has a higher house edge on its main bets (about 3.73%) than baccarat's Banker or Player bets.
Why do Dragon and Tiger bets lose half on a tie?
It is the rule that sets the game's house edge. A tie happens 7.47% of the time with eight decks, and losing half the stake on those rounds costs the player 3.73% on average per unit bet. Some versions return the stake or take all of it, which changes the edge.
What is the best bet in Dragon Tiger?
Mathematically the Dragon and Tiger bets have the lowest house edge, about 3.73% with eight decks, and they are equal. Even so, every bet in the game has a negative expected result, so none is a way to win in the long run.
Does the number of decks matter?
Slightly. With eight decks a tie occurs 7.47% of the time; with six decks it is 7.40%, giving a Dragon or Tiger edge of 3.70%. The live standard is eight decks.
Can past results predict the next round?
No. Each round is dealt from a thoroughly shuffled shoe, and the number of cards of each rank left changes only slightly. Scoreboards of previous rounds are a display, not a signal.
Are the Tie and side-bet payouts always the same?
No. Tie is commonly 8 to 1 or 11 to 1 (10 to 1 at some providers), and Suited Tie commonly 50 to 1. Side bets differ more, for example in which cards lose. Always check the rules of the table you are looking at.
Is there any skill involved?
None. Players only choose what to bet on and nothing they do affects the cards. The only decisions are which bet to make and how much to stake.
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