Dragon Tiger Lion
A three-way take on Dragon Tiger; no standard published rules found, so this guide explains the format and the maths.
- House edge Varies by provider
- Luck only
- Any number of players bet on the same three cards; no player hands are played
- Short: one card per spot, so a round is typically a matter of seconds once betting has closed (not a published figure)
Information only. 18+. The house edge means players lose on average over time.
Overview
Dragon Tiger Lion is the name of a live-dealer style game that extends Dragon Tiger from two spots to three, with Dragon, Tiger and Lion each receiving one card. No reliable public rule sheet or payout table was found, so this guide covers the format and the exact odds of three-card comparisons and leaves payouts unverified.
Dragon Tiger Lion is described by its name as a three-way version of Dragon Tiger: instead of two spots there are three, Dragon, Tiger and Lion, and the players bet on which spot will receive the highest card. As in Dragon Tiger, the format is a single-card comparison in which suits do not rank, no one is dealt a further card, and the result is known as soon as the cards are turned over. Players only choose what to bet on.
The game's history could not be verified. It does not appear in the sources checked (Wikipedia, Wizard of Odds, and the rule pages of the major live-dealer studios), which describe only the two-spot Dragon Tiger, said to have originated in Cambodia as a faster alternative to baccarat. The three-spot version appears to be a regional or studio-specific format, and anyone seeking its rules should read the rule sheet of the specific table.
Because there is no standard rule sheet to cite, this guide sticks to what can be calculated. Using the standard Dragon Tiger assumptions (eight decks, Ace low, King high), it shows how often one spot has the strictly highest card, how often ties for the top card occur, and what a fair payout would be. Actual payouts, tie handling and any side bets are set by the game provider and are listed as unverified.
- Origin
- Not verified; extends the two-spot Dragon Tiger, which is commonly said to come from Cambodia
- Spots
- Dragon, Tiger and Lion, one card each (as implied by the name)
- Card order
- Ace lowest, King highest, as in Dragon Tiger; suits do not rank
- Assumed decks
- Eight 52-card decks (assumption borrowed from live Dragon Tiger)
- Strict highest card for one spot
- 29.69% of rounds with eight decks (before any tie rule)
- Any tie for the top card
- 10.93% of rounds with eight decks
- All three cards equal
- 0.54% of rounds with eight decks (about 1 in 185)
- Payouts
- Not verified; depend on the provider
How to play Dragon Tiger Lion
- 1Check the rule sheet of the table first: this is the only reliable way to know the payouts, the tie rule and the available side bets.
- 2In the format described by the name, the dealer shuffles the shoe and a betting window opens, normally with a countdown.
- 3Players place bets on Dragon, Tiger or Lion, depending on which spot they expect to receive the highest card. Further bets, if any, are set by the table.
- 4When betting closes, the dealer deals one card face up to each of the three spots.
- 5The cards are compared by rank, with Ace lowest and King highest, and suits ignored.
- 6If one spot holds a strictly higher card than the other two, bets on that spot are settled as winners at the table's posted payout and the other main bets lose.
- 7If two or three spots share the highest rank, the table's tie rule applies. How such ties are paid or pushed was not found in public sources and is set by the provider.
- 8The cards are cleared and the next round begins.
Rules
- Three spots, Dragon, Tiger and Lion, each receive exactly one card per round; no spot receives a second card.
- Card rank runs from Ace (lowest) up to King (highest), as in Dragon Tiger; suits do not affect the comparison.
- The highest card decides the round. This is the natural extension of the Dragon Tiger rule and is how the format is described by its name; it was not confirmed against a published rule sheet.
- With three cards from eight decks, one spot has the strictly highest card in 89.07% of rounds, so each spot has it in 29.69% of rounds.
- Two spots tie for the highest rank in 10.39% of rounds, and all three spots tie in 0.54% of rounds.
- How ties for the highest card are treated (stake returned, half lost, or all lost) is not published in the sources checked and must be read from the table rules.
- Payouts are set by the provider. Since a single spot has the strictly highest card well under one time in three, any payout much below 2.37 to 1 would leave a built-in house edge on that bet if ties lose.
- Side bets (for example on the rank, colour or suit of a spot's card, or on a tie) may exist, but no published list was found.
- The outcome is fixed by the shuffled shoe and cannot be influenced by players, and every round is independent of earlier ones.
Bets, payouts & house edge
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single spot (Dragon, Tiger or Lion) has the strictly highest card | Not verified | 0% at 2.37 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Probability 29.69% (8 decks); the break-even payout is 2.37 to 1 if every tie loses. |
| Single spot has the highest card or ties for it | Not verified | 0% at 1.69 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Probability 37.16% (8 decks); applies only if a tie for the top is also paid as a win, which is not verified. |
| Two named spots tie for the highest card, third lower | Not verified | 0% at 27.9 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Probability 3.46% (8 decks) for each specific pair, if such a bet exists. |
| Any tie for the highest card (two or three spots) | Not verified | 0% at 8.15 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Probability 10.93% (8 decks), if such a bet exists. |
| All three cards the same rank | Not verified | 0% at 183.7 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Probability 0.54% (8 decks), if such a bet exists. |
| Suit of a spot's card (if offered) | Not verified | 0% at 3 to 1; any lower payout is an edge | Each suit has a 1 in 4 chance; whether this side bet exists was not verified. |
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
No published payout table for Dragon Tiger Lion was found, so no house edge is stated as fact; the table shows the break-even (fair) payout for each possible bet instead. Assumptions: eight 52-card decks (416 cards, 32 of each rank), one card dealt to each of Dragon, Tiger and Lion without replacement, rank only. Exact probabilities come from summing over all 13 x 13 x 13 rank combinations with weights 32 x (32 or 31) x (32, 31 or 30) / (416 x 415 x 414). Results: a given spot has the strictly highest card with probability 25504/85905 = 29.6886%; some spot has a strictly highest card 89.0658%; exactly two spots tie for the top 10.3929% (3.4643% for each specific pair); all three equal 0.5413%; a given spot has the highest card or ties for it 37.1585%. Break-even payout to 1 = (1 - p) / p, giving 2.37, 1.69, 27.9, 8.15 and 183.7 to 1 respectively. A real payout below the break-even level gives the house an edge equal to 1 minus (payout + 1) x p, so, for example, any payout of 2 to 1 on a single spot where ties lose would give an edge of 10.9%. This is an illustration of the arithmetic only, not a published payout. Provider payouts, tie handling and side bets are unverified.
Tips for playing sensibly
Read the specific table's rules before judging any bet, because payouts and tie handling for this game are not standardised in public sources.
The house edge means the player loses on average over time; any payout below the break-even level (for example below 2.37 to 1 on a single spot where ties lose) gives the game its advantage.
Remember that with three spots each one wins strictly less than a third of rounds (29.69%), so winning bets are less frequent than in two-spot Dragon Tiger.
No betting system or pattern-spotting changes the odds; each round is dealt from a shuffled shoe and past results say nothing about the next.
Be cautious about rare-event bets such as a three-way tie: they hit about once in 185 rounds, and payouts are typically set well below the break-even level.
Set a time and money limit before you play and stop when you reach it; do not chase losses.
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 A spot that has not had the highest card for a while is due.
Truth Each round is dealt from a shuffled shoe, so earlier rounds do not change the next result; each spot has about the same chance every time.
Myth With three spots to choose from, you are bound to be right more often.
Truth Each spot wins strictly less than a third of rounds (29.69%), so choosing among three leaves the player right less often than in a two-spot game.
Myth A three-way tie is a good bet because it pays a lot.
Truth It happens about once in 185 rounds (0.54%), and unless the payout reaches the break-even level of about 183.7 to 1, the house keeps an edge.
Variants
Two-spot Dragon Tiger
The standard game from which this format is derived: one card each for Dragon and Tiger, with Tie, Suited Tie and single-card side bets; the main bets have a 3.73% edge with eight decks.
Three-way comparison formats
Studio or regional versions where three spots are compared; tie handling and payouts differ by provider and were not found in public sources.
Side-bet versions
Tables that add single-card bets such as rank, colour or suit for each spot. Whether any exist for this game is unverified.
Glossary
- Dragon
- One of the three card spots on the table.
- Tiger
- The second card spot.
- Lion
- The third card spot added in this three-way format.
- Strictly highest
- A card whose rank is higher than the cards at both other spots, with no tie for the top.
- Tie for the top
- Two or three spots hold the same highest rank, so no single spot has the strictly highest card.
- Shoe
- The dealing box holding several shuffled decks.
- Break-even payout
- The payout at which a bet would have a house edge of exactly zero, calculated as (1 - p) / p for a bet with winning probability p.
- House edge
- The average share of each bet kept by the casino over the long run.
- Return to player (RTP)
- The average share of stakes returned over the long run; 100% minus the house edge.
Dragon Tiger Lion FAQ
What are the official rules of Dragon Tiger Lion?
No reliable published rule sheet or payout table was found in the sources checked. The format is described by its name as Dragon Tiger with a third spot, Lion. For exact rules, read the rule sheet of the table you are looking at.
How is Dragon Tiger Lion different from Dragon Tiger?
Three spots receive cards instead of two, so a single spot has the strictly highest card in only 29.69% of rounds, against 46.27% for each side in Dragon Tiger. Ties for the top card are also more varied, since two or three spots can share the highest rank.
What is the house edge in Dragon Tiger Lion?
It cannot be stated reliably because the payouts are set by the provider and were not found. The article gives break-even payouts instead, such as 2.37 to 1 for a single spot where ties lose. Any payout below that gives the house an edge.
How likely is a tie for the highest card?
With eight decks, two spots tie for the top in 10.39% of rounds and all three tie in 0.54%, so some kind of tie for the top card occurs in about 10.93% of rounds. This is higher than the 7.47% tie rate in two-spot Dragon Tiger.
Can any strategy beat the game?
No. Each round is an independent draw from a shuffled shoe, and no betting system changes the odds. Over time the player loses on average once payouts sit below the break-even level.
Is Dragon Tiger Lion a game of skill?
No. Players only decide what to bet on and how much; the cards are dealt by the dealer or software and the result is pure chance.
Keep learning
More games explained
Card games
Andar Bahar
An Indian one-deck card game: guess which side gets the card matching the joker first; edge about 2% to 3%.
Rules & odds
Card games
Lucky 7
A one-card live-dealer game: Low, High or exactly 7. House edge in the common version is about 3% to 8%.
Rules & odds
Card games
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.
Rules & odds
Card games
Teen Patti 20-20
Teen Patti in the live 20-20 format: two three-card hands, hand rankings, side bets and odds
Rules & odds