Dragon tiger rules: one card each, one result

One card for each side of the table

There is no third card, no hit or stand, and no drawing table like the one in baccarat. A round usually finishes in under a minute:

1. The betting timer starts. Place chips on Dragon, Tiger or Tie.
2. The timer ends and all bets are locked.
3. The dealer turns one card face up in the Dragon box, then one in the Tiger box.
4. The higher card wins. Your balance updates and the result goes onto the scoreboard.

Most tables deal from six to eight decks in a shoe. The probabilities on this page are for eight decks; with six decks the difference is tiny. The general flow of a live table is explained in how live casino works.

Dragon tiger card ranks: ace low, king high

Suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) play no part in the main bets. Only the rank decides the winner.

Example: Dragon gets a 9 and Tiger gets a jack. The jack ranks 11, so Tiger wins. If Dragon gets the 7 of spades and Tiger the 7 of hearts, the result is a Tie, because the ranks match even though the suits differ.

This is the opposite of baccarat, where tens and picture cards count as 0. In dragon tiger the king is the strongest card. Some tables add side bets such as Big/Small on one side, where a 7 usually loses both ways. Check the rules panel for the actual payouts.

The Tie bet and the half-loss rule

A Tie happens when both cards share the same rank. Eight decks hold 32 cards of each rank. Once the Dragon card is out, 415 cards remain and 31 of them match it. The chance of a Tie is 31/415, about 7.47%.

• Dragon or Tiger bets on a Tie: half is returned and half is lost. RM50 on Dragon with a Tie result puts RM25 back in your balance.
• The Tie bet: usually pays 8:1. A winning RM10 makes RM80 profit, and the RM10 stake is returned.
• Suited Tie: offered at some tables, paying around 50:1 when both cards match in rank and suit.

The half-loss rule is where the Dragon and Tiger edge comes from. Each side wins equally often, about 46.27% of the time, so the whole average loss comes from the half stake surrendered on a Tie: 7.47% × 0.5 = 3.73%.

The Tie at 8:1 shows how costly a generous-looking payout can be. On average, every RM100 placed on the Tie loses about RM32.77, against RM3.73 on Dragon. If your table pays 11:1, the edge falls to 10.36%, which is still nearly three times the cost of a main bet.

How dragon tiger differs from baccarat

Dragon tiger is easier to follow, but its main bets cost more than the main baccarat bets. Speed adds to that. As an illustration, 100 rounds an hour at RM20 is RM2,000 staked, and at 3.73% the expected cost is about RM74.60 an hour. The same amount on the baccarat Banker at 1.06% costs about RM21.20. The full baccarat rules are in the guide to playing baccarat.

The dragon tiger scoreboard looks like the baccarat big road, with separate colours for Dragon, Tiger and Tie. As in baccarat, it records past results and predicts nothing. Terms such as shoe, betting window and suited tie are explained in the live casino glossary.

Keeping a budget at a very fast table

Short rounds make time and money move faster than you expect. A few habits help:

• Decide on a number of rounds or a time limit before you sit down, say 30 minutes, and use the time reminders in your account.
• Work out the hourly cost with a simple formula: stake per round × rounds per hour × house edge.
• Avoid raising your stake after a loss. It increases the amount staked but leaves the 3.73% edge exactly where it was.
• If you notice you are playing to win back losses, stop and read the responsible gaming guide. Talian Kasih on 15999 offers support in Malaysia.

Frequently asked questions