Dragon Tiger is basically a two-card version of baccarat. To be more specific, two cards are drawn, one to the Dragon and one to the Tiger. The player bets on which one will be higher.
How to play Dragon Tiger
Dragon Tiger is the easiest card game in the casino. The dealer deals two cards each game, one for the Banker (Dragon) and one for the Player (Tiger). Simply makes a bet to Dragon or Tiger which could draw the highest card.
Tie Bet
Players may also wager on a tie, which is any one of those 6,448 outcomes from the possible 86,320 hands. The standard payoff for a tie is 8 to 1, which gives the casino a very healthy 32.77% edge. If you have played Casino War, you know that the tie bet there pays 10 to 1, for a casino edge of about half as much, at 17.83% In fact, an online casino can pay 11 to 1 and still retain a casino edge of 10.36%
Big and Small Bet
Players may also wager on whether a particular card (Dragon or Tiger) will be Big (over seven) or Small (under seven). This wager has six cards as Big (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) and six cards as Small (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The wager wins if it is on the correct numbers, Big or Small, and loses is it is not. The wager also loses if the card drawn is a 7. The casino has a 7.69% edge on this wager.
Suit Bet
Players may also wager on which suit will be drawn. The wager pays 3 to 1 on a correct suit and loses when the suit selected does not appear for a chosen hand (Dragon or Tiger). Again, the casino derives its edge by taking the wager when a 7 appears.
Probability of Dragon Tiger
Dragon/Tiger
The Dragon and Tiger bets will win if the chosen hand gets the higher card. Ties lose half. The following return table shows a house edge of 3.73%.
| EVENT | PAYS | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 39,936 | 0.462651 | 0.462651 |
| Tie | -0.5 | 6,448 | 0.074699 | -0.037349 |
| Loss | -1 | 39,936 | 0.462651 | -0.462651 |
| Total | 86,320 | 1.000000 | -0.037349 |
Tie
The Tie bet will win if the Dragon and Tiger cards are equal in rank. Wins pay 8 to 1. The following table shows a house edge of 32.77% (ouch!).
| EVENT | PAYS | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8 | 6,448 | 0.074699 | 0.597590 |
| Loss | -1 | 79,872 | 0.925301 | -0.925301 |
| Total | 86,320 | 1.000000 | -0.327711 |
Hypothetically, here is what the house edge would be on the Tie bet at various pays from 8 to 12 to 1.
Tie House Edge
| PAYS | HOUSE EDGE |
|---|---|
| 12 | 2.89% |
| 11 | 10.36% |
| 10 | 17.83% |
| 9 | 25.30% |
| 8 | 32.77% |
Suited Tie
The Suited Tie bet will win if the Dragon and Tiger cards are equal in both rank and suit. Wins pay 50 to 1. The following table shows a house edge of 13.98%.
| EVENT | PAYS | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 50 | 1,456 | 0.016867 | 0.843373 |
| Loss | -1 | 84,864 | 0.983133 | -0.983133 |
| Total | 86,320 | 1.000000 | -0.139759 |
Big/Small
The player may bet whether a particular card will be over or under seven. If the chosen card is exactly seven, then the wager will lose. Wins pay even money. The following table shows a house edge of 7.69%.
| EVENT | PAYS | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 192 | 0.461538 | 0.461538 |
| Loss | -1 | 224 | 0.538462 | -0.538462 |
| Total | 416 | 1.000000 | -0.076923 |
Odd/Even
This pair of bets are mathematically like the Big and Small bets above. I suspect aces are a loss for both bets and the other ranks are divided between six evens and six odds. Not all tables offer the Odd and Even bets.
Suit
The player may bet on the suit of a particular card. Wins pay 3 to 1. However, if the chosen card is exactly seven, then the wager will automatically lose. The following table shows a house edge of 7.69%.
| EVENT | PAYS | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3 | 96 | 0.230769 | 0.692308 |
| Loss | -1 | 320 | 0.769231 | -0.769231 |
| Total | 416 | 1.000000 | -0.076923 |
Dragon Tiger Strategy and Tips
There is little strategy at Dragon Tiger, but many players bet along with the last winner, hoping to catch a streak of hands dominated by either the Dragon or Tiger spot. In addition, if the number of decks used is offered by the online casino and the software shows when the decks are being shuffled, there is the possibility that the casino edge can be reduced by counting cards, much like blackjack players do to turn the tables on the casino.
A player can keep track of either (or both) suits or big and small cards to gain an edge. Keeping track of the suits played is easiest, since there are only four possibilities. Any time three of the four suits have appeared more than a single suit, it would be an improved wager to bet on that one suit.
Your Best Option is to Bet on Dragon or Tiger
Those players that just want to play the game without using strategies or card counting, the best option is to stick to the Dragon and Tiger bets. The house edge for these bets is 3.73% and it’s the lowest of all possible bets. Just bet if you think that the Dragon hand or the Tiger hand will have the higher ranking card. These bets pay even money.
Live Dragon Tiger is perfect for Counting Cards
The very simplicity of the game and the fact that very little cards are dealt with each deal makes it even easier to count the cards and keep track how many small or how many big cards have been dealt etc. Most important, you can keep track how many 7s have been dealt, because no matter what bet you make, if a 7 is drawn, you lose your bet.
Use Suit-based Strategy
You can say that Dragon Tiger is a game where luck is the greatest factor, and it’s true, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way of playing it strategically. The best way to keep track is to watch which suits have been dealt the most, which implies that the best bet for this strategy is the suit bet. For example, calculate how many suit cards are in play and how many decks have been used. If your estimates show that after some time the clubs suit has been played the least after, your best option would be to bet on the clubs.
The Tie Bet is the Worst Option
The tie bet is there to make you big bucks, because it pays 8 to 1. This may seem very attractive, but the best thing is to avoid it because the house edge on this bet is 32.77%. The calculations are simple. From all possible 86,320 hand combinations, the outcomes of only 6,488 are ties, so actually there are 79,872 cases where you can lose. This makes it pretty obvious that the tie bet is one of the more difficult bets in Dragon Tiger. The suited tie bet is even worse: only 1,456 outcomes can be suited tie.
Betting Systems don’t Work on Dragon Tiger
Some players would suggest using betting systems on Dragon Tiger because it is so simple of a game, but little do they know that no one has ever reported that a betting system has brought him big money when playing casino games. So don’t fool yourself and just play the game without them.