Key points
- Dragon and Tiger each get one card, and you bet on which card is higher (ace lowest, king highest).
- If the ranks are equal it is a Tie, and Dragon and Tiger bets lose only half.
- Once you have bet, you decide nothing else: the cards are simply compared and the round is over.
- Dragon and Tiger pay 1:1, Tie pays 8:1 (it differs by table) and Suited Tie pays 50:1.
- The house edge is 3.73% on Dragon and Tiger, 32.77% on Tie and 13.98% on Suited Tie.
How a round goes
- Bet on Dragon, Tiger or Tie (side bets are optional)
- One card each is dealt face up to Dragon and Tiger
- The higher card wins. Ace is lowest and king is highest (A, 2, 3 … 10, J, Q, K). Suits do not matter
- The same rank is a Tie. Dragon and Tiger bets lose half (half the stake comes back)
Example. Dragon has 2♠ and Tiger has A♥. The ace is lowest, so Dragon wins.
The cards usually come from an eight-deck shoe.
Bets and payouts
| Bet | Pays | Chance to win | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon, Tiger | 1 (lose half on a tie) | 46.27% | 3.73% |
| Tie | 8 | 7.47% | 32.77% |
| Suited Tie (same rank and suit) | 50 | 1.69% | 13.98% |
Example. Bet 100: Dragon or Tiger wins 100, and a Tie loses half, 50. If you bet on Tie, a Tie pays 800.
The 3.73% on Dragon and Tiger is more than three times the baccarat Banker bet (1.06%). A Tie bet costs even more, at 32.77%. The baccarat Banker bet costs much less.
Some tables also offer bets on whether the card is above or below 7 (Big / Small), odd or even, or red or black. All lose on a 7 and have a 7.69% house edge.
Signals and etiquette
- The dealer turns every card. Players do not touch the cards
- Place bets before the dealer says “No more bets”
Reading the road maps
The results are shown as a strip of recent results on phones and as a Big Road on tablets.
- Phone strip: newest on the left. A red D is Dragon, a blue T is Tiger, a green TIE is a tie. Up to the last 20 rounds
- Tablet Big Road: Dragon is a red circle, Tiger a blue circle. A tie draws a green slash on the previous circle. Dragon Tiger has no pair dots
Example. Eight rounds come out D D T T T Tie D D (D is Dragon, T is Tiger). The Big Road shows them like this.
| Row | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | T | D |
| 2 | D | T | D |
| 3 | T + Tie |
Road maps show the past and cannot predict the next result. Each round only compares two cards, and earlier results have nothing to do with the next cards.
Tie payout
- The Tie payout differs by table: 8, 9, 10 or 11 to 1.
- The higher the payout, the lower the house edge on Tie: 32.77% at 8 to 1 and 10.36% at 11 to 1.
| Tie pays | House edge (8 decks) |
|---|---|
| 8 to 1 (default) | 32.77% |
| 9 to 1 | 25.30% |
| 10 to 1 | 17.83% |
| 11 to 1 | 10.36% |
The house edges on Dragon and Tiger (lose half on a tie) and the Suited Tie do not change.
Example. A bet of 10 on Tie loses 3.3 per hand on average at 8 to 1, and 1.0 at 11 to 1. That is still more than the 0.37 on Dragon or Tiger.
How to play casino table games for the first time, and what to know before you sit down