Dragon Tiger: one card each, the higher card wins
Dragon Tiger is a two-card game. The dealer turns over one card for Dragon and one for Tiger, and the higher card wins. Bets go on Dragon, on Tiger, or on the two cards being equal.
The rules in five lines
- One card is dealt face up to Dragon and one to Tiger.
- The higher card wins. In Evolution's published rules the Ace counts as 1, the lowest card, and the King as 13, the highest.
- Suits have no rank: a seven of hearts and a seven of spades are equal.
- Two cards of the same rank are a Tie. If they also share the suit, it is a Suited Tie.
- No more cards are drawn, so nothing needs deciding once the bet is placed.
What a Tie does to Dragon and Tiger bets
This is the rule that differs most between studios, so it is worth reading in the table's rules panel before playing. SA Gaming publishes that half of a Dragon or Tiger bet is returned when the round ties. Where a table's rules return nothing, a Tie simply loses the bet, and the cost of the bet doubles, as the table of costs below shows.
The odds with an eight-deck shoe
An eight-deck shoe holds 416 cards. Once Dragon's card is out, 31 of the remaining 415 cards share its rank, and 7 of those also share its suit. Every other figure on this page follows from that:
| Result | Chance (8 decks) |
|---|---|
| Dragon wins | 46.27% |
| Tiger wins | 46.27% |
| Tie, any suits | 7.47% |
| Suited Tie, same rank and suit | 1.69% |
With six decks the Tie chance is 7.40% instead of 7.47%. The number of decks in use is listed in the table's rules.
What each Dragon Tiger bet costs
| Bet | Payout | Kept on average |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon or Tiger, half returned on a Tie | 1:1 | 3.73% |
| Dragon or Tiger, a Tie loses the bet | 1:1 | 7.47% |
| Tie | 11:1, Evolution's published payout | 10.36% |
| Tie | 8:1, SA Gaming's published payout | 32.77% |
| Suited Tie | 50:1, Evolution's published payout | 13.98% |
The Tie bet shows why the payout table matters: the same bet keeps about a tenth of each stake at 11:1 and about a third at 8:1.
Dragon Tiger and baccarat: the differences
- Baccarat deals two or three cards to each side and adds them up; Dragon Tiger deals one card to each side and compares them.
- In baccarat a 10, J, Q or K counts as zero; in Dragon Tiger the King is the top card.
- In standard baccarat a winning Banker bet pays a 5% commission; Dragon and Tiger bets are paid 1:1 with no commission.
The full baccarat rules are in the baccarat guide at mega63official.com, and baccarat's results boards are explained in reading the baccarat roads. Dice players can compare the odds of Sic Bo bets.
Questions
Is the Ace high or low in Dragon Tiger?
Low. In Evolution's published rules the Ace counts as 1 and is the lowest card, and the King is the highest. The rules panel at the table confirms the order for the game being played.
What happens to a Dragon bet when the round is a Tie?
It depends on the table. SA Gaming's rules return half of the bet; at a table without that rule the bet is lost. The rules panel says which applies.
What is a Suited Tie?
A Tie in which both cards also have the same suit, such as two queens of hearts. It is a separate bet: Evolution's published payout for it is 50:1, and with eight decks it happens 1.69% of the time.
Can Dragon Tiger results be predicted from the results board?
No. Each round is a new card for each side. The board records past results; it does not change which card comes out next.
18+ only. Gambling involves risk: set a budget before you play and stop when it is spent. Help with safer play