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How to Play: Live Dragon Tiger Strategy

Live casino Dragon Tiger is not exactly a strategic game. The player does not get many options, and the rules are as simple as a coin toss. However, there are still some things you should consider if you want to find success with this game. This is what we're going to discuss in our Dragon Tiger strategy guide.

Dragon Tiger, a popular Asian gambling game that is played with multiple decks of cards, is mainly popular because of how easy to play it is. The straightforward rules of Dragon Tiger don't leave much room for strategizing. You just predict the higher card and win if you get it right. It's purely based on luck – though there are still good and bad decisions.

Of course, you should still know how to play Dragon Tiger before sitting down at a table. We suggest reading our Dragon Tiger tutorial first if you haven't already.

Remember, as opposed to Baccarat, only a single card is dealt to each spot and no additional cards are ever drawn during the game. This makes things easier, but leaves you with fewer options for playing optimlly.

Knowing Which Bets to Place

This is one of the most simplistic games, but that does not mean that players can overlook the betting process when choosing a live dealer Dragon Tiger game.

With this game, a wager is placed on either spot, Dragon or Tiger. The dealer will then place the cards on the table face up. The highest-ranking card will win, but there are two rules in the game that play an important role. First, all aces are low cards. Second, no matter where the player has placed a bet, tie hands will allow the house to take half of each wager. The live dealer casino would have no edge if it didn’t take money from a tie.

This rule gives both Dragon and Tiger bets a house edge of 3.73%. Either bet is fine to make and they are identical from a strategic standpoint.

Why is the Tie bet in Dragon Tiger so bad?

With over 86,000 possible outcomes for every hand, more than 6,000 result in a tie. This leaves us with a probability of just under 1 in 13.

However, the Tie is by far the worst decision you can make. The house edge is even easier to understand here – the payout simply does not reflect how unlikely a Tie is. Different Dragon Tiger tables offer payouts ranging from 8:1 to 11:1.

If we compare the different payouts to the probability, this is how big the house edge is:

Payout	House Edge
8:1	32.77%
9:1	25.30%
10:1	17.83%
11:1	10.36%
12:1	2.89%

As you can see, different Tie payouts in Dragon Tiger are just different shades of bad. You would need a payout of 12:1 to make the Tie bet better than the other two main bets. We’ve never seen a live casino Dragon Tiger game with more than 11:1, though.

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Note

There are very few strategies that can be used when playing this game in a live dealer casino. Or a land-based casino, for that matter.

Dragon Tiger Betting Systems

The amount you can stake on a bet is pretty much the only thing you can control in Dragon Tiger. That’s why money management is so important for this game. It’s important for all forms of gambling – but Dragon Tiger does not give you any other options.

This has led some people to use betting systems in Dragon Tiger to beat the game. There are many betting systems you can use, and they largely work the same way they would in Baccarat.

The most common type of betting system is the Martingale. Martingale is incredibly straightforward – just play Dragon and Tiger bets over and over. Whenever you lose, double your stake for the next bet. If the doubled bet wins, you go back to the starting stake. If not, you double it again, and so on until you win.

The idea is to keep you ahead of your losses by compensating all of them with a bigger stake, and thus bigger returns. However, the stake can increase exponentially if you have a string of losses. Be careful about how far you’re willing to go or you could burn through your bankroll very quickly.

Using Martingale in Dragon Tiger is the simplest option, which is why we used it as an example. If you want something a bit more complex, our suggestion is Oscar’s Grind.

Card Counting and Dragon Tiger?

Though some Dragon Tiger strategy guides may claim otherwise, there is no way to use card counting in this game.

To be specific, you can theoretically keep track of the cards being played through. This would give you some ideas about the probability of future rounds. However, that knowledge is mostly useless for Dragon Tiger main bets. For instance, you may know that the remaining shoe has more high cards than low cards, but both Dragon and Tiger can draw them. You would gain no statistical advantage for winning future rounds.

You could try to apply this knowledge to side bets such as Big/Small. However, these optional wagers come with huge house advantage of more than 7%. No matter how good your card counting skills are, you would never be able to actually swing things in your favor. Just randomly guessing Dragon or Tiger would be a better Dragon Tiger strategy.

Conclusion – Best Dragon Tiger Casinos

If you want to employ strategy in casino card games, Dragon Tiger is probably not the best choice. Consider playing blackjack instead because it has more room for strategic decisions.

Dragon Tiger is a game you should play if you’re feeling lucky. If you just stick to the main bets, you’ll have more success than any other way to play – though the almost 4% house edge is something to consider. Casino bonuses might swing things in your favor somewhat.

With that in mind, choosing the right Dragon Tiger casino is incredibly important. If you need help with that, try going through our live dealer casino reviews to find the right fit. Alternatively, here are some quick suggestions you can play at right now.

3.0/5

April 2024

From the perspective of a live casino fan, Drake Casino covers the basics. For the time being, players can enjoy a handful of studio broadcasts in good quality, courtesy of Fresh Deck Studios. Also, severe limitations to withdrawals on Drake mean that only Bitcoin players can truly enjoy it.

4.3/5

April 2024

Live Casino House shines as an Asia-focused live casino site with a great selection of games and excellent bonuses that are tailor-made for live play. However, a lacklustre banking section prevents it from being truly attractive to anyone whose not from East Asia.

FAQ

How do you beat the Tiger vs Dragon game?

Simply predict which of the two cards will be of higher value. Because of the game’s simplicity, you can’t really do more than pick your favorite and hope you’re lucky. Also, there are no sure-fire ways to beat Dragon Tiger because it is completely based on chance.

What is the best card in Dragon Tiger?

The highest-value card in Dragon Tiger is a King. Aces always count as low, which means cards rank as follows, from weakest to strongest: A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K.

How can you win Dragon Tiger guaranteed?

There is no guaranteed way to beat a game that’s completely based on luck. In fact, every Dragon Tiger game has a house advantage, so you are statistically likely to lose money in the long run. Your best bet is to carefully structure your stakes so that you can minimize losses. For instance, betting systems like the MArtingale work well with Dragon Tiger because both main bets have a roughly 50% chance to win.

What is the house edge of Dragon Tiger?

The Dragon Tiger house edge is 3.73% for the two main bets. The Tie bet is much worse than that with house edge rates between 10.36% and 32.77%.

Live Casino Editor

Our Chief Editor is a live casino aficionado with years of playing casino games online under his belt. His vast knowledge of the industry’s ins and outs makes him a great leader of our LC team, while his penchant for learning new things has made him a great strategist. This has come particularly handy with our in-depth articles and editorials, where his expertise can shine to the fullest.