Tiger Odds
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Introduction
Dragon Tiger is about as simple as gambling gets. It 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. There are also some proposition bets on the individual cards. I have never seen the game, even in Macau, but the game is rumored to be found in Cambodia. It can also be played at online casinos using the services of LCB, including Bodog and software brands like One Touch.
Rules
- Any number of standard decks can be used. For this analysis, I shall assume eight.
- Cards are ranked as in poker, except aces are always low.
- A single card is given to each of the Dragon and Player hands.
- The primary bet is on which hand will get the higher card.
- Other proposition bets are available, as explained below.
Dragon/Tiger
Dragon Tiger Introduction. Dragon Tiger is about as simple as gambling gets. It 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. There are also some proposition bets on the individual cards. When you check out the best golf betting sites and see odds for 'The Match' featuring partners of Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, the betting odds should look something like this: Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning -200. Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady +160. To bet on these odds, you would be making a moneyline bet.
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%.
Dragon and Tiger
| 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!).
Tie
| 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%.
Suited Tie
| 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%.
Big/Small
| 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.
Red/Black
This pair of bets are also mathematically like the Big and Small bets above. The sevens are a loss for both bets. 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%.
Suit
| 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 |
Two Red & Two Black
Asia Live Tech offers a pair of side bets that both cards will be red or both black. A tie results in losing half, regardless of the colors of the cards. The math on Two Black is obviously the same. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.73%.
Two Red
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two red | 3 | 19,968 | 0.231325 | 0.693976 |
| Tie | -0.5 | 6,448 | 0.074699 | -0.037349 |
| Loss | -1 | 59,904 | 0.693976 | -0.693976 |
| Total | 86,320 | 1.000000 | -0.037349 |
These bets would obviously be very vulnerable to card counting (shut up Wiz!).
One Red & One Black
Asia Live Tech also offers a side bet that that wins if one card is red and the other black. A results in a half loss, regardless of the colors of the cards. The lower right cell in the table below shows a house edge of 3.73%.
Tiger Odds Masters
One Red & One Black
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red & Black | 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 |
Advice
For the non-counter who must play, I would stick to the Dragon and Tiger bets since they offer the lowest house edge. Please note the odds are a lot better in baccarat. The counter will have no trouble noticing that the big, small, and suit bets would be highly countable.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
On This Page
Introduction
Tiger No Commission Baccarat is a commission-free baccarat variant that pays 1 to 2 on a winning banker total of six. The game can be found at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. What sets it apart is that it adds five new side bets, all of them high house edge sucker bets. This page explains all the rules and breaks down the odds of the new bets the game brings to baccarat.
Rules
As usual for baccarat games, I capitalize the names of bets, including Player and Banker, and use lower case for the people playing the game, to avoid confusion.
- Tiger No Commission Baccarat follows the standard drawing rules as in conventional baccarat, which I will assume the reader is already familiar with.
- The 'Nepal variant' of Commission-Free Baccarat is followed on winning Banker bets, in which wins pay 1 to 1, except a winning total of six pays 1 to 2.
- As in conventional baccarat, the Player bet pays 1 to 1 and the Tie bet pays 8 to 1.
- The following side bets are added:
- Tiger Pair — This bet shall win if the Player and or Banker hand form for a pair in the initial two cards, according to the pay table below.
- Tiger — This bet shall win if the Banker hand has a winning total of six, according to the pay table below.
- Small Tiger — Pays 22 to 1 only if the Banker has a winning two-card total of six.
- Big Tiger — Pays 50 to 1 only if the Banker has a winning three-card total of six.
- Tiger Tie — Pays 35 to 1 only if the hand ends in a 6-6 tie.
Tiger Odds
Following is the pay table for the Tiger Pair bet. Wins are on a 'to one' basis.
Tiger Pair Pay Table
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Twin Tiger Pair | 100 |
| Double Tiger pair | 20 |
| Single Tiger Pair | 4 |
Terminology for the Tiger Pair bet
- Twin Tiger Pair — Player and Banker have the same pair in rank. For example, both have a pair of queens.
- Double Tiger Pair — Both Player and Banker hands form pairs, except for a Twin Tiger.
- Single Tiger Pair — The Player or Banker hand form a pair, but not both.
Following is the pay table for the Tiger bet. Wins are on a 'to one' basis.
Tiger Pay Table
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Banker has three-card winning total of six | 20 |
| Banker has two-card winning total of six | 12 |
Analysis
I won't bother to post my analysis of the Banker, Player, and Tie bets, as those can be found under the Nepal variant in my page on Commission-Free Baccarat.
The following table shows my analysis of the Tiger Pair side bet, based on eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.12%.
Tiger Pair Return Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Tiger Pair | 100 | 2,804,880 | 0.000380 | 0.038009 |
| Double Tiger Pair | 20 | 38,378,496 | 0.005201 | 0.104013 |
| Single Tiger Pair | 4 | 1,020,125,184 | 0.138236 | 0.552945 |
| No pair | -1 | 6,318,274,560 | 0.856183 | -0.856183 |
| Total | 0 | 7,379,583,120 | 1.000000 | -0.161217 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Small Tiger side bet, based on eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 14.33%.
Small Tiger Return Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banker win with two-card total of six | 22 | 186,173,936,904,192 | 0.037247 | 0.819428 |
| All other outcomes | -1 | 4,812,224,338,599,170 | 0.962753 | -0.962753 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.143325 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Big Tiger side bet, based on eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 15.25%.
Big Tiger Return Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banker win with three-card total of six | 50 | 83,058,367,551,488 | 0.016617 | 0.830850 |
| All other outcomes | -1 | 4,915,339,907,951,870 | 0.983383 | -0.983383 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.152533 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Tiger side bet, based on eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.68%.
Tiger Return Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banker win with three-card total of six | 20 | 83,058,367,551,488 | 0.016617 | 0.332340 |
| Banker win with two-card total of six | 12 | 186,173,936,904,192 | 0.037247 | 0.446961 |
| All other outcomes | -1 | 4,729,165,971,047,680 | 0.946136 | -0.946136 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.166836 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Tiger Tie side bet, based on eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 30.74% (ouch!).
Tiger Tie Return Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-6 tie | 35 | 96,170,001,308,416 | 0.019240 | 0.673406 |
| All other outcomes | -1 | 4,902,228,274,194,940 | 0.980760 | -0.980760 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.307354 |
External Links
Tiger Odds Masters
- Tiger No Commission Baccarat Game Rules from the Singapore Gaming Regulatory Agency
- Discussion about Tiger No Commission Baccarat in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.