Dragon Tiger in the Philippines

How it works

The dealer gives one card to Dragon and one to Tiger. The higher card wins (an ace is usually the lowest), and identical ranks are a Tie. You bet on Dragon, Tiger or Tie. Typical versions pay even money on Dragon or Tiger, with a bigger payout on Tie; payouts and tie rules vary, so read the table rules.

The numbers (large-shoe approximation, invented rules)

With one card each from a large shoe, the chance of a Tie is about 1 in 13 hands (7.7%): ranks match 1/13 of the time. That leaves roughly 46.2% each for Dragon and Tiger. If a Tie pays 8 to 1 and Dragon and Tiger bets pay 1 to 1 (losing half the stake on a Tie, a common rule), the edge on Dragon or Tiger is small, a few percent, while a Tie bet pays 8 to 1 on a 7.7% chance for an expected return of about 0.69 of the stake, so its edge is over 30%. Exact edges depend on the table's Tie rule and the number of decks, so read them before you bet.

Published house edges, bet by bet

The Wizard of Odds analysis (eight decks, aces low, read 28 Oct 2026) gives these house edges. Payouts are the ones it analyses; casinos vary.

The Tie payout is the biggest lever. At eight decks the same source gives a Tie edge of 2.89% at 12 to 1, 10.36% at 11 to 1, 17.83% at 10 to 1, 25.30% at 9 to 1 and 32.77% at 8 to 1. It lists 8 to 1 for SA Gaming, 10 to 1 for Deltin and 11 to 1 for Pragmatic Play, all of which return half of a Dragon or Tiger stake on a tie. Odd/Even side bets appear at 7.69% (Pragmatic Play) and 5.77% and 5.38% (SA Gaming's Odd and Even). So "Dragon Tiger" is a family of tables with different edges, and the Tie bet at 8 to 1 costs about nine times as much per peso as a Dragon or Tiger bet.

What that costs (our arithmetic on those edges)

• Bet ₱100 on Dragon for 200 hands: ₱20,000 goes through the table, and a 3.73% edge means an average loss of about ₱746.
• Bet ₱100 on Tie at 8 to 1 for the same 200 hands: the average loss is about ₱6,554 (32.77% of ₱20,000). Real results swing widely, and a single Tie win of ₱800 is why the bet feels attractive.
• For comparison, our baccarat guide cites 1.06% for Banker and 1.24% for Player under eight-deck rules, so under these rules Dragon or Tiger carries a larger edge than baccarat's main bets; the half-stake loss on a tie is the likely reason (our reading, not the source's statement).

Source: Wizard of Odds, Dragon Tiger, read 28 Oct 2026. It analyses specific rule sets; the worked amounts are our arithmetic, and your table may differ.

Risk

Rounds are very fast, so losses add up quickly. There is no strategy that removes the house edge, and the Tie bet usually carries the highest edge. Set a budget and a time limit first.

Live games and safety

Dragon Tiger is usually offered as a live dealer table. PAGCOR's lists print live game types such as Live Baccarat, Live Dealer Roulette and Live Gaming Tables; they do not name Dragon Tiger, so we cannot say which listed casino offers it and list none here. Check the lobby of a verified site. Avoid Facebook "live rooms" (live casino guide) and verify the address with PAGCOR (how to check). Related: baccarat.