Dragon Tiger

Dragon Tiger is baccarat stripped down to its skeleton. Two cards are dealt: one to Dragon, one to Tiger. The higher card wins. There is no drawing rule to memorise, no third card, no decision to make after you have bet — a hand takes about twenty seconds.

Because there is nothing to decide, the only thing that matters is which bet you place, and this is where the game earns its keep. Dragon and Tiger are close to a coin flip, with a modest house edge. The tie bet is not: it pays a big multiplier and carries a house edge several times worse than the main bets. It is the same trap as the tie in baccarat, and it is where the table makes most of its money.

You will find it most often as a live dealer table, where the speed is the point. If you like that speed, be aware it cuts both ways: twenty-second hands mean you can put through more money in ten minutes here than in an hour on a slot.