Author: Joe Clark | Edited By: Joe Clark
Last Updated: January 7, 2025
The house odds or house edge of an EZ Baccarat dragon bet, when you side with the banker, are 7.611%. Winning dragon 7 side bets pay 40 to 1. The odds of landing a win on a dragon 7-side bet on EZ baccarat is about 2.25%.
While standard banker bets and player bets always pay at fixed odds, the dragon side bets can pay more or less depending on the margin of the win. The bigger the margin of victory, meaning the more points by which the winning side wins, the bigger the dragon bonus payout.
Understand the Dragon Side Bet
It is a side bet involving the banker winning with a 3-card hand valued at exactly 7 points. You can side with either the banker or the player. For example, a banker’s hand that wins with three cards A-3-3 results in a winning side bet. You will be paid 40 to 1 on the win.
The main difference between regular baccarat bets and the dragon bonus side bet is the extended paytable. Your dragon bet wins if the hand you sided with wins by four or more points. You win also if the side you bet on gets a natural win.
Some advanced gamblers adopt different strategies and use a computer program like JSTAT and card counting systems for combinatorial analysis of the winning probabilities of the dragon bets. For example, the table below provides the combinatory analysis for an eight-deck shoe and 7.611% house edge.
| OUTCOME | PAYOUT | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY | RETURN |
| Winning Dragon Bet | 40-1 | 112,633,011,329,024 | 2.25% | 0.90135 |
| Losing Dragon Bet | -1 | 4,885,765,264,174,330 | 97.75% | -0.9775 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 100% | -0.07611 |
Payout Table
The pay table for dragon bonus bets in Punto Banco and other baccarat games looks like the following:
| COMBINATION | PAYOUT |
| Natural tie | Results in a push |
| Natural win | Pays even money (1 to 1) |
| Win by 9 | Pays 30 to 1 |
| Win by 8 | Pays 10 to 1 |
| Win by 7 | Pays 6 to 1 |
| Win by 6 | Pays 4 to 1 |
| Win by 5 | Pays 2 to 1 |
| Win by 4 | Pays 1 to 1 |
Above odds apply to side wagers from betting on either the player or the banker. All other outcomes result in loss for the dragon bonus bet.
How do you Predict a Dragon in Baccarat?
If you want to predict a dragon in baccarat, use the following tips:
- Keep an eye out for players who only place the dragon bonus bet late in the shoe and place table maximum wagers on the Player side.
- Look out for a group of players that all make the dragon bonus wager for a huge total sum.
- Watch players who bet more on the dragon bonus bet than on the main game.
- Consider expanding the depth of the cut card to 26 or more cards.
- Consider a different pay table on the player side that raises the house edge.
What Are The Odds In Baccarat?
Baccarat offers nearly 50/50 odds bets on either the player or the banker. Of course, the odds of winning both baccarat hands are not exactly equal because of the tie, but they come very close to 50:50, which is why they pay even money.
The high baccarat odds are due to the game’s low house edge for both the banker and player bets. The house odds of a baccarat game using eight decks of cards are:
- Banker = 1.06%, which includes a 5% house commission
- Player = 1.24%
- Tie = 14.4%
If tie bets are ignored, the baccarat odds for each hand to win are:
- Player = 49.32%
- Banker = 50.68%
On a regular baccarat table using an eight-deck shoe, the true house odds when every tie bet is excluded are:
- Player = 1.36%
- Banker = 1.17%
Baccarat odds can also vary depending on the game or variant you play. For example, the casino does not take a 5% house commission on winning banker bets in certain baccarat games, such as mini-baccarat or Punto 2000. However, when the banker bet wins with a point total of 6, it pays just 1 to 2, instead of even money.
With that in mind, the house odds on the banker’s hand and player’s hand in Punto 2000 are:
- Player – 1.23%
- Banker – 1.45%
As you can see, the baccarat odds in the standard version of the game clearly show that you would be better off betting on the banker than the player. Placing a tie bet is obviously out of the question, as the house edge is painfully high at 14.4%. In fact, a tie is expected to win only 19 out of every 200 hands or just 9.52% of the time.
Punto 2000 is usually preferred in high-limit rooms where the bet minimum is around $200. If you play Punto 2000, the house odds show that you should bet on the player rather than the banker.
Otherwise, in all baccarat games and variants that charge a casino fee (typically 5% of the gross profit), baccarat players should always bet on the banker to make more money in the long run. Knowing how to read baccarat patterns will also help you rake in more money.
What are the Odds of a Tie in Baccarat?
The odds of a tie coming up in baccarat are 119 out of every 1,250 hands, or 9.52% of the time. That means tie bets are far less likely to win in baccarat. On the upside, winning bets on a tie pay handsomely at 8 to 1 or 9 to 1, depending on the baccarat game you play.
If you are looking to boost your odds of winning, you should place your bets on either the player or the banker. In fact, the odds of winning a banker bet are 50.68% when ties are ignored. These are higher odds than those of bets on a roulette, craps, or blackjack game.
More on Baccarat Odds
Does Baccarat have the Best Odds in a Casino?
No. Blackjack has a lower house edge of around 0.5%. It has better odds than other table games like craps and roulette.
What are the best odds in baccarat?
The best odds in baccarat come from betting on the banker in the traditional game in which a 5% house commission is charged.
What is the best bet in baccarat?
The banker. If the possibility of ties is considered, banker bets have a very low edge at 1.06 percent. That means you will lose a penny for every $1 you bet for an extended period. The player draws before the banker gets a chance, so the banker has an added edge.
Without accounting for ties, banker bets win more than half the time, or 50.68%, to be precise. Note that most casinos charge a 5% house commission on all winning banker’s bets, especially when you play baccarat online.
How much does a Banker pay in Baccarat?
In traditional eight-deck baccarat, the banker pays 19 to 20, as the casino takes a 5% house commission. For example, if you bet $100 on the banker and win, you can expect a return of $195.
The house edge of the banker’s hand when you play baccarat is 1.06%. The expected pay should be 1 to 1 or even money before the casino deducts the house commission.
What are the odds of losing 7 hands in a row in baccarat?
The odds of losing 7 hands in a row in baccarat are 50.41%.
What is Panda and Dragon in baccarat?
Panda and dragon in baccarat are side-bets commonly placed in certain variants like EZ. Formally known as Dragon 7 and Panda 8, they work much like a standard banker and player bets, except that the casino doesn’t take a 5% house commission on winning banker bets.
How much does a dragon bet pay on baccarat?
A winning dragon bet pays a varying amount based on the margin of victory. The highest payout is 30 to 1 for a non-natural winner by 9 points.