This Andar Bahar guide starts with the whole game in one paragraph. The dealer turns one card face up (the joker), then deals cards one at a time to two sides, Andar and Bahar, and the first side to receive a card of the same rank as the joker wins. You only choose the side. Andar Bahar is among the live card games listed for WINLAH, and the numbers below show why the side dealt first wins 51.50% of rounds and how much the table keeps on each bet.
Quick answer: pick Andar or Bahar · the side that receives a card matching the joker’s rank wins · the side dealt first wins 51.50% of rounds, the other 48.50% · a common payout is 0.9:1 on the first side and 1:1 on the other, giving a house edge of 2.15% and 3.00% · payouts and the starting side differ by table, so read the rules first.
Andar Bahar guide: a round, step by step
A live round takes about a minute, and the only decision is the side you back.
- The joker card. The dealer takes one card from a 52-card deck and places it face up in the middle. Only its rank counts, so if it is a 7, any other 7 ends the round. It is not a wild card.
- Betting time. A countdown opens, and you place your chip on Andar or Bahar before any cards are dealt.
- Dealing. The dealer gives one card to each side in turn.
- The match. The first card with the same rank as the joker stops the round, and the side that received it wins.
- Settlement. Winning bets are paid and losing chips are collected.
After the joker is removed, 51 cards are left and three of them match its rank. A match can arrive on the very first card (5.88% of rounds), but the average round runs 13 cards and about half are over within 11. The round can never run past 49 cards, because three matching cards must appear by then.
Andar, Bahar and who gets the first card
In Hindi, andar means inside and bahar means outside. On the table they are two piles of cards beside the joker, and what separates them is the order of the deal.
The side that receives the first card also receives the third, the fifth and every odd-numbered card. That gives it more chances to catch the match: it wins 10,725 of the 20,825 possible placements of the three matching cards (51.50%), and the second side wins 10,100 (48.50%). The gap is small.
Which side is dealt first depends on the table. Some start on the same side every round, and others start on the side that matches the joker’s colour. Many tables compensate by paying the first side a little less, so check which side is dealt first and which one pays 0.9:1 at the table you join.
Payouts and house edge, worked out
The table in this Andar Bahar guide uses a common set-up: 0.9:1 on the side dealt first and 1:1 on the other. Other tables pay differently, so treat these as an example of the maths and not as a promise for every table.
| Bet | Wins when | Chance | Payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side dealt first | It receives the first card matching the joker | 51.50% | 0.9:1 | 2.15% |
| Side dealt second | It receives the first card matching the joker | 48.50% | 1:1 | 3.00% |
The edge comes from the average result of a bet. Stake RM100 on the first side and you win RM90 with a 51.50% chance and lose RM100 with a 48.50% chance, which averages out to a loss of RM2.15. The same RM100 on the second side wins RM100 with a 48.50% chance and loses it 51.50% of the time, an average loss of RM3.00. These are long-run averages, not a single session.
The 0.9:1 payout on the first side exists for a reason. If both sides paid 1:1, backing the first side would favour the player by 3.00%, so tables trim it. Some versions use 0.95:1 on the second side, which lifts its edge to 5.43%, and a few add their own rule for a match in the first two cards, such as a reduced payout. Your table’s rules panel is the only reliable guide.
Andar Bahar guide: side bets some tables add
Some tables add side bets next to the main Andar and Bahar choice. They pay more because they win less often, and the house edge on them is usually higher than on the main bet.
The most common one is a card-count bet on how many cards are dealt before the match. The chances come from the same 51-card layout, and the last column shows the payout at which the bet would be fair, before any house edge.
| Cards dealt | Chance | Fair payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | 27.11% | 2.69:1 |
| 6–10 | 21.70% | 3.61:1 |
| 11–15 | 16.90% | 4.92:1 |
| 16–25 | 21.80% | 3.59:1 |
| 26–30 | 6.10% | 15.4:1 |
| 31 or more | 6.39% | 14.7:1 |
Long rounds are grouped into one row here for simplicity; real tables often split them into several ranges. Any table pays less than the fair payout, and the difference is its edge. In published examples a 2.5:1 payout on 1–5 cards leaves the table about 5.13%, and the edge on card-count bets in those examples runs from roughly 2% to 8.5%. Other tables let you bet on the joker itself, such as its colour (50% chance) or suit (25%). A colour bet that pays 0.9:1 carries a 5.00% edge.
Andar Bahar guide to playing within a budget
Rounds finish quickly, so a budget matters more here than at slower tables. A few habits from this Andar Bahar guide keep it simple:
- Set a Ringgit limit before the first bet and keep each bet to about 1–2% of it. On RM500, that is RM5 to RM10 per round.
- Treat the result history as a record. A table usually starts each round with a freshly shuffled deck, so six Andar wins in a row do not make Bahar due.
- Do not double your stake after a loss. Starting from RM10, six losses in a row cost RM630 and the next bet would be RM640, and six straight losses on the first side still happen about 1 time in 77 six-round sequences.
- Keep card-count and joker bets to small amounts, because they carry the higher edges above.
- Backing the first-dealt side costs RM0.85 less per RM100 staked on average, a small saving and not a way to predict a round.
The two-sided pick resembles Player and Banker in baccarat, and the baccarat guide shows how the edges in that game compare. Before you join a table, open the live casino section and check each table’s minimum and maximum bet, and read its rules for the payouts and the starting side.
Andar Bahar guide questions
Which side wins more often, Andar or Bahar?
The side dealt first wins more often: 51.50% against 48.50%. Many tables pay it 0.9:1 to balance that, so its house edge is 2.15% against 3.00% on the other side. Which side is dealt first depends on the table.
Does the suit of the joker card matter?
No. Only the rank decides the winner. A joker of 7 means any of the other three 7s ends the round, whichever suit it is, and the joker itself is already out of the deck. At some tables the joker’s colour sets which side is dealt first, but the suit never changes who wins.
Can an Andar Bahar round end in a tie?
Not in the standard game. Dealing continues until a card matches the joker’s rank, and one must appear by the 49th card, so one side always wins. Only a few tables add special rules for the first cards, which are listed in their rules panel.
Is there a strategy that beats Andar Bahar?
No. Every round starts from a shuffled deck, so past results do not change the next one. Doubling after a loss or tracking streaks cannot lower the 2.15% or 3.00% edge. Only a budget and smaller bets control your risk.
Conclusion
This Andar Bahar guide comes down to two numbers: the side dealt first wins 51.50% of rounds, and the common 0.9:1 and 1:1 payouts leave the table with 2.15% and 3.00%. Read your table’s rules for the starting side and the payouts, keep side bets small, set a Ringgit budget before you play, and play only if you are 21 or older.
