One popular question among Baccarat newbies is: what is a dragon in Baccarat? The Dragon side bet is a wager on the difference between the banker's hand and the player's hand after all cards have been drawn.
For example, if a player receives a 4 and a 3, this is recorded as a total of 7. If the banker receives an 8 and a 7, this equals a total of 15. The 1 is dropped off as per Baccarat rules, and the hand is scored as a 5. Therefore, the player wins 7 to 5, as it's the closest to 9 without going over. In this case, 7-5 equals 2 points, and if you had bet on the player, you will receive an even money payout for a natural 2-point gap.
The higher the point gap, the higher the payout you receive. Here is a table showing the odds of each point gap between players and the banker:
| Points | Player | Banker |
| Win by 9 points | 30-1 | 30-1 |
| Win by 8 points | 10-1 | 10-1 |
| Win by 7 points | 6-1 | 6-1 |
| Win by 6 points | 4-1 | 4-1 |
| Win by 5 points | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Win by 4 points | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Natural winner | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Natural tie | Push | Push |
To win the Dragon side bet, players must have at least 4 4-point gap after the draw. The biggest and rarest payout is the 9-0 point gap, which gives a 30-1 payout! Placing simultaneous Dragon bets is allowed, as you can bet on the banker and player.
The bet is also made before the first card of the round is dealt to keep the game balanced. Not all Baccarat strategies accommodate the Dragon side bet. Therefore, you must think of your strategies ahead if you hope to incorporate this side bet into your game.
