Andar Bahar: Rules, Odds and Side Bets
Andar Bahar is one of India’s simplest card games: the dealer turns one card face up, you bet whether its match will land on the Andar (inside) or Bahar (outside) pile, and cards go to the two piles in turn until one matches. The side that gets the first card wins 51.5% of the time, which is why it pays a little less.
Online casinos stream it live from Ezugi, Evolution and other studios, often with side bets on how many cards the match takes. In the UAE, the only licensed online casino, Play971, does not offer Andar Bahar, and playing it for money anywhere else in the country is illegal.
This guide explains the rules, the real odds of each bet — calculated by us from every possible deal — what the side bets cost, what 200 rounds look like, the Andar Bahar tables at the casinos we review, and what the law says in the UAE.
Gaming Content WriterUpdated: 10 November 2026
Best Online Casinos for Andar Bahar in Dubai in 2026
These are the casinos we rate. Fifteen of them have Andar Bahar, live and computer-dealt; the third line of each card shows what we found. Play971, at the top, is the only one licensed by the UAE’s GCGRA, and it has no Andar Bahar; the others are licensed abroad. Check which side to bet on before you play.
Andar Bahar at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| What it is | A card game of pure chance from India, played with one 52-card deck |
| Also called | Mangatha or Ulle Veliye in Tamil; the face-up card is called the joker |
| Players | Any number, all betting against the dealer |
| Main bets | Andar or Bahar: the pile where the first matching card lands |
| Best bet | The side that gets the first card: it wins 51.5% of rounds, with a house edge of 2.15% at 0.9 to 1 — our calculation |
| Length of a round | 13 cards after the joker on average; half of all rounds end within 11 |
| Casino versions | Live (Ezugi, Evolution, SA Gaming, Playtech, Creedroomz, Imagine Live) and RNG (KingMidas, Tada Gaming, Game Time Tec, OneTouch) |
| Licensed online in the UAE | No — Play971 has no Andar Bahar |
How to Play Andar Bahar
A round of Andar Bahar needs a single deck, a dealer and a table with two betting areas, Andar and Bahar. Players make no decisions once the cards are moving: they bet, watch the deal and get paid.
01
The dealer shows the joker. After shuffling, the dealer turns one card face up in the middle. Despite its name, this card is not wild: it is simply the rank everyone is waiting for.
02
Bet Andar or Bahar. You bet on the pile where the next card of the same rank will land. Suits do not matter: if the joker is the 7 of hearts, any 7 wins.
03
Cards go to the two piles in turn. The dealer deals one card face up to each side, alternating. In Evolution’s game the first card goes to Andar; under the traditional rule a black joker sends it to Andar and a red one to Bahar.
04
The first match ends the round. As soon as a card matches the joker’s rank, the pile it lands on wins. Bets on the other pile lose.
05
Winning bets are paid. The side that received the first card usually pays 0.9 to 1, because it wins slightly more often; the other side pays 1 to 1, even money.
06
Side bets are settled. If the table offers bets on how many cards the match takes, they are paid according to the range the final count falls in.
House rules vary. Some traditional tables let players add a second bet once the first two cards have missed, and some land-based tables in India pay only a quarter of the stake if the very first card matches. Online, the rules screen of each game shows its exact payouts.
Andar Bahar Odds and House Edge
The game is pure chance, but the two sides are not equal. We counted every position at which the first matching card can appear among the 51 cards left after the joker, with three cards of its rank still in the deck:
| Bet | Wins | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side that gets the first card | 51.50% | 0.9 to 1 | 2.15% |
| Side that gets the first card | 51.50% | 0.85 to 1 | 4.72% |
| Other side | 48.50% | 1 to 1 | 3.00% |
| Other side | 48.50% | 0.95 to 1 | 5.43% |
The exact chance for the first side is 429 in 833. Paid at even money, that bet would give the player a 3% edge over the house, which is why no casino pays it at 1 to 1.
Why the first side wins more often
The first side always gets its card one turn earlier. If the match comes on the 1st, 3rd or 5th card after the joker, and so on, the first side wins; if it comes on the 2nd, 4th or 6th, the other side does. The first match is slightly more likely at each position than at the next one, because the later the position, the more likely the match has already appeared. Every odd position therefore beats the even one after it, and over a whole round the first side comes out 3 percentage points ahead.
Which side to bet on
Bet the side that gets the first card. At the usual payouts it costs 2.15% of each bet against 3% on the other side: on a 100 AED bet, an average of 2.15 AED against 3 AED. Before betting, check which side gets the first card at your table and what each side pays. A table that pays 0.85 to 1 on the first side more than doubles its cost.
How long a round lasts
On average it takes 13 cards after the joker to find a match, and half of all rounds are over within 11. The very first card matches 5.9% of the time, and about one round in 16 goes past 30 cards.
Andar Bahar Side Bets: How Many Cards Until a Match
Most live tables add side bets on how many cards are dealt after the joker until the match appears, in ranges. Ezugi’s tables have eight of them, up to Cards 41–51; Evolution’s Super Andar Bahar has ten, from Cards 1–5 to Cards 46–49, with random multipliers on some of them every round. These are the true odds of each range, from our count:
| Cards dealt until the match | Probability | Fair payout (break-even) |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | 27.11% | 2.7 to 1 |
| 6–10 | 21.70% | 3.6 to 1 |
| 11–15 | 16.90% | 4.9 to 1 |
| 16–20 | 12.70% | 6.9 to 1 |
| 21–25 | 9.10% | 10 to 1 |
| 26–30 | 6.10% | 15.4 to 1 |
| 31–35 | 3.70% | 26 to 1 |
| 36–40 | 1.90% | 51.7 to 1 |
| 41–45 | 0.70% | 143 to 1 |
| 46–49 | 0.10% | 1,040 to 1 |
Where a table merges ranges, add their probabilities: 16–25 comes up 21.80% of the time and 41 or more 0.79%. A payout below the fair figure is the house edge on that bet — a range paid at 2.5 to 1 instead of 2.7 to 1, for example, costs about 5% of each bet — so compare the payouts in the game’s rules screen with this table before you place a side bet. On Evolution’s game, one to five random multipliers are applied to the side bets every round, for wins of up to 4,000x on Cards 46–49. A multiplier changes what a round pays, not how often a range comes up.
What 200 Rounds Look Like
Odds are easier to feel over a session. We simulated 100,000 sessions of 200 rounds each, with 10 AED on the side that gets the first card every round, paid at 0.9 to 1 — 2,000 AED of bets per session:
| After 200 rounds of 10 AED | Result |
|---|---|
| Average loss | 43 AED |
| Sessions that ended ahead | 36% |
| Sessions that lost more than 200 AED | 11% |
| The worst 10% of sessions | Lost 214 AED or more |
| The best 10% of sessions | Won 128 AED or more |
| Worst and best of 100,000 | A loss of 651 AED and a win of 546 AED |
| Same sessions on the other side, at 1 to 1 | Average loss 60 AED; 31% ended ahead |
Most sessions end close to the average, but about a third end ahead — enough to make a lucky run look like a system. Over more rounds the share of winning sessions keeps falling, because the 2.15% is taken from every bet.
Andar Bahar Strategy: What Works and What Doesn’t
Andar Bahar has no decisions after the bet, so strategy comes down to which bets you make and how much you stake. The numbers above settle the advice you will hear at the table.
- Works: bet the first side. At the usual payouts it is the cheapest bet on the table, at 2.15% against 3%.
- Works: check the payouts first. Tables differ in which side gets the first card and in what each side and each range pays.
- Doesn’t work: following trends. Every round starts from a shuffled deck, so a run of Andar wins says nothing about the next round. A list of past results shows the past, not the future.
- Doesn’t work: reading the joker. The joker’s colour can decide where the first card goes, but no rank or suit changes the 51.5% to 48.5% split between the first side and the other.
- Doesn’t work: doubling after a loss. Doubling your stake after every loss wins small amounts often and loses large amounts occasionally. It does not change the cost of each bet, and table limits stop it long before a long losing run ends.
- Check before you take one: side bets. They pay more because they win less. Compare each range’s payout with the fair figure in the table above: any shortfall is the house edge on that bet.
- Too small to matter: the second bet. Where a table lets you bet again after two cards miss, the first side’s chance rises from 51.50% to 51.56%.
None of this beats the house: over many rounds, the cost of each bet decides the result. The difference between the best and worst choices is real, though — on 2,000 AED of bets, about 43 AED against 60 AED or more.
Andar Bahar at Online Casinos
Online, Andar Bahar comes in three forms: live tables streamed from a studio, live tables with random multipliers, and computer-dealt RNG games. The rules are the same in all of them; the payouts and the side bets differ from studio to studio.
Ezugi Andar Bahar
Ezugi, part of the Evolution group, runs the classic live table with eight side bets on the number of cards dealt before a match, and two more tables of the same game, Casino Marina Andar Bahar and OTT Andar Bahar. Its Ultimate Andar Bahar, launched in November 2022, adds multipliers: in every round one to three multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x land on one to three random cards in the main game, for wins of up to 125x on the main bet, and on one to eight side bets, for up to 500x.
Evolution Super Andar Bahar
Evolution’s Super Andar Bahar is dealt from an Indian-themed studio. The first card after the joker always goes to Andar, so Andar is the side that wins 51.5% of the time. Its ten side bets run from Cards 1–5 to Cards 46–49, and one to five random multipliers are applied to them every round, up to 4,000x.
Other live tables
SA Gaming (Emerald Hall Andar Bahar, listed at some casinos as M Andar Bahar), Playtech, Creedroomz Live (Andar Bahar A), Imagine Live and EL Casino also stream Andar Bahar. They follow the same rules; check each game’s rules screen for which side gets the first card and what each bet pays.
RNG versions
KingMidas (Andar Bahar and Speedy Andar Bahar), Tada Gaming, Game Time Tec and OneTouch offer computer-dealt versions without a live dealer. They deal faster than a live table, which means more rounds — and more of the house edge — in the same time.
Andar Bahar at the casinos we review
We found Andar Bahar at 15 of the 17 casinos in our table that open from the UAE, in the game lists we collected for our reviews in October and November 2026 and, for 10Bet, on its own UAE page. The exceptions are YYY Casino, which had none among its 2,750 games, and Play971.
| Game | Studio | Type | Where we found it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andar Bahar | Ezugi | Live | Casinia, Nomini, Rabona, Spinanga, Wazamba, Melbet, Betwinner, Betostar, Emirbet |
| Casino Marina Andar Bahar | Ezugi | Live | Casinia, Nomini, Rabona, Spinanga, Wazamba |
| OTT Andar Bahar | Ezugi | Live | Melbet, Betwinner, Betostar, Emirbet |
| Ultimate Andar Bahar | Ezugi | Live, with multipliers | Betwinner |
| Super Andar Bahar | Evolution | Live, with multipliers | Wazamba, Melbet, Betwinner, Betostar, Emirbet |
| Emerald Hall Andar Bahar | SA Gaming | Live | 12 casinos, including Bassbet, Legiano, Melbet and Betwinner |
| Andar Bahar | Playtech | Live or RNG | 12 casinos, including StoneVegas, Funbet, Melbet and Betwinner |
| Andar Bahar A, Andar Bahar | Creedroomz Live, Imagine Live | Live | 10 casinos |
| Andar Bahar | EL Casino | Live | Melbet, Betwinner |
| Andar Bahar, Speedy Andar Bahar | KingMidas | RNG | 10 casinos |
| Andar Bahar | Tada Gaming | RNG | 12 casinos, including Betostar and Emirbet |
| Andar Bahar | Game Time Tec | RNG | 10 casinos |
| Andar Bahar | OneTouch | RNG | 10Bet |
The ten casinos that share most of these games are Bassbet, Casinia, Funbet, Legiano, Nomini, Rabona, Spinanga, StoneVegas, Wazamba and WildRobin. Because they run the same studios, the choice of tables is similar from one to the next; what changes is the stake limits and each casino’s own terms. None of them holds a UAE licence.
Andar Bahar Variations: Mangatha, Katti and House Rules
Andar Bahar is played in many ways across India, and a few games that share its vocabulary work differently. These are the variations you are most likely to meet, and what each one changes:
| Variation | How it works |
|---|---|
| Mangatha (Ulle Veliye) | The Tamil version. In one form there is no joker: the player names a rank from 2 to 10, the deal starts on Ulle (inside), and the bet is paid at even money |
| Joker colour rule | A black joker sends the first card to Andar and a red one to Bahar, so the favoured side changes from round to round |
| Fixed first side | The first card always goes to the same side — Andar at Evolution — and that side pays less |
| Second bet | After two cards miss, players can bet again; the first side’s chance is then 51.56% |
| Quarter pay on the first card | Some land-based tables in India pay only 25% of the stake if the very first card matches |
| Bet on the first card | A side bet that the very first card matches, paid at 11 times the stake at some land-based tables. It comes up 5.9% of the time, so it would need to pay 16 to 1 to break even |
| Multipliers | Ultimate (Ezugi) and Super (Evolution) versions add random multipliers to some cards or side bets |
| Katti | Often confused with Andar Bahar because players also bet inside or outside, but a different game, in which the colour of a single card decides the bets |
Before playing any version, check two things: which side gets the first card, and what it pays. Together they decide whether the main bet costs about 2% or more than 5%.
Andar Bahar Apps: Play Money and Real Money
In the UAE, the first results for Andar Bahar are apps in the app stores, alongside videos and rules pages. Two very different things go by the same name, and it pays to know which one you are installing.
Free-chip apps
Most Andar Bahar apps in the app stores are games played with virtual chips. You can buy chips, but you cannot cash them out, so you cannot win money. Check the app’s terms for whether chips can be exchanged for anything of value, and set a spending limit on in-app purchases — these games are designed to sell more chips.
Real-money apps and websites
Apps and sites that let you deposit, play Andar Bahar and withdraw winnings are gambling, whatever they call themselves. None of them is licensed by the UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, so playing on them from the UAE carries the same legal risk as any other unlicensed gambling. Some also sell “winning tricks”; in a game where the only choice is a side, no trick changes the 51.5% to 48.5% split.
Is Andar Bahar Legal in the UAE?
Playing Andar Bahar for money in the UAE is legal only with an operator licensed by the GCGRA — and the only licensed online casino, Play971, does not offer it. When we checked Play971’s lobby from a UAE connection on 9 November 2026, its 30 live tables were roulette, dragon tiger, baccarat and blackjack, and none of its games was Andar Bahar. Play971 is also available only to players aged 21 or over who are in the UAE, outside Dubai.
Outside the licensed market, both playing and organising are crimes. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021, gambling is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to AED 50,000 (Article 461), and running a gambling venue by up to ten years and a fine of at least AED 100,000 (Article 462). That covers private games with money on the table, including the card parties many families hold around Diwali. Courts apply the law: in September 2018, Dubai’s Court of First Instance jailed 16 men who ran a secret gambling den in a games shop at JBR, and ordered the non-Emiratis to be deported (Gulf News, 15 September 2018).
Playing Andar Bahar with friends for no stake, or on a free-chip app, is not gambling. Our guide to gambling law in the UAE explains the rules in full, and our guide to casinos in Dubai covers where land-based gaming will be allowed.
Andar Bahar Glossary
Andar Bahar’s vocabulary is mostly Hindi and Tamil, used the same way at Indian, Pakistani and Gulf tables and in the online versions. These are the terms you will see on screen and hear at a table:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Joker | The face-up card whose rank must be matched; despite the name, it is not wild |
| Andar | “Inside” in Hindi: one of the two piles |
| Bahar | “Outside” in Hindi: the other pile |
| Ulle and Veliye | The Tamil words for inside and outside |
| Mangatha | The Tamil name for the game |
| First bet and second bet | The bet before the deal, and the extra bet some tables allow after two cards |
| Side bet | A bet on how many cards are dealt until the match |
| Multiplier | A random boost to the payout on some cards or side bets, in the Ultimate and Super versions |
| RNG | A computer-dealt version, with no live dealer |
If a table shows the winning sides of past rounds, treat it as a record, not a forecast: the next round starts from a shuffled deck and does not depend on it.
Play Responsibly
Andar Bahar is fast and easy to keep playing: a round is over in seconds once the cards start moving, there is nothing to decide after the bet, and festivals bring long sessions. Decide in advance how much you are prepared to lose, stop when you reach it, and do not raise the stakes to win back losses. If gambling is causing you or someone close to you difficulty, our responsible gambling guide lists where to find help.
FAQ
- How do you play Andar Bahar?
The dealer turns one card face up — the joker — and you bet on Andar or Bahar. Cards are then dealt to the two piles in turn, and the pile where the first card of the joker’s rank lands wins.
- Which side wins more in Andar Bahar?
The side that gets the first card, which wins 51.5% of rounds. That is why it usually pays 0.9 to 1, while the other side pays even money.
- Is Andar Bahar pure luck?
Yes. The only choice is which side to bet on, and the deal decides the rest. Choosing the side that gets the first card lowers the cost of each bet but does not change the outcome of a round.
- What is the joker in Andar Bahar?
The first card the dealer turns face up. Its rank is the one that must be matched; it is not a wild card.
- What is the house edge in Andar Bahar?
2.15% on the side that gets the first card when it pays 0.9 to 1, and 3% on the other side at 1 to 1, by our calculation. Lower payouts raise both figures.
- How many cards does a round of Andar Bahar take?
13 cards after the joker on average, and 11 or fewer in half of all rounds.
- Are Andar Bahar side bets worth it?
Only if the payout is close to the fair figure for its range: 2.7 to 1 for Cards 1–5, for example. Anything less is the house edge on that bet.
- Is there a trick to win at Andar Bahar?
No. Every round starts from a shuffled deck, so past results, the joker’s suit and doubling systems do not change the odds.
- Is Andar Bahar legal in the UAE?
Only with a GCGRA-licensed operator, and the one licensed online casino, Play971, does not offer it. Playing for money elsewhere, including private games, is a crime under Article 461.
- Can I play Andar Bahar on Play971?
No. When we checked on 9 November 2026, Play971 had no Andar Bahar game or live table.