Andar Bahar Cash Game
Video Andar Bahar card game is becoming increasingly popular both offline and online in India and other countries. It works in the same way as live andar bahar, but without the presence of real dealers. Andar Bahar can be played for free if you don't feel confident enough to bet real money. You are downloading Andar Bahar 2.9 APK file for Android smartphones/tablets which requires Android 4.1, 4.1.1 Andar Bahar. Andar Bahar is one of the best free Casino apps, you should try it.
Introduction
Free Online Games
Andar Bahar is an Indian gambling game that is said to have originated in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in the southern state of Karnataka, and it is also known in Tamil as Mangatha orUllae Veliyae. It is a game of pure chance in which the dealer places a card face up and the player bets on one of two piles: Andar (inside) or Bahar (outside). The dealer then deals cards alternately to the two piles until a card appears that matches the initial card. The pile where this matching card appears is the winning pile. In the 21st century Andar Bahar has become a popular game in Indian online casinos.
Katti, another pure chance game, is also described on this page. It also features bets on inside or outside, and for this reason it is understandably often confused with Andar Bahar but the mechanism of Katti is different.
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Players and Cards
A standard 52-card pack is used. The dealer operates the bank and there can be any number of players, who traditionally sit in a circle around the dealer. The players have nothing to do except place bets, watch the deal, and receive their winnings if successful.
Procedure
The dealer shuffles the cards thoroughly, cuts them and deals one card face up. This is the card that must be matched, often known as the 'trump card' or 'joker' though these terms are misleading. In normal English card game terminology a trump is a card that can beat any card of a different suit, irrespective of rank, and a joker is a wild card that can be used to represent any card the player desires. Therefore it seems better to call this first card the house card, or maybe just the middle card, since the two piles are sometimes dealt on either side of it.
Now the players place their bets on either of the two piles, known as Andar and Bahar, that the dealer will create. The minimum and maximum bets must be agreed in advance in a private game, and will be determined by the house in a casino game. In Hindi the words Andar and Bahar (sometimes written Baahar) mean inside and outside respectively, and in Tamil the two piles have the equivalent names Ullae (inside) and Veliyae (outside). This may be because in the traditional game the inside pile is the pile nearer to the dealer and the outside pile is further from the dealer. In online versions the layout may be like that or Andar and Bahar may simply be to the left and right respectively of the house card.
Many online versions of the game allow additional types of bet. These are described in the Variations section below.
The dealer now deals single cards face up from the remainder of the deck alternately to the Andar and Bahar piles. If the house card is black, the first card is dealt to the Andar pile; if the house card is red the first card is dealt to the Bahar pile. The deal continues until a card appears that matches the rank of the house card. Players who bet on the pile where this matching card appears win; those who bet on the other pile lose.
Payout
Clearly the chances are slightly greater that the first matching card will appear on the side where the first card was dealt, and the payouts reflect this. A successful bet on the side where the first card was dealt is paid out at odds of 0.9 to 1, while a successful bet on the side where the second card was dealt is paid out odds of 1 to 1 (evens). In other words, given that the colour of the house card determines where the first card is dealt:
- If the house card is black, a successful bet of 1000 on Andar pays 1900 (your bet returned plus 900 winnings) while a successful bet on Bahar pays 2000.
- If the house card is red, a successful bet of 1000 on Andar pays 2000 while a successful bet on Bahar pays 1900.
In fact the chance that the first matching card will appear on the same side as the first card dealt is close to 51.5%. From this it is easy to calculate that the house edge on a bet on side where the first card is dealt is 2.15% while the house edge on a bet on the side of the second card dealt is 3%.
Variations
It is apparent from the various descriptions of this game on the web that there are a number of variants. I would be particularly interested to hear from people who have taken part in private games in India, and can confirm what rules are most often used in the traditional offline versions of the game.
Some descriptions imply that it is not the house card but the first player card whose colour determines whether this first card is dealt to the Andar or Bahar pile. This modification does make the initial bet almost a 50/50 chance since the colour of this card is not known when the bet is placed. Possibly that is the motive for this rule, but despite it appears that the payout remains as 0.9:1 for winning bets on the side of the first dealt card and 1:1 for winning bets on the side of the second card.
| Number of cards dealt | Payout odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 cards | 2 to 1 | 18.68% |
| 6 to 10 cards | 3 to 1 | 13.18% |
| 11 to 15 cards | 4 to 1 | 15.49% |
| 16 to 25 cards | 3 to 1 | 12.80% |
| 26 to 30 cards | 14 to 1 | 8.52% |
| 31 to 35 cards | 24 to 1 | 7.56% |
| 36 to 40 cards | 49 to 1 | 5.17% |
| 41 or more cards | 119 to 1 | 4.92% |
| House card prediction | Payout odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 7 | 1 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 8 exactly | 11 to 1 | 7.69% |
| 9 to Ace (Ace high) | 1 to 1 | 7.69% |
| colour (red or black) | 0.9 to 1 | 5.00% |
| suit | 2.8 to 1 | 5.00% |
Katti
Brief accounts of this game appear on several websites. The following is my current understanding of how it works, based largely on information from the people at GameRules, one of the sites that has a decription of Katti.
The dealer begins by dealing a row of 13 cards face up. Each of the players may choose any card in the row, and bet on 'inside' (Andar) or 'outside' (Bahar) for that card. When these initial bets have been placed, any player may wager that a particular bet by some other player will lose.
After all bets have been placed, the dealer deals the next card from the pack. This is what I shall call the indicator card, and its colour determines which bets will win and which will lose. For each player separately,
- if the indicator card is black, then the winning side for the first card in the row will be the same side as that player's bet, or
- if the indicator card is red then the winning side for the first card in the row will be the opposite side from that player's bet.
After this the winning side alternates along the row between inside and outside.
So for example if a player bets 'outside' on the 5th card in the row and the indicator card is red, then for this player the winning side for position 1 will be inside (opposite to the bet) and for the following positions 2:outside, 3:inside, 4:outside, 5:inside, so the bet loses.
Note that the winning positions are determined separately for each player, so if another player had bet 'inside' on the 5th card in the row, that player would lose as well, because for them the winning side in the 1st position and every odd position would be 'outside' - opposite to their bet.
If I have understood this correctly, the players are really just betting on the colour of the indicator card. With a black indicator card all bets on odd numbered positions will win and with a red card all bets on even positions will win. Apparently it does not matter what card is in that position in the row, or whether the bet was inside or outside.
Note that if player X bets (for example) outside on position 6, then for another player Y there is a difference between betting inside on position 6 and betting that player X will lose. If the indicator card is red, all initial bets on position 6 will lose, whether insiode or outside, but any player betting against another player who has bet on position 6 will win.
I am not clear yet clear about some of the practicalities of this game, such as where exactly the bets are placed in relation to the row of cards to indicate who has bet on what, and what the procedure is for demonstrating the outcome after the indicator card has been shown. Some descriptions seem to imply that the dealer physically deals cards alternately on the two sides of the initial row, to count off whether a bet on inside or outside has won or lost. If this is so, the dealer would need to deal for each player separately, since the side on which the deal begins for any particular player depends on the position of that player's bet.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experience of this game and can tell me more about it.
On This Page
Introduction
Andar Bahar is a simple card game, said to originate in southern India, and has since spread all over India and now Internet casinos. Read on for the rules and analysis.
Rules
There are variations of the rules so I will endearvor to explain how the game is generally played and mention which rules are fundamental to the game and which are optional side bets.
- A single 52-card deck is used.
- The two main bets are Andar and Bahar.
- Before the first card is dealt, the players may or may not be able to make side bets on what it will be. Possible bets are on the rank or suit of the first card.
- The dealer shall deal the first card and place it in the middle of the table. If there were side bets based on that card, the dealer shall adjudicate them. This first card is sometimes known as the 'joker,' which I know is confusing. This first card is not wild and has nothing to do with the card generally referred to as a 'joker.' I prefer to call this card as the 'Middle Card,' to make explaining the game easier.
- At this point the player may make an Andar or Bahar wager. There may also be side bets on the total cards to be dealt after this point, for example the 20+.
- After bets are made, the dealer will deal cards one at a time until he gets another card matching the rank of the Middle Card. The dealer shall alternate placing cards on the left and right of the Middle Card. In some versions, the dealer starts on the left side of the Middle Card and in others he randomizes it, based on the color of the Middle Card. However, which side the dealer starts on does not matter.
- If the total number of cards dealt after the Middle Card is odd, then the Andar bet shall win. Depending on the version, the Andar bet may pay 0.9 to 1 or 0.95 to 1.
- If the total number of cards dealt after the Middle Card is even, then the Bahar bet shall win. Depending on the version, the Bahar bet may pay 0.95 to 1 or 1 to 1.
- After the Middle Card is matched, any side bets based on the total number of cards dealt after the Middle Card shall be adjudicated.
Andar and Bahar Analysis
The following table shows the probability of all possible total cards dealt after the Middle Card. The middle column shows the probability of exactly that number of cards. The right column shows the probability that the total number of cards will be that number of less. For example, the probability the probability of exactly 20 cards is 2.2329% and the probability of 20 or less cards is 78.4154%.
Total Cards Dealt
| Cards | Probabiltiy (exact) | Probabiltiy (equal or less) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.058824 | 0.058824 |
| 2 | 0.056471 | 0.115294 |
| 3 | 0.054166 | 0.169460 |
| 4 | 0.051909 | 0.221369 |
| 5 | 0.049700 | 0.271068 |
| 6 | 0.047539 | 0.318607 |
| 7 | 0.045426 | 0.364034 |
| 8 | 0.043361 | 0.407395 |
| 9 | 0.041345 | 0.448739 |
| 10 | 0.039376 | 0.488115 |
| 11 | 0.037455 | 0.525570 |
| 12 | 0.035582 | 0.561152 |
| 13 | 0.033758 | 0.594910 |
| 14 | 0.031981 | 0.626891 |
| 15 | 0.030252 | 0.657143 |
| 16 | 0.028571 | 0.685714 |
| 17 | 0.026939 | 0.712653 |
| 18 | 0.025354 | 0.738007 |
| 19 | 0.023818 | 0.761825 |
| 20 | 0.022329 | 0.784154 |
| 21 | 0.020888 | 0.805042 |
| 22 | 0.019496 | 0.824538 |
| 23 | 0.018151 | 0.842689 |
| 24 | 0.016855 | 0.859544 |
| 25 | 0.015606 | 0.875150 |
| 26 | 0.014406 | 0.889556 |
| 27 | 0.013253 | 0.902809 |
| 28 | 0.012149 | 0.914958 |
| 29 | 0.011092 | 0.926050 |
| 30 | 0.010084 | 0.936134 |
| 31 | 0.009124 | 0.945258 |
| 32 | 0.008211 | 0.953469 |
| 33 | 0.007347 | 0.960816 |
| 34 | 0.006531 | 0.967347 |
| 35 | 0.005762 | 0.973109 |
| 36 | 0.005042 | 0.978151 |
| 37 | 0.004370 | 0.982521 |
| 38 | 0.003745 | 0.986267 |
| 39 | 0.003169 | 0.989436 |
| 40 | 0.002641 | 0.992077 |
| 41 | 0.002161 | 0.994238 |
| 42 | 0.001729 | 0.995966 |
| 43 | 0.001345 | 0.997311 |
| 44 | 0.001008 | 0.998319 |
| 45 | 0.000720 | 0.999040 |
| 46 | 0.000480 | 0.999520 |
| 47 | 0.000288 | 0.999808 |
| 48 | 0.000144 | 0.999952 |
| 49 | 0.000048 | 1.000000 |
Following are the probabilities of the two main bets winning:
- Andar: 51.5006%
- Bahar: 48.4994%
Following are is the house edge on the Andar bet, according to what a win pays:
- 0.85 to 1: 4.72%
- 0.9 to 1: 2.15%
Following are is the house edge on the Bahar bet, according to what a win pays:
- 0.95 to 1: 5.43%
- 1 to 1: 3.00%
Side Betting Analysis
The following table shows some side bets I'm aware of on the Middle Card. Pays are expressed on a 'to one' basis. Some bets are listed twice at different pays I'm aware of. The right column shows the expected value of each bet.
Middle Card Side Bets
| Bet | Pays | Probability | Exp. Val. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 8, Above 8 | 1 | 0.461538 | -0.076923 |
| Below 8, Above 8 | 1.05 | 0.461538 | -0.053846 |
| Exactly 8 | 11 | 0.076923 | -0.076923 |
| Exactly 8 | 11.45 | 0.076923 | -0.042308 |
| Specific suit | 2.8 | 0.250000 | -0.050000 |
| Specific color | 0.9 | 0.500000 | -0.050000 |
| 2 to 10 | 0.35 | 0.692308 | -0.065385 |
| Specific rank | 11.45 | 0.076923 | -0.042308 |
The next table shows some side bets I've seen based on the number of cards needed to repeat the rank of the Middle Card. Wins are on a 'to one' basis.
After Middle Card Side Bets
| Bet | Pays | Probability | Exp. Val. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20+ | 2.9 | 0.238175 | -0.071116 |
| 1 to 5 | 2.5 | 0.271068 | -0.051261 |
| 6 to 10 | 3.5 | 0.217047 | -0.023289 |
| 11 to 15 | 4.5 | 0.169028 | -0.070348 |
| 16 to 25 | 3.5 | 0.218007 | -0.018968 |
| 26 to 30 | 14 | 0.060984 | -0.085234 |
| 31 to 35 | 24 | 0.036975 | -0.075630 |
| 36 to 40 | 49 | 0.018968 | -0.051621 |
| 41+ | 119 | 0.007923 | -0.049220 |
The next table shows bets available on the number of cards dealt (not including the middle card) by Woohoo Games.
Bets on Number of Cards Dealt (Woohoo Games)
| Cards | Pays | Probability | Exp. Val. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 | 0.056471 | -0.040000 |
| 3 | 16.7 | 0.054166 | -0.041268 |
| 4 | 17.25 | 0.051909 | -0.052665 |
| 5 | 18 | 0.049700 | -0.055702 |
| 6 | 19 | 0.047539 | -0.049220 |
| 7 | 20 | 0.045426 | -0.046050 |
| 8 | 21 | 0.043361 | -0.046050 |
| 9 | 22 | 0.041345 | -0.049076 |
| 10 | 23 | 0.039376 | -0.054982 |
| 11 | 24.5 | 0.037455 | -0.044898 |
| 12 | 25.5 | 0.035582 | -0.057071 |
| 13 | 27 | 0.033758 | -0.054790 |
| 14 | 29 | 0.031981 | -0.040576 |
| 15 | 30.5 | 0.030252 | -0.047059 |
| 16 | 32 | 0.028571 | -0.057143 |
| 17 | 34 | 0.026939 | -0.057143 |
| 18 | 36.5 | 0.025354 | -0.049220 |
| 19 | 39 | 0.023818 | -0.047299 |
| 20 | 41.5 | 0.022329 | -0.051020 |
| 21+ | 3.4 | 0.215846 | -0.050276 |
In case you were wondering, here are some other miscellaneous statistics.
- The side that gets the first card will win 51.5% of the time.
- It takes 13 cards on average to resolve the game, not counting the Middle card.
- The median number of cards to resolve the game is 11, again not counting the Middle card.
External Links
Andar Bahar Cash Game App
Discussion about Andar Bahar in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.