Andar Bahar

The game

Andar Bahar is an Indian card-guessing game. The dealer turns over one card, the joker (middle card), and then deals cards into two rows: Andar ("inside") and Bahar ("outside"). The row that first receives a card of the same rank as the joker wins.

Players bet on Andar or Bahar and may also place a side bet on how many cards will be dealt before the round ends. Players make no decisions during the round.

Equipment and cards

• One standard 52-card deck with no jokers ("joker" is simply the name of the first card turned over in the round).
• The layout has three card spots: the middle for the joker, the Andar row and the Bahar row.
• Suits and point values do not matter; only the rank counts: two, three … king, ace.

Bets

• Andar: the Andar row will receive the matching card.
• Bahar: the Bahar row will receive the matching card.
• Number of cards side bet: on the range of how many cards are dealt (see the pay table).

Bets are placed before the joker is turned over or right after it, depending on the table rules. You can bet on the main outcome and on the number of cards at the same time.

How a round is played

• The deck is shuffled, and the dealer turns over the top card and places it in the middle: this is the joker.
• The dealer then deals cards one at a time, alternating between the Andar and Bahar rows. The first card always goes to Andar, the second to Bahar, the third to Andar and so on.
• The round ends with the first card of the same rank as the joker (suit does not matter). The row that receives it wins.
• The dealer counts the cards dealt, pays the winning bets and collects the losing ones.

A quick check: since the first card always goes to Andar, an odd number of cards dealt means Andar wins and an even number means Bahar wins.

Counting cards for the side bet: count every card in both rows including the winning card; the joker is not counted.

Pay tables

Andar pays less because the first card always goes to Andar. A 100 bet on Andar wins 90, a 120 bet wins 108. A 100 bet on Bahar wins 100.

This is the wizardofodds.com table. Pay tables vary between casinos: sometimes both sides pay 1:1, Andar may pay 0.95:1, and in some versions the first card goes to a row according to the joker's colour. Number-of-cards side bets also come with other ranges and payouts — for example, bets on an exact count. By default the trainer uses a rounded table (3, 4, 5, 4, 15, 25, 50, 120 to 1); a club can set its own.

Payouts are quoted without the stake: the player receives the win and gets the bet back.

Example 1: Bahar on the fourth card

JokerAndarBahar

4 cards were dealt (an even number), so Bahar wins. A 100 bet on Bahar wins 100. The Andar bet loses. A 100 side bet on 1–5 cards wins 2.5:1, which is 250.

Example 2: Andar on the fifth card

JokerAndarBahar

5 cards were dealt (odd), so Andar wins. A 100 bet on Andar wins 90 (0.9:1). A 100 side bet on 1–5 cards wins 250.

Example 3: a longer round

JokerAndarBahar

7 cards were dealt (odd), so Andar wins. A 120 bet on Andar wins 108. The Bahar bet loses. A 100 side bet on 6–10 cards wins 3.5:1, which is 350; a player with both 120 on Andar and 100 on 6–10 cards wins 458 in total.

Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.