Andar Bahar, Springbok's version: one Joker, two boxes, every bet

Andar and Bahar mean "inside" and "outside" in Hindi, and they name the two boxes on the felt. The game is a traditional Indian favourite with almost nothing to learn. At Springbok it is dealt from a single 52-card deck that is shuffled before every game.

1. Place your bets. Back Andar, Bahar, one or more side bets, or a mix. A main bet is not required: side bets can be played on their own.
2. The Joker is shown. One card is dealt face up in the middle. The deck is a plain 52 cards with no joker cards in it, so "Joker" is only the name given to this face-up card.
3. Cards go to the boxes. Cards are then dealt into the Andar and Bahar boxes until one of them receives a card that matches the Joker.
4. Settle. The box that gets the match wins the main bet. The colour and suit bets depend on the Joker alone, and the card-count bet on how many cards were dealt before the match appeared.

The help page calls the winning card the one "matching" the Joker. In the traditional game that means the same rank, whatever the suit: any seven matches a seven.

Every bet on the table and what it pays, from the game's help page:

Andar and Bahar

The two main bets are priced differently. A winning Andar bet pays 1:1; a winning Bahar bet pays 0.9:1. The sources don't explain the difference, and because they also leave out the dealing order, this guide won't guess at a reason. What matters for your stake is simpler: check which box you are on, because the same chip earns a different amount on each side.

Joker colour and Joker suit

These two bets are about the face-up card, not the boxes. Calling red or black pays 0.9:1; naming the exact suit pays 2.8:1. Since only the Joker decides them, the rest of the deal has no effect on either.

Red or black is a coin-flip call on a full deck, so it is worth comparing its pay of 0.9:1 with even money. Any shortfall is the house's margin on that bet, even though Springbok does not publish it as a figure.

Number of cards

The card-count bet asks how many cards will be dealt before the match turns up. You pick a band. Early bands pay modest multiples; the late ones pay far more, up to 119:1 for the last band, because a long wait for a match is unusual. The bands are not all the same width, so read the range as well as the price before you choose.

The payout table shows why that matters. The 16 to 25 band spans ten card positions, twice as many as the 11 to 15 band just before it, and it pays less than that narrower band does. Price alone is not a guide to how likely a band is; its width is part of the picture.

The table sign shows R1.00 minimum and R500.00 maximum. That matches the R1–R500 range in Springbok's table-games article, and Springbok's launch article for the game sets the same R500 table limit. The launch article lists its chip values without naming a minimum, so nothing contradicts the sign; at Teen Patti, by contrast, two Springbok sources give different minimums.

Because a main bet is optional, a round can be as small as a single colour or suit chip. If you play a main bet and side bets together, size the whole round to the budget you set for the session rather than to the table's ceiling.

Springbok does not publish a house edge or RTP for Andar Bahar, and the help page gives none. Teen Patti and 32 Cards are in the same position. Lucky 7 and Akbar Romeo Walter, the other quick card tables, do have figures in Springbok's table-games article.

Without a published number, the fair comparison is between the bets on this table, using what the rules show: the gap between Andar and Bahar, and the colour bet set against even money. For tables where Springbok does quote an edge, see every published house edge side by side.

Springbok's Terms and Conditions name the games that count toward bonus wagering, and Andar Bahar is not among them. Bets here leave the wagering exactly where it was. The same clause says that betting on games outside the list before wagering is finished can void the bonus and its winnings.

The answer is to keep the two apart: clear any bonus on games that count, then come to Andar Bahar with a deposit that carries no coupon. Play Andar Bahar at Springbok once your account is clear of an active bonus.

While a bonus is being wagered, Springbok also caps each bet at R100, one more reason to finish it before you sit down here. If you are unsure whether a bonus is still live on your account, ask support before your first Andar Bahar chip rather than after.

• Assuming both boxes pay alike. Andar pays 1:1 and Bahar 0.9:1. Know which you are backing before you place the chip.
• Reading the last few rounds. Each game starts from a freshly shuffled deck, so a string of Andar wins tells you nothing about where the next match will land.
• Chasing the late bands. 119:1 looks generous because the wait it needs is rare. Treat it as an occasional small chip, not a plan.
• Letting the pace run away with you. Rounds are short and come quickly. Decide on a number of rounds, or a time to stop, before you start.
• Sitting down with a bonus running. The bets won't count toward it and can put it at risk.

Andar Bahar is one of five quick card tables in Springbok's lobby. For a game with a little more to read, try Teen Patti's two-hand contest; for a single call with a published edge, see Lucky 7.