Though we love live dealer titles, there is no denying they tend to focus on a few popular games. However, past a sea of multiplier roulettes and game shows lie unique live casino releases that most people haven’t had the chance to check out.
Lesser-Known Live Casino Games from Asia
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Today, we’ll explore some lesser-known live casino games whose origins trace back to Asia. If you want to take a break from the usual fare and try something new, these titles will be to your liking.
Niu Niu (Bull Bull)
You may have heard of Niu Niu before. It’s often referred to as Chinese poker, as that’s where it’s most popular. The game is played between the Player and Banker. At the start of the round, players can put money down on a flat or double bet. Once wagering ends, the round proceeds to the card drawing phase.
Five cards are dealt to both the Player and Banker. The hands are then split into a high and low hand. The high hand contains three cards and should be a multiple of ten, while the low hand should be as high of a combination as possible. Its value is determined by adding up the two cards that comprise it. For example, two 4s will have a value of 8.
If both the high and low hands are a multiple of ten, you get a Niu Niu hand, the best possible combination. If you cannot form a multiple of ten with your high hand, then you get the High Card, the least valuable card ranking.
The Player and Banker cards are compared after they’re drawn. Most of the time, both players will have a multiple of ten as their high card, at which point the values of their low hand are compared. If the player has the better hand, they win the round.
Xoc Dia
Xoc Dia is a popular gambling game from Vietnam. It is played using four coin-shaped tokens in four different colours. The goal is to correctly predict what combination the coins will appear after being shaken by the host.
There are no rewards for getting it partially right. Even one mistake, and you lose the round. That is why Xoc Dia has multiple wagers with different payouts. Less risky options are close to 50-50 odds, which is why their payouts are low. Alternatively, you can guess specific combinations in hopes of winning big.
If you want to try your luck with this game, SA Gaming has a version available. Their game has an RTP of 98.75%, assuming you’re sticking to the safe bets.
Pok Deng
Another fun title to keep an eye out for is Pok Deng. It’s another player-versus-banker game in which players predict which hand will beat the dealer.
Five hands are dealt in total, each containing two cards. You add the face value together to determine how many points they’re worth. The goal of the game is to get a 9, or as close to it as possible. 10, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth zero points, while Aces give one point when drawn.
If your hand total exceeds nine, the first digit from your point counter is removed. For example, drawing two eights should give you a 16, but the point total of that hand will be 6.
Spicing this live casino game up are special card combinations. There are five in total, and getting them guarantees a point total between 7 and 8. We outline them below, ranked least to most valuable.
- Flush with No Point – two non-face cards that share a suit and have a point total of zero. Example: 2♥, 8♥.
- Single Face Card with No Point – Any combination of a 10 and a face card. Example: 10♥, J♣.
- Face Card Combo – Two face cards of any suit. Example: Q♦, Q♣
- Special pairs – A pair of Aces, 5s, 6s, or 10s.
- AK Flush – An Ace and King of the same suit.
