Fan tan live is Evolution’s version of the Asian bead game. The dealer covers a pile of beads with a metal cup, then sorts the revealed beads into lines of four, and players bet on how many are left in the final line: 1, 2, 3 or 4. For the wider market picture, start at our online casino Canada hub.
The table below sets out how the game behaves. Read it first, then work through the detail beneath.
| Trait | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Evolution |
| Result | 1, 2, 3 or 4 beads in the final line |
| Basic bets | Single number, Odd or Even, Big or Small |
| Advanced bets | Nim, Kwok, Nga Tan and Ssh |
| RTP | 98.75 percent, per MrQ |
| Limits at MrQ | 20p to 80 pounds |
What is fan tan live?
A live dealer version of an ancient Asian bead game. Evolution describes it as based on the repeated separation of a random number of beads into orderly lines of four, with players predicting how many beads remain in the last line.
Fan tan live asks one question each round: 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Fan tan live rounds end with a single line of beads on the table.
How old is the game?
Inside Asian Gaming reports that fantan’s history in China dates back more than two thousand years, and that it remained the dominant game of chance in Macau’s gambling parlours and early casinos into the nineteen sixties.
Fan tan live brings that table game to a live studio.
Why did Evolution build it?
Todd Haushalter, Evolution’s chief product officer, told Inside Asian Gaming the game is ancient and largely forgotten, and that the studio wanted to pay it respect with a fresh and modern version for a new generation.
Fan tan live also gives baccarat players an alternative at the same casino, he added.
How does a round work?
The dealer selects a random number of beads with the metal cup. After the betting time expires, the dealer reveals those beads and sorts them into lines of four with a special stick, and the final line settles the round.
Fan tan live shows every stage of that count on camera.
Fan tan live betting closes before the cup comes off, so the pile stays hidden while bets are placed.
What is the metal cup?
The tool that separates the beads. Inside Asian Gaming calls it a metal bowl known as tan koi, placed over part of the button pile, with a bamboo stick used to group the revealed buttons into fours.
Fan tan live keeps that method from the Macau tables.
How many beads are under the cup?
The Wizard of Odds reports an average of about sixty buttons in his experience at Macau tables. The exact number changes every round and is never announced.
Fan tan live results depend only on the remainder after the count.
What can the final line hold?
One, two, three or four beads. Evolution says that when four or fewer beads remain, the dealer places them in a line in the centre of the table, and that line is the result.
Fan tan live therefore has four possible outcomes each round.
What is the chance of each number?
One in four. The Wizard of Odds lists a 25 percent win chance for a single number bet, which matches four equally likely results.
Fan tan live numbers all carry the same chance, whatever the recent history shows.
Over a hundred rounds, each number lands about twenty five times on average.
Which basic bets are available?
Evolution lists the single number bet on 1, 2, 3 or 4, plus Odd or Even and Big or Small. MrQ says the odd, even, big and small bets give roughly a 50 percent chance of a win.
Fan tan live basic bets appear in the default game view.
What are the two game views?
Evolution offers a default view and an advanced view. The default view shows the main bet types, and the advanced view adds more of the traditional fan tan bets.
Fan tan live players can switch views without leaving the table.
What does a single number pay?
2.85 to 1. The Wizard of Odds explains that wins pay fair odds of 3 to 1 less a 5 percent commission, which leaves 2.85. MrQ lists the same 2.85:1 payout.
Fan tan live single number bets carry a house edge of 3.75 percent.
Fan tan live pays fair odds of 3 to 1 before the commission is taken from the win.
What is the commission?
Five percent of the win. The Wizard of Odds says all wins pay fair odds less a 5 percent commission applied to the win amount, and that the commission is not applied to pushes.
Fan tan live payouts already show the figure after that deduction.
What is the Kwok bet?
A bet on two numbers, both of which win. The Wizard of Odds says it pays 1 to 1 before commission, or 19 to 20 after, with a 2.50 percent house edge. MrQ lists the payout as 0.95:1.
Fan tan live Kwok bets win half the time, on two of the four numbers.
What is the Nim bet?
A bet on two numbers where one wins and the other is a push. The Wizard of Odds lists a payout of 2 to 1 before commission, 1.9 after, and a 2.50 percent house edge.
Fan tan live Nim bets win 25 percent of the time and push another 25 percent.
Fan tan live Nim bets lose on the other two numbers, half the time.
What is the Nga Tan bet?
A bet on three numbers, one of which is a push. The Wizard of Odds lists a payout of 1 to 2 before commission, 19 to 40 after, and a house edge of 1.25 percent.
Fan tan live Nga Tan bets win half the time and push a quarter of the time.
What is the Ssh bet?
A bet on three numbers, all of which win. Also called Sheh-Sam-Hong, it pays 1 to 3 before commission, 19 to 60 after, for a house edge of 1.25 percent. MrQ shows the payout as 0.31:1.
Fan tan live Ssh bets win 75 percent of the time, per the Wizard of Odds table.
Which bet wins most often?
Ssh. It covers three of the four numbers, so it wins about 75 percent of rounds. MrQ calls it the safest bet in the game while noting it carries the lowest payout ratio.
Fan tan live Ssh wins pay less than a third of the stake.
Which bet pays the most?
The single number, at 2.85 to 1. MrQ says the largest win in one round comes from a successful single number bet at that payout.
Fan tan live single number bets lose three rounds in four.
Fan tan live single number wins return almost three times the stake on top of it.
What does a ten dollar bet return on each bet?
A winning ten dollar single number returns 28.50 dollars plus the stake. Kwok returns 9.50, Nim returns 19, Nga Tan returns 4.75 and Ssh returns about 3.17, each plus the stake.
Fan tan live payouts all sit below fair odds because of the commission.
What is the RTP?
MrQ lists 98.75 percent for Live Fan Tan. That matches the 1.25 percent house edge the Wizard of Odds gives for the Nga Tan and Ssh bets.
Fan tan live returns differ by bet, so the game help lists the figure for each one.
What does each bet cost per hundred dollars?
The single number costs about 3.75 dollars per hundred wagered, Kwok and Nim about 2.50, and Nga Tan and Ssh about 1.25, using the Wizard of Odds house edges.
Fan tan live bet choice therefore changes the long run cost threefold.
What does a hundred rounds cost?
One dollar per round on the Ssh bet puts one hundred dollars into play and costs about 1.25 dollars on average. The same hundred rounds on a single number costs about 3.75 dollars.
Fan tan live results in any short session still swing around those averages.
What is a push?
A returned stake. In the Nim and Nga Tan bets, one of the chosen numbers is marked as a push, so the bet neither wins nor loses when that number lands.
Fan tan live pushes are not charged the 5 percent commission.
What are the betting limits?
MrQ lists a minimum of 20p and a maximum of 80 pounds per bet at its table, with cash prizes of up to about 2,850 pounds from a single number win.
Fan tan live limits at Canadian casinos appear in the game window.
Fan tan live stakes add up across bet spots, so covering several bets raises the cost of a round.
What does the table look like?
The Wizard of Odds describes Macau tables about the size of a large craps table, with the dealer’s area under a clear plastic dome and betting areas on either side that seat about six players each.
Fan tan live streams that layout to any number of players online.
How are winning bets shown?
The Wizard of Odds says winning bets are illuminated once the outcome is determined, in the same way as sic bo tables.
Fan tan live highlights winning spots on the betting grid in the same way.
Is there a strategy?
No bet changes the count. The four results are equally likely, so the only choice that matters is which bet to back and how much to stake on it.
Fan tan live players who want the lowest cost per round choose Nga Tan or Ssh.
Fan tan live history panels record past results without changing the next count.
How does it compare with sic bo?
Both are Asian table games with a grid of bets and a single random result each round. Sic bo settles on three dice, while this game settles on the beads left after the count.
Fan tan live has four outcomes, far fewer than a sic bo table.
How does it compare with baccarat?
Evolution positions the game as an alternative for baccarat players, in Haushalter’s words. Baccarat compares two hands, while this game counts beads into fours.
Fan tan live rounds end without any drawing rules.
What was the hanging basket game?
Inside Asian Gaming describes Macau parlours where VIPs sat on an upper level around a hollow above the table and sent their chips down to the dealer in a small basket, which gave the game its nickname.
Fan tan live replaces that basket with a betting grid on screen.
Can fan tan live be played on mobile?
Yes. MrQ lists the game in its mobile casino, and Evolution streams its live tables to desktop and mobile devices.
Fan tan live keeps the same bets on every screen.
Where can Canadians play fan tan live?
Canadian casinos that carry Evolution’s live catalogue list it in the live casino lobby, often beside the other Asian tables such as sic bo and dragon tiger.
Fan tan live availability depends on the operator’s game list.
Vegazone is number 1 on our homepage list of casinos for Canadian players. Open its lobby and confirm Fan Tan Live is there before you deposit, and compare its welcome offer on our page on real money online casinos.
Is fan tan live available in Ontario?
Ontario players can check whether the operator offering the game appears on the regulator public register before depositing. The register lists every operator allowed to offer online casino games in the province.
Fan tan live at an Ontario site runs under that operator’s registration.
What does a Canadian check before playing fan tan live?
Four lines decide the session. The bet limits, the payouts for each bet type, the commission on wins and the operator registration all appear before any money moves.
Players in Ontario who want support can call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600.
Which game pages are worth reading next?
Four pages sit closest to this one. Each covers a game or a rule that touches the subject above, and each stands on its own.
Fan tan live pays 2.85 to 1 on a single number and far less on the wider bets. Pick the bet that matches the budget, and the count plays close to its published return.