Baccarat Guidelines
Baccarat may seem to be a very simple game because its rules are straightforward: place a bet on either the Player or the Banker and wish that your hand will win. However, if you delve into the baccarat rules and the tactics that experienced players use, you will realize that the game is not so simple. There are some people who try to predict baccarat outcomes based on previous results, and there are others who seek to use betting systems. Both superstition and logic have equal importance in the game. Here, in this article, we'll try to explain the rules of the simple card dealing and the scoring system. Let's begin with the fundamentals — the values of different cards and hands.
Card Values in Baccarat
There is a silent "t" in the English name "Baccarat," but that is not the most interesting aspect of the game. The fun part is that the name means "zero" or "nothing." That's why all the Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are valued at zero in baccarat. The Ace is counted as 1 point, and the other cards are counted at face value from 2 to 9 points. The maximum value for a hand is 9. When you have more than 9, you drop 10 points. For example, if you are dealt 4, 9, and 5, your hand value is 8 (or 18 minus 10). Two 10s equal 0. A hand that totals 8 or 9 is called a "natural."
Player's Hand
The start play in baccarat always begins with the Player's hand. Two cards are drawn to the Player, which the dealer then reveals. If the total is 0 to 5, a third card is dealt. If the total is 6 to 9, the Player stands (gets no additional cards). An 8 or 9 hand is a natural and automatically wins, taking any Banker's hand — except if the Banker also happens to have a natural 8 or 9. The Banker wins if the Player has 8 and the Banker has 9, and vice versa. The casino's house edge on Player bets is 1.24%, and the odds paid are 1:1.
Banker's Hand
The Banker's hand is also dealt two cards. If the Banker's total is 7, 8, or 9, no third card is drawn. But only when the first two cards total 0 to 3, or when a Banker holds a 3 and a Player holds an 8. Depending on the Player's third card, the Banker may still draw a third card if the hand value is 4, 5, or 6. Fortunately, you don't have to memorize all this since these actions are done for you by the dealer. You can also use our mini-guide by downloading it from our website and reading it at your convenience. Note that the Banker has an advantage over the Player since they receive cards second. Most professionals concur that the Banker wins more than 50% of the time. The Banker's house edge is lower (1.06%). Although Banker bets are paid at odds of 1:1, they carry a 5% commission.
Pattern Recognition
Most players wrongly believe that the outcome of previous rounds can be used to predict future outcomes. To keep track of the number of Player, Banker, and Tie hands that have been dealt, players use scoreboards. This is widely known as "Pattern Recognition," and casinos do not object to it. Land-based casinos provide players with score sheets and pencils, and internet casinos have special windows that display the result of the recent few rounds. Casinos know that this tendency does not affect play. This method also cannot be called a winning system since the past does not influence the future. If you are wondering, a description of "Pattern Recognition" follows.
Scoreboards
In English, scoreboards are also called "cube road," "dice road," "marker road," "bead plate road," and "baby pig road." They are the special boards on which Player, Banker, and Tie hands that won in previous rounds are recorded. They are indicated by players with the use of colored cubes. There is a specific hand indicated by each cube:
- Blue = Player win
- Red = Banker win
- Green = Tie
Tracking starts at the top left corner and down to the bottom of the board, and from the right side up to the top.
Big Road
The "Big Road" shows the sequence of Player and Banker wins. Ties are marked with a green line bisecting previous Player and Banker wins. Player pairs are marked with a blue dot in the lower right corner, Banker pairs with a red dot in the upper left corner.
The pattern begins in the top left corner with a Player win marked by a blue dot. Red dots represent Banker wins. A new column is started each time the winner changes from Player to Banker or Banker to Player. The chart is made up of six rows. If there are more than six wins in a row, the counting continues to the right, creating a "dragon tail." This is the basic pattern that all others are derived from.
Big Eye Boy
The "Big Eye Boy" is an advanced statistical way of tracking how the bets lose or win. Red marks in this system represent repetition, and blue marks represent randomness. Red and blue here have nothing to do with Player or Banker bets.
The "Big Eye Boy" chart begins with the hand following the first entry in column two of the "Big Road." Each entry in this system and in the next two is made based on the result of the "Big Road." This system is complicated and confusing to utilize. As a guideline, look at the last outcome on the "Big Road." Then move one cell to the left and up. If there is no change, mark red; if there is a change, mark blue.
Small Road
The "Small Road" is identical to the "Big Eye Boy" but lacks one column left of the column in the "Big Road." It starts with the hand that follows the first one, beginning in the third column of the "Big Road." Red circles are for when the first and third columns left of the new "Big Road" column are of the same depth; blue circles are for when they are not.
The stroll in the "Small Road" (relative to the last entry in the "Big Road") involves two cells left and upward. Mark red for no change; blue if there is.
Cockroach Pig
The "Cockroach Pig" is the third road, two columns left of the "Big Road" column, skipping two. Otherwise, it works the same way as the "Small Road." It begins following the first entry in the fourth column of the "Big Road." Here you're comparing the first and fourth columns left of the new "Big Road" column. Red again indicates the same depth, blue different. To mark this pattern, locate the last entry in the "Big Road" and move three cells left, then up. If no change, mark red; if change, mark blue.
Should You Use Pattern Recognition?
Pattern Recognition is a fairly advanced system. You need to know that red circles are Banker wins, blue circles are Player wins, and green circles are Ties. The "Big Road" is the main pattern, and all the others are relative to it. Fortunately, nearly all modern casinos provide electronic representation of these roads and extensive win records. Thanks to the automatic reading of cards, these displays provide flawless information. Every road is generally comprised of six symbols tall, and on electronic displays that feature "Big Eye Boy," "Small Road," and "Cockroach Pig," the symbols are half the height of a cell, so three rows of cells hold six vertical symbols.