Following the Player / Banker Patterns ( The Scoreboard )
Basically , the predominant Latin customers of baccarat went from blaming their luck on bad cards in the ’ 70s and ’ 80s to the Asian player guessing their fate based on their ability to identify game trend patterns . Casinos provide baccarat customers with paper score cards and two-colored pens which the customers can use to record and track the Player / Banker / Tie results .
The customers would use these notations to locate any winning hand trends . The trends the baccarat customer is mostly looking for are indications that the shoe ’ s winning hands seem to repeat or go back and forth between Player and Banker .
Management quickly saw the advantage of providing the customers with a more efficient result-tracking system , and installed electronic scoreboards on each table . Scoreboards in baccarat track the previous results , usually in two different scoreboard screen formats ( Bread Pan and Big Road ). The boards also post “ prediction ” screens such as “ Little Road , Big Eyed Boy , and Cockroach Tail ” which advise the customers if the patterns indicating the winning results will “ streak ” and repeat , or if the winning outcomes “ chop ” or bounce back and forth between Player and Banker .
The scoreboard serves an additional purpose — advertising . Customers walking around the gaming area near the baccarat tables will be able to view different table scoreboards and look for patterns that may attract them to a certain “ lucky ” game .
What Are Free Hands ?
When looking for these patterns , sometimes customers request the dealers deal hands where no player places a wager . These are known as free hands . This situation free hand is also known as dealing a “ dummy hand .”
Free hands serve two purposes . First , they are used when a dealer makes a third-card drawing error . Instead of burning the mistake card similar to standard error procedures in blackjack , the error card is placed aside and used in the next hand , with that hand being dealt “ free ” or without bets being placed . This procedure maintains the ( perceived ) order of the shoe .
The second use of free hands is so customers can view the flow of the cards ( again perceived ) to help them predict future hands . Almost all Asian customers track hand win / loss patterns either on a paper scorecard or the scoreboard . If a higher-limit customer is uncertain as to the win / loss pattern , instead of sitting at the table until someone else places a wager , as a courtesy , the dealer can be requested to draw a free hand . Some higherlimit players are allowed to request several free hands in an attempt to identify a win / loss pattern .
Note : Free hands do not represent any change to the game ’ s mathematical advantage , but are wasted hands that do not generate revenue . Any excessive amount of free hands per shoe will reduce the shoe ’ s revenue potential as well as lower the game ’ s standard hold percentage .
In an effort to accommodate higher-limit customers , a few casinos will immediately draw free hands at the beginning of each new shoe . The standard number of free hands drawn to begin the shoe is three or up to five . These hands can be drawn and called quite quickly since there is no bet contemplation period by the customer .
Where the overall free hand concept hits a snag is when the casino offers this option to any baccarat customer . In some situations , close to half the hands drawn end up as “ non-revenue ” events , which damages income
The “ big ” baccarat table with seven seats on each side and operated by a team of four dealers is limited to high-limit rooms in today ’ s casino
potential during the standard gaming day . It can also affect the cost of customer reinvestment if the casino does not have the ability to reduce the number of decisions per shoe in the player tracking computer when a large number of free hands are drawn .
The Myth Behind Offsetting Wagering in Baccarat
One of the more common myths in baccarat is the wrongly perceived mathematical change that occurs when a customer bets on both the Player and Banker wagers at the same time . This is known as offsetting wagering . Many casino executives believe that this offsetting wagering situation actually nullifies any mathematical advantage of the house . How can the customer lose ? If one side loses the other side wins , and the customer receives player reinvestment credit while not risking any money .
This myth is absolutely not true . Both bets are subject to the same house advantage as if they were wagered individually or at different times . The Player bet is still subject to a 1.24 percent mathematical house advantage while the Banker bet is subject to that game type ’ s Banker house advantage ( 1.06 percent in standard , 1.02 percent in EZ , or 1.46 percent in Tiger ).
This hypothesis holds true for all table game situations where the customer can “ bet against themselves ,” such as the “ Do ” and “ Don ’ t ” wagers in craps and the “ even money ” wagers in roulette . Each bet is still subject to the individual mathematical advantage regardless of the wagering strategies used .
In all actuality , offsetting wagering situations are good for the casino . These situations eliminate any risk due to game result volatility and provide the casino with a consistent outcome that is positive for the house . What an offsetting situation indicates is that specific customer ’ s reluctance to gamble . For instance , casino executives need to question why a customer utilizes an offsetting strategy to wager any promotional chips or coupons .
Recently , casinos are questioning why their slot customers have elected to wager their accumulated slot reinvestment “ free play ” vouchers by offsetting the promotion instruments on Player / Banker in baccarat . Obviously , they would rather “ wash ” their reinvestment dollars on a 1 percent game instead of a 10 percent game while experiencing no outcome volatility .
As former Nevada Gaming Control agent , casino operator , professional card counter and casino consultant , Bill Zender has been involved in various areas of gaming and hospitality since 1976 . He has instructed courses on game protection , card counting , advantage play and gaming operations at various colleges and institutions throughout the country . As a member of JMJ , Inc ., Zender was an owner and operator of the Aladdin Hotel and Casino . For more information , visit billzender . com .
46 Global Gaming Business SEPTEMBER 2022