Baccarat Score Boards

Introduction

Baccarat is a game rich in superstitions, with many players meticulously tracking the history of the shoe, either by jotting it down on paper or utilizing screens that display every hand played since the start of the game. There are various methods for documenting this data, and companies that provide these screens often showcase it in different formats, depending on popular techniques for recognizing patterns.

Before diving into the details, I’d like to clarify my notation system. I use capital letters when discussing actual bets, while lower case represents the players in the game. I encourage others to adopt this practice to minimize potential misunderstandings.

For those unfamiliar with my perspective, I'd like to state the obvious: all efforts to predict the next hand are largely futile. The odds remain constant for each hand, making the history irrelevant. And to the perfectionists considering writing to me, let me clarify that while a computer could theoretically make perfect decisions based on the remaining cards, which might give a slight edge on certain bets, that's not the main point here. I'm emphasizing that attempting to derive patterns from previous Player and Banker wins is as fruitless as predicting the next result in roulette based on prior reds and blacks. card counter Even though I don't personally indulge in baccarat, I've been intrigued for years by the various displays that represent shoe history. The personnel at the Venetian have been exceptionally accommodating, assisting me in gaining a clearer understanding to share with others. Now that we've cleared that up, let’s begin. Below is an illustration of a standard sign seen in the Venetian, with several components of the display that I'll detail one by one.

The top section is referred to as the 'bead plate.' In the past, players could purchase trays equipped with cubes indicating wins for Player, Banker, and Tie. Wins are recorded in the following manner:

How to Read Them

Bead Plate

The player starts at the upper left corner and moves downward. Upon reaching the bottom row, they shift one column to the right and return to the top row.

• Blue = Player win
• Red = Banker win
• Green = Tie win

The next area, as shown above, is called the 'Big Road.' This section mainly tracks wins for Player and Banker, while Tie and pair wins are indicated with slashes and dots. Specifically, a tie is marked with a green line crossing through the last Player or Banker win. A Player pair is represented by a blue dot in the lower right corner of that hand while a Banker pair gets a red dot in the upper left. For simplicity, in this illustration, we've only included Player and Banker wins.

Big Road

Similar to the Bead Plate, the player initiates marking wins from the top left, with Player wins denoted in blue and Banker wins in red. However, instead of solid circles featuring a Chinese character, the Big Road simply uses blue and red outlines of circles.

In contrast to the Bead Plate, the Big Road starts a new column every time there is a shift in wins between Player and Banker. You can observe that the grid consists of six rows. If there are seven or more consecutive wins for either Player or Banker, the results shift to the right, creating what's known as a dragon tail. In this particular example, that does not occur, as no side achieved more than four consecutive victories.

Moving to the next display, it becomes less clear what is happening, which is where I began to seek assistance. As previously mentioned, baccarat players are notoriously superstitious. While their strategies for identifying patterns can be intricate, one simple truth is that they thrive on predictability and recurring patterns. For instance, if the last 12 hands were structured like BBBPPPBBBPPP, I would wager that everyone at the table would bet on Banker for the next round. Notice the pattern of wins occurring in groups of three. The Big Eye Boy table aids in assessing the repetitiveness of the shoe. Red markers indicate repetition, while blue ones signify a chaotic or "choppy" shoe. It's crucial to point out that in the Big Eye Boy table, colors do not correlate with Player or Banker wins as they do in the previous tables.

Big Eye Boy

The initial entry in the Big Eye Boy table corresponds to the hand following the first entry in the second column of the Big Road, providing enough data to determine if a pattern is emerging. This is where things can get a bit tricky, so pay close attention. Each entry in the Big Eye Boy relates directly to a specific entry in the Big Road. The Big Eye Boy entries are documented as follows:

If the hand in question creates a new column in the Big Road, compare the depth of the previous two columns in the Big Road. If they are equal, mark a red circle in the Big Eye Boy; if not, mark it in blue.

1. If the outcome of the hand is the same as the one before it (excluding ties), check the cell to the left of the newly created entry in the Big Road against the cell directly above. If both cells are the same, whether they both indicate Player, both signify Banker, or both are blank, then color it red in the Big Eye Boy. Otherwise, use blue.
   
2. To put it straightforwardly, look at the most recent entry in the Big Road. Next, shift one cell to the left and then move upwards. If this upward move results in no changes, color it red; if it changes, color it blue.
   
   If a dragon tail forms in the Big Road, for the purposes of the Big Eye Boy as well as the Small Road and Cockroach Pig, treat the Big Road as infinitely deep and consider what would occur under that assumption.

It's worth noting that if the Big Road displayed an alternating pattern of x Player wins followed by x Banker wins, then the entire Big Eye Boy would be colored red.

To make sense of this section, I will elaborate on each entry in the following Big Eye Boy table. I’ve organized the results in Excel for your reference to specific points in the grid.

For instance, the initial entry points to cell A1 in the Big Eye Boy table, which is the same hand shown in cell C1 of the Big Road table. Since C1 marks the beginning of a new column, we need to check if the lengths of the previous two columns are identical. They are, so we color cell A1 red in the Big Eye Boy.

The next table located in the bottom left of the display is known as the 'Small Road.' This table functions exactly like the Big Eye Boy but omits the column immediately left of the current one in the Big Road. To compile enough information, the Small Road must wait until after the entry following the first in the third column of the Big Road. Here’s the precise way to record entries in the Small Road.

Big Road

Big Eye Boy

Small Road

If the hand in question creates a new column in the Big Road, compare the first and third columns to the left of the new column in the Big Road. If they hold the same depth, record a red circle in the Small Road; if they differ, mark it blue.

1. If the hand outcome is the same as the previous hand (skipping ties), compare the cell two cells to the left of the newly created entry in the Big Road with the cell directly above it. If these two are identical, whether both Player, both Banker, or both blank, then color it red in the Small Road; otherwise, use blue.
2. To clarify, evaluate the latest entry in the Big Road, then shift two cells to the left followed by moving upwards. If this upward movement doesn't change anything, color it red; if it does change, color it blue.
   
   In the illustration of the Small Road here, the display was too compact, causing the first four columns to be cut off. They would have been BBRRBR.

The next table pictured in the bottom right corner is dubbed 'Cockroach Pig.' This table operates similarly to the Small Road, but skips two columns to the left of the present column in the Big Road. To gather enough input, the Cockroach Pig must wait until after the first entry in the fourth column of the Big Road. Here’s how the Cockroach Pig is recorded.

Cockroach Pig

If the hand in question results in a new column in the Big Road, compare the first and fourth columns to the left of the new column. If their depths match, then mark a red circle in the Cockroach Pig; if not, mark it blue.

1. If the hand matches the previous outcome (excluding ties), then compare the cell three cells to the left of the new entry in the Big Road to the cell directly above it. If these two cells match, whether they’re both Player, both Banker, or both blank, color it red in the Cockroach Pig; otherwise, color it blue.
2. In simpler terms, examine the latest entry in the Big Road, shift three cells to the left, and then move upward. If there's no change after this upward move, color it red; if a change occurs, color it blue.
   
   Finally, the image above illustrates the upper right section of the display. The left side provides statistics summarizing the shoe's performance regarding how frequently each bet has won. This example is somewhat exaggerated, as I only entered Player and Banker victories for demonstration purposes. The right side of the display predicts potential outcomes on the Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig based on whether the next hand will result in a Player or Banker win.

Other Statistics

Understanding the fate of the cards: a deep dive into baccarat trends (part 1)

Links

I extend my gratitude to the approachable and supportive staff at the Venetian for patiently answering my numerous inquiries about this subject and for allowing me to photograph their signage. and (part 2) by Andrew W Scott

Acknowledgements

Explore mathematically sound strategies and insights for various casino games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, and many more that can be enjoyed.

Written by: Michael Shackleford