Baccarat Scoreboards Explained
Baccarat scoreboards track the results of previous hands and use patterns to identify trends.
The basis of this game revolves around you predicting the winning hand. For this, you’ll often rely on scoreboards that aid you in finding patterns and making informed guesses.
Today, most online casinos automatically update the baccarat scoreboard and display the results of the current shoe. However, understanding how to read each type of scorecard is a valuable skill.
With this guide, I’ll cover each type of baccarat scorecard, how they are constructed over time, and what the information on them mean.
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Understanding Baccarat Scoreboards
Baccarat scoreboards come in various formats, such as Bead Road, Big Eye Boy, and Cockroach Pig. While the past results don’t influence future hands, you can use these scoreboards to make more informed predictions.
Historically, baccarat players manually recorded game outcomes on paper scorecards, a practice rooted in tradition and superstition. As technology advanced, this manual tracking evolved into digital formats.
Today, online gambling platforms automatically update and display baccarat scoreboards, making it easier to access and analyze game trends in real time.
Baccarat Scoreboards Overview
As mentioned above, baccarat has five scoreboards: Bead Road, Big Road, Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig.
In addition, a scorecard usually shows the summarized results of the current baccarat shoe. You’ll see general data for the number of wins for Player or Banker, ties, pairs, and naturals.
Their information ranges from the basic scoring of each hand’s outcome to comparing recent results to several hands back and patterns they may have. Sometimes, a “Predictor” also aims to guess the next mark in each chart.
Types of Baccarat Scoreboards
Baccarat scoreboards start as empty grids of squares in rows and columns. As the game progresses, these charts are filled with marks based on the outcomes of each hand, following specific formulas.
Basic charts, like the Bead Road and Big Road, simply display the results of previous rounds. More complex scorecards, such as the Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig, use formulas to identify trends from past results.
Each type of scoreboard serves a different purpose, helping players spot patterns and make more informed predictions.
Understanding these scoreboards can enhance gameplay strategy, though it’s important to note that past results don’t affect future outcomes. Let’s look at each one closely and see what they mean.
Bead Road
The Bead Road or Bead Plate is the most basic and noticeable scoreboard on display. It accurately represents the game’s history on a grid of six rows and twelve or more columns.
Some Bead Road scorecards also include the winning hand’s score within each circle.
For each round or hand, a square cell is filled with a colored circle—red for a Banker’s win, blue for a Player’s win, and green for a tie.
Additionally, some minor features in each grid square indicate a pair or a natural (9 or 8 on the first two cards).
Big Road
The Big Road is an expanded version of the Bead Road, designed to highlight streaks of consecutive wins for the Player or Banker. It uses open red circles for Banker wins, and blue circles for Player wins.
In this chart, consecutive wins are marked by moving down a column. A new column is started when the win changes hands from Player to Banker or vice versa. This visual representation helps players quickly spot trends and streaks in the game.
Derived Roads
The Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig scorecards track trends from previous hands based on information from the Big Road. These derived scorecards help detect deeper patterns and indicate chaos or predictability.
- Big Eye Boy uses small red or blue rings in a grid of cells
- Small Road uses solid circles
- and Cockroach Pig uses slashes
Players analyze these scorecards to spot trends and predict the next round’s outcome.
Does the Baccarat Scoreboard Indicate Future Winners?
Real money baccarat involves random deals of playing cards from a shoe, so there is no guarantee that any scorecard analysis can predict the subsequent outcome, not even the predictor. Nevertheless, some people use scoreboards to find trends.
The current “chaos” or “predictability” of the game has nothing to do with the odds of the next hand. These charts are mainly for gut feelings, superstitions, or strategies that fall into the gambler’s fallacy.
How to Read the Baccarat Scorecards
When reading baccarat scoreboards, they all start from the top left cell and move top to bottom, left to right. On the Bead Road, red and blue indicate the winner of a hand: red for the Banker and blue for the Player. On the derived roads, red represents predictability, and blue indicates chaos.
Understanding how each scoreboard works and how they get their marks allows you to start spotting trends. This knowledge can help you make more informed decisions during the game.
Note: You may have to manually keep track of these scorecards since the derived roads aren’t always available in land-based or online casino games. Download our printable baccarat scoreboard or grid paper to keep track as you play.
General Statistics Board
Among baccarat’s hand-history scorecards, you will usually see a less cryptic numerical counter of results of all previous hands.
It is a simple total for each category in the shoe so far. You’ll see a category for each hand and their pairs, ties, and natural wins.
Reading The Bead Road
The Bead Road is an exact representation of game history. The order of results starts at the top left and moves down a column to the bottom and then to the top of the next column.
A red circle denotes a Banker win, blue for Player win, and green is a tie.
You will often see these markers with numbers of the winning hand score. For instance, a red circle that contains a 3 indicates a Banker’s win with a score of 3.
Most baccarat scoreboards have small red or blue circles in the top left or bottom right of a cell to indicate a banker or player pair for that hand.
There may also be a cell notation for natural hands that won with just two cards. It is usually a slash or partly shaded cell.
Understanding The Big Road
The Big Road uses red and blue rings to mark changes in winning streaks between the Player and Banker, with green slashes to indicate when ties happen.
It is a six-row chart of cells that stretches into 20 or more columns. A new column begins each time the winning hand changes to the other side, and streaks get recorded by building down in the same column.
For instance, a red circle appears in the top left cell if the first round is a Banker win.
If the following result is a Banker win, another red goes in the cell below, but if it is a Player win, start a new column with a blue circle at the top.
You will see a green slash through the most recent mark for a tie but no new red or blue spaces.
Dragon Tails
As you build Big Road, you will run into streaks of wins for either side.
The longer the run, the deeper the column of circles. When a streak runs longer than six hands, the seventh win and beyond get added to the right along the bottom row.
These long runs form something that looks like a tail. Some players like to identify and bet these streaks or “follow the dragon.”
Derived Road Predictor
Some tables have a predictor that uses the current baccarat shoe results recorded up to that point to predict the next mark in each derived road.
As the Big Road fills in, the predictor begins guessing according to its formulas.
A Banker column and a Player column each list predictions of hollow rings for Big Eye Boy, solid circles for Small Road, and colored slashes for Cockroach Pig.
From this, players can look at the derived roads and the predictor to help determine the outcome of the next round based on their current strategy.
Reading The Derived Roads in Baccarat
The Derived Roads have that name because the information they convey gets derived from the Big Road. These three charts are similar, but each uses outcomes from further in the past than the previous one.
It’s from this tracking that players try to detect trends. Here is where blue indicates chaos, and red is predictability.
Big Eye Boy
The Big Eye Boy is the first derived road to start getting marks. It needs the fewest previous hands to start getting built out, beginning after only the third column of the Big Road begins.
The rings in the Big Eye Boy are smaller, usually two wide in a cell. Each mark only starts a new column when the colors change.
How Marks on This Board Get Created
Being the first derived baccarat scoreboard, the Big Eye Boy goes back the least distance into the past to determine trends based on a couple of rules:
- From the new Big Road column, check to see if the 1st column to the left and the 2nd column to the left are the same depth.
- If yes, you denote red on the Big Eye Boy. If no, blue.
If the hand result is in the same column, check the 1st space to the left and one space above.
If they are the same color, mark red. If they are different colors or blank, denote blue.
Small Road
As the second of the derived baccarat scorecards, the Small Road tracks results from further in the past than the Big Eye Boy. It scans back two columns instead of just one.
The marks here are usually around the same size as Big Eye Boy, but they are solid, filled in circles. Again, as colors change here, new columns begin.
How Marks on This Board Get Created
The small road looks back further on the Big Road than the Big Eye Boy. There are two rules for determining the next mark here:
- If starting a new Big Road column, check to see if the 1st column to the left and the 3rd column to the left are the same depth. If yes, mark red; if no, blue.
- If you are deeper in the same column, check the 2nd space to the left and one space above. If they are the same, mark red. If not, blue.
Cockroach Pig
For Cockroach Pig, you go one step even further into the past than the Small Road. You check not one, not two, but three columns or spaces back.
The marks here are colored slashes rather than circles, two wide in the same cell. Similarly to the other charts, a new column begins when the color of the mark changes.
How Marks on This Board Get Created
The Cockroach Pig is the baccarat scoreboard that looks back the furthest on the Big Road. To figure out the next mark, you need to check two things:
- If starting a new column in Big Road, check if the 1st column to the left and the 4th column to the left are the same depth. If yes, use a red slash. If no, blue.
- If you are in the same column, check if the 3rd space to the left and the space above are the same color. If yes, mark red. If no, blue.
Using Baccarat Scoreboards: Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these easy steps to use baccarat scoreboards and predict patterns successfully.
Understand the Basics of Each Scoreboard:
Tracks outcomes of each hand (Banker, Player, Tie). Red circles for Banker wins, blue circles for Player wins, green slashes for Ties. Look for vertical streaks.Set Up Your Scoreboard:
You can use a digital app or paper scoreboard to keep track of the game pattern. After each hand, mark the result on the Big Road first.Analyze the Pattern Data:
Look for consecutive Banker or Player wins on the Big Road. Longer streaks indicate a trend worth following. Use Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig to identify patterns. Patterns help predict potential outcomes.Adjust Your Bet Accordingly:
Bet on the Banker if you identify an assertive streak. Use pattern insights to predict changes, and be ready to adjust your strategy as patterns change.Review and Adapt:
Analyze the results by reviewing your bets and outcomes. Adjust your approach based on successful patterns and streaks.
Strategy and Tips to Use Scoreboards
Learn how to make more informed betting decisions, recognize subtle trends, and adjust your strategy for optimal gameplay with the following tips to read and use the scoreboards.
Using Charts to Inform Betting Decisions
Players use scoreboards to track patterns and improve their bets. For example, if the Big Road shows a streak of Banker wins, a player might continue betting on the Banker.
Otherwise, they might switch their bet to the Player if a tie or pattern break occurs.
Recognizing Less Obvious Trends
Advanced players look for less obvious trends, such as patterns in tie occurrences or subtle shifts in derived scoreboards.
Recognizing these trends can provide an edge in making more precise bets.
Following Streaks
When the Big Road shows a streak, you might want to bet on the continuation of that streak until it breaks.
For example, if the Big Road shows multiple Banker wins in a row, keep betting on the Banker until a Player win or tie occurs.
Predictability and Chaos
You can use the Big Eye Boy to identify periods of predictability (red) or chaos (blue) and adjust your bets accordingly.
- Predictability: Red circles in the Big Eye Boy suggest stable patterns. During these times, follow the established streaks.
- Chaos: Blue circles indicate that patterns are less predictable. Be cautious and consider smaller bets or waiting for a clearer trend.
Switching Strategies
If derived roads like Small Road or Cockroach Pig show consistent patterns, you might switch your strategy to align with these trends.
Use the information from all scoreboards to create a flexible betting strategy. If one scoreboard indicates a strong pattern while another suggests a potential shift, be ready to adjust your bets.
Expert Tips to Consider When Playing Baccarat
- Stay Disciplined: Avoid chasing losses. Use the scoreboard data to make informed and rational decisions.
- Practice Regularly: The more you practice interpreting scoreboards, the better you’ll recognize patterns and make informed bets.
- Use a Multi-Board Approach: Don’t rely on just one scoreboard. Combine Big Road, Big Eye Boy, Small Road, and Cockroach Pig insights for a comprehensive strategy.
Understanding the patterns and using scoreboards can give you a significant edge. Always combine this knowledge with disciplined bankroll management to improve your overall chances of winning.
Phil Ivey, Professional Baccarat PlayerEffectiveness and Win Rates
While baccarat scoreboards can provide valuable insights, it’s essential to remember the fundamental odds: the Banker wins about 45.86% of the time, while the Player 44.62%, and ties occur 9.52% of the time.
Scoreboards help identify trends, but they don’t change these basic probabilities.
By leveraging advanced techniques and expert strategic insights, you can use baccarat scoreboards to make more informed betting decisions and potentially improve their outcomes.
Start Putting Your Knowledge into Practice!
Baccarat scoreboards provide a valuable framework for players to analyze past results and make strategic decisions.
Whether you are a new player or experienced, understanding how to use and read them can enhance your gaming experience and potentially lead to better results.
With this new information, you will feel more confident playing Baccarat in any setting. Save this guide and use it anytime you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some answers to common questions we get regarding the baccarat scorecards.
Why do people keep track of baccarat hands?
People keep track of baccarat with the notion that a string of correlated past events means a future event is more or less likely to happen. This way of thinking is called the gambler’s fallacy and applies to several things in life.
Despite superstition and perceived intuition, the fact is that any trends you find in the past hands do not affect the outcome of the next round.
Are there patterns in baccarat?
Despite what the derived roads show, it has been proven that there are no mathematical patterns in baccarat. The game is essentially equally random from one hand to the next.
